Workplace Options hosted a webinar on preparedness and while there were some decent over arching topics, I really felt like the entire presentation fell apart because those topics were poorly supported.
I’m no disaster planning and response expert nor am I an expert in risk assessment, but listening to this presentation taught me that people really need to carefully assess where they are going for information.
The presenter, Brande Newsome, laid out her presentation based on the following outline:
- justification
- planning
- preparation
- execution
- practice
- mish-mash
While I think she covered the critical topics, I would have organized the presentation more clearly. She did cover some good information on communication, preparing children and workplace contingency planning.
Some of her advice was conflicting or downright dangerous. When discussing non-perishable foods, she said “this isn’t a time to be healthy… indulge” and later said to eat “healthy” non-perishable foods. Which is it? It’s easy to find healthy non-perishable foods. Do that, plain and simple. You don’t have to sacrifice during a survival situation that you’ve planned for by eating only Dinty Moore and Jello powder (not that she was suggesting that). Then she said you could use a Britta filter to grab water out of a lake… sure if you don’t mind potentially being exposed to bacteria, viruses, and chemical contaminants. Using a Britta filter with an open water source like that is negligibly better than drinking directly out of the lake with your hands. For goodness sakes… a decent water filter costs under $75 and under $25 for an emergency one – get one of those! Or tell people to buy a lighter, learn how to build a fire and use a pot to boil water that has been filtered with a hanky.
I did want to share some resources from her slidedeck:
I posted the following questions during the Q&A and chuckled when she responded to my second question about “zombies”.
She responded very seriously that there’s no research out there to show that we would be in this type of situation. I laughed to myself. But in all seriousness, I think there are two very tangible topics to discuss here. One is on the level of public perceptions and mass communications. Why are we as a society gravitating to this phenomenon now? The concept of zombies have been around for decades if not centuries. What is it about us now that makes this a popular topic in the media? For the most part, it isn’t because the quality of storytelling has improved. I’m not talking about “just” the movies and TV shows out there. I’m seeing what I think is a dangerous trend in the firearms industry, a branding of firearms, ammunition and accessories that are marketing to the “zombie slayer.” The legal ramifications are staggering in self-defense situations.
The second topic is that I think the concept of the “zombie” is a metaphor for realistic disasters. It could be an outbreak, military action against civilians, etc. What, if any, value can we derive from the “zombie” culture that is useful for real-world planning and preparation? Again, I think mixing discussions about “preparing for the zombie apocalypse” is a slippery slope for people who are in the security industry or concerned with real-world planning.
If someone were to ask me how I would give a presentation on disaster planning, this is the approach I would take:
- rationale
- expectations
- planning and preparation
- practice
- execution
- recovery
My rough thoughts on each topic, hardly an exhaustive list:
Rationale
- define disaster on an individual basis
- consequences for failing to prepare
- balance planning with daily function
Expectations
- you cannot rely on any one else (the government, police, fire department, schools, employers, even other family members) to save you when disaster strikes… they might, but don’t expect it
- if you do not prepare, you are likely to lose family members, overall wellness, and/or valuables
Planning and Preparation
- the only way to tackle a big problem is to break it down into small pieces
- work together with others
- do what you can, even if it’s only a little
- the rule of 3’s: You can only survive approximately
- 3 minutes without air
- 3 hours without shelter
- 3 days without water
- 3 weeks without food
- 3 months without hope
- 3 years without goals
- what are your priorities? how would you rank the following: physical (and spiritual) health, financial well being, home and vehicle maintenance, happiness, security, livelihood, community, etc.?
- identify your threats: personal accidents/injuries, employment, crime, natural disasters, human-induced disasters, etc?
- what is the likelihood or risk associated with those threats?
- what strategies and methods/tactics/plans do you have to address each of those threats?
- where can you go for planning resources?
Frankly, I think I could have given a much better presentation on the first three topics myself. I’m not even going to finish my list here.
Don’t leave the well being of yourself and your family to anyone else. It takes so little to start to plan.