Sending Kids Back to School More Prepared

Along with pencils, paper and 3-ring binders, classroom survival kits will be on the back-to-school shopping lists of many parents this year. The destructive hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados and other emergencies that have recently been in the headlines have caused many people to have a greater appreciation for the importance of emergency preparedness in the home, at work and at school.

Every parent should be aware of the emergency preparedness plans and resources at their children's schools. Most school districts require that classrooms have basic first aid supplies. Some also require lockdown kits to better help children cope in the event of an emergency requiring them to remain in the classroom. Some also provide basic survival kits for each student. California schools, for example, are required to have a disaster plan, hold periodic drop, cover and hold drills and train staff on what to do during an emergency.

The rules, however, are hardly uniform, and compliance varies. There are no standards for what goes into a survival kit. Often there are no rules for how often emergency supplies should be replenished or replaced. That is why it is important for parents to work with educators to ensure their children are protected and their classrooms are prepared to respond when emergencies arise.

What types of emergency supplies should a More Prepared classroom have?

At a minimum, every classroom should be maintain a stock of non-perishable food, water, emergency blankets, first aid supplies, flashlights and an emergency radio. It is also advisable for classrooms to be equipped with a lockdown kit including an emergency toilet and toilet supplies, a tarp (for creating a privacy curtain), duct tape and plastic gloves.

It's prudent to provide all students, especially pre-school and elementary school children, with a personal survival kit. Personal survival kits not only ensure that each individual student's needs are met, they can also help children to feel more secure in an emergency situation. Kits should include such things as high-calorie, non-perishable food bars, water pouches, a thermal black, a light stick, first aid supplies and an emergency contact card. It's also a good idea to include crayons and activity sheets to keep small children occupied.

Parents, teachers and school administrators all share the same goal: keeping kids safe. As children get ready to return to the classroom, now is a good time to make sure that emergency plans and supplies are in place to meet that goal.

Fire Escape Smoke Hoods: Protecting Your Family from Smoke Inhalation

Next to installing smoke alarms, the best way to ensure your loved ones do not fall victim to fire may be to acquire a fire escape smoke hood for each member of your family. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fire is among the leading causes of accidental death in the United States. The vast majority of those deaths occur in homes (smoking and cooking are the leading causes of home fires) and most fatalities are the result of toxic gas or smoke inhalation rather than fire itself.
A smoke hood is similar to a gas mask. It includes a translucent, heat-resistant, air-tight bag that seals around the head and an air filter that allows the wearer to breathe while filtering out smoke and harmful chemicals such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide. Some also protect against certain biological agents such as anthrax. Smoke hoods designed for home use generally provide the user with 30 minutes or more of breathable air.

While smoke hoods can be life savers at home, they are especially important in large structures such as high-rise office buildings, factories, hospitals and schools where people may have to travel a considerable distance to an exit. People caught in a fire in a tall building may be able to use smoke hoods to make their way through smoke-filled stairwells that might otherwise prove deadly.

Following the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Federal Aviation Administration mandated that smoke hoods (also known as protective breathing equipment) be available for crew members on all commercial flights. Some passengers have followed suit and begun packing smoke hoods in their carry-on bags in order to improve their chance of surviving a fire emergency in the air. Whether that is necessary or prudent is for individuals to decide, but the value of smoke hoods in homes, schools and workplaces is clear. They can be life savers.
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