Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Building Your Own Survival Kit and
Your Community's EOP
Before building your own survival kit, it is important to understand the relation-
ship between the kit and your community's EOP. Many progressive communities
have developed a system of emergency response guides tailored to local needs. The
basic EOP is the largest and most complete guide. It will contain the basic plan,
functional annexes such as evacuation and mass care, and hazard-specific appendi-
ces such as flood and terrorism.
Because it is impossible for everyone to carry a copy of the complete EOP, some
communities have developed a simplified guide to their EOPs. These guides may
be called “Emergency Checklists,” “Emergency Procedures,” or another name but
their purpose is the same—to provide a quick reference that spells out
◾
Which agency has primary responsibility for the different types of emergen-
cies facing the community.
◾
The steps that are critical to take regardless of the emergency.
The guides are designed to provide department directors, response personnel,
and other key personnel a short, easily readable, and readily available list of task
assignments to be carried out as required for the categories of disasters faced by the
community.
If your community has developed a similar guide, you should include it in your
personal survival kit which, in turn, would be stored in your car or elsewhere. The
CEO Checklist is designed for you to carry in your wallet or purse so that it will be
available to you immediately in an emergency.
What to Put into Your Survival Kit
Your survival kit should include the tools and equipment that you, as an elected
official, need with you during the first hours following a disaster, when critical deci-
sions often must be made. Use the list on the next page as a guide to assembling
your survival kit.
Kit Contents
Information:
□
A pamphlet-sized mini emergency plan or other checklists
□
A CEO Checklist
□
Maps of the community (e.g., by street, topography, satellite photo)
