1. PUT A PLAN IN PLACE

2.  What should we do to prepare our trainee and their families or care providers?

3.  Assist the family, care provider, or trainee in putting an Emergency Plan in place.

4.  Begin by reviewing materials at time of assessment.  Involve family members, care providers, employers, program managers, service coordinators or anyone with direct contact with the trainee.  Introduce emergency information to your trainee towards the end of the training continuum.  Determine a meeting place FIRST!

5.  Provide families with helpful information to assist with their plan.  Make sure you gather all contact information including home and work addresses, home and work phone numbers and cell phone numbers if available.  Have a plan in place by the end of training.

6.  Be sure to provide all involved parties with your contact phone number, your training schedule including routes, days you will be training, times and destination information and contacts.  Be sure to program all contact information into your trainee’s cell phone and program them as emergency numbers not just “mom “ or “dad”.

7.  Determine your contacts at programs, work sites, or activity centers.  Provide your contact information and your training schedule as well as confirm their information or if there may be a better person for you to contact.  Be sure to ask that if something changes during the day, that they will advise you of the situation.  Inquire as to the program provider’s disaster plan to determine how you will incorporate it into your training plans and strategies.  If a disaster occurs, who is responsible for getting the trainee to a safe place?.

8.  Determine what phone numbers will be best for learning up- to-the-minute information on what is happing system wide.  If phone service is down what is the transit provider’s plan to disseminate information?  Keep contact information of key transit provider personnel.  Make sure that the trainee understands that the vehicle operator will be their emergency contact and the operator will advise them what to do.  Inform your trainee about things such as bus bridges, diverted routes, or exit strategies for subways or stations without using elevators and escalators.

9.  Carry emergency information on yourself and inform your trainee where it is located.  Do you and your family have a plan in place, or a meeting spot?  Are you part of your agency’s disaster plan?  Can you get back to your trainee?

10.  Not until your trainee is united with their family or care provider OR, when in the care and custody of the program, work site or other pre-determined location.  Never assume that your trainee is safe just because they tell you that they are !!

11.  Trainees must be prepared to handle different types of emergencies to the best of their abilities.  Provide them with a plan that best suites their cognitive abilities and practice that plan over and over again as part of the training continuum.  Involve everyone in the trainee’s daily life.  Carry all of the trainee’s emergency information with you during training as well as your own.  Have a plan in place before you need one!!!

12.  After your plan is in place, review it with all parties involved.  Practice the plan over and over again with the trainee.  Make sure all emergency numbers are programmed into your trainee’s cell phone.  Carry all emergency information with you during training.  Make sure everyone is involved and aware of the plan.  Remember, you can have an impact by getting the process started by providing good information and assistance in helping the family or care provider put their own plan in place. By providing good information, referral sources, and training, to the trainee and their support people, we can all be better prepared for a disaster.

13.  Know What Action To Take!

14.  Back your car into the garage with the keys in the ignition for quick escapes  Put all pets in one room  Close all garage windows but leave unlocked  Close all house windows, vents, blinds and heavy drapes  Remove light weight curtains that could ignite quickly  Shut off gas at meter and turn off pilot lights and propane tanks

15.  Duck or Drop to the floor.  Take cover under sturdy desks, tables or other furniture.  Hold on to it and be prepared to move with it until the ground stops shaking and it is safe to move.  If that is not possible, seek cover against an interior wall and protect your head and neck with your arms.  Avoid danger areas near windows, tall furniture, hanging objects and mirrors.

16.  Turn off all gas, water and electricity.  Check for hazards such as fires, gas leaks, damaged electrical wiring, damaged or downed power lines, fallen objects, downed or damaged chimneys and fallen trees.  Make sure that your phone is on the hook to prevent network tie up and be able to receive calls.  Clean up potentially harmful materials or medicines that may have spilled.  Expect after shocks, most are smaller then the initial quake but may cause damage

17.  In case of flooding, your city and county may use different means to alert you.  Revere 911 will allow emergency communications personal to call your home and alert about an evacuation order.  Listen for sirens! Police and fire officials will use their sirens and loudspeakers to help alert residents about an emergency.  During a large storm event, or if you hear sirens, turn on your local TV or radio station for emergency information and evacuation routes. Know your local emergency stations

18.  Flood watch: move valuable household possessions to upper floors of your home if possible.  Fill you gas tank of your car in the event of an evacuation.  Flood Warning: Tune in for information and advice from your local radio and television. If told to evacuate do so quickly.  Flash Flood Watch: Watch for signs of flash flooding and be ready to evacuate on a moments notice.

19.  Flash Flood Warning: If flashing flooding has begun evacuate immediately, you may only have seconds.  Move to high ground, away from stream, creeks and rivers.  Do not drive around barricades. These are placed to keep you out of harms way.  If your car stalls in rapidly rising water abandon it immediately and climb to higher ground.