The children and I put together a new "bug out list" a while ago. It may have been as long as four months ago, now. The list has each child's name on it and what they should bring/pack to our departure vehicle. It is very specific about who is responsible for what and how much... so it would seem that there would be little for me to worry about other than the long list of things I need to pack. Would it were so!
The children knew a drill was coming, but didn't know when it would be. I was inspired to run one about two weeks ago as a result of writing THIS post. They did really well this time around, all things considered.
We forgot the first aid kit and extra water. I forgot extra clothes and underwear for my husband and me. (I did get some for the baby, though!) If you think that's lame, you should see my list!
I set the departure time at 15 minutes. It took us almost 25... so that needs work.
My eldest daughter was yelling like a banshee a few too many times (even once would be too many, as we later talked about).
I had to speak way too frequently about who needed to do what... so we need to have a few more drills so everyone knows their responsibilities.
Still, it went rather well considering we haven't run a drill of this sort in more than two years... maybe three! gah!
Showing posts with label emergency preparedness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label emergency preparedness. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Tricky Tuesday #15
Emergencies. We never know when they'll happen. That's why they are emergent, of course.
I've been grateful for our systems on many occassions. Probably MOST grateful when emergencies strike. We run drills. I wrote about this subject a little while ago. We haven't had all that many lately, but I am gearing up to run some more.
I have done a couple since the incident in THIS post in which I share about why we run drills. Once, our phone didn't work and I was worried that I had forgotten to pay the bill. The time of day was rough... if I was too late, I would interrupt my husband at the very busy time of day at his job. So, it was imperative that I get out fast. So, I told the children they had less than 10 minutes to get ready to go and get in the van. They tried to ask me questions and I just told them we had to leave and to get on it. (If there was an ACTUAL emergency, I wouldn't have time to chat with them about why and how and all that, so it's important to keep the practices very close to the real thing.)
Because we have systems in place, the children were out and buckled in within seven minutes. Yes, I am a little proud of that. :)
We've had a few family meetings about what we need to do so that we can get out quick. The meeting has also included conversation about what we each need to carry out to the van and HOW to accomplish what needs to be done so that we could depart in under 15 minutes and have lots of the important stuff with us. We even have a list on the back of a door AND on the inside of a high cabinet (for me) that guests and visitors are NOT likely to see that describes for each of us what our responsibilities are. This is a huge blessing. When they start asking me what they should do, all I have to do is remind them of the list and they can figure it out for themselves!
If we faced a real emergency departure situation, I would have enough to deal with just trying to make sure I got everyone and everything out that I need to. Answering questions would be way too stressful!
Do you have systems in place that will help you in case of an emergency departure situation? I'd love to hear how they've worked for you!
LINKED
I've been grateful for our systems on many occassions. Probably MOST grateful when emergencies strike. We run drills. I wrote about this subject a little while ago. We haven't had all that many lately, but I am gearing up to run some more.
I have done a couple since the incident in THIS post in which I share about why we run drills. Once, our phone didn't work and I was worried that I had forgotten to pay the bill. The time of day was rough... if I was too late, I would interrupt my husband at the very busy time of day at his job. So, it was imperative that I get out fast. So, I told the children they had less than 10 minutes to get ready to go and get in the van. They tried to ask me questions and I just told them we had to leave and to get on it. (If there was an ACTUAL emergency, I wouldn't have time to chat with them about why and how and all that, so it's important to keep the practices very close to the real thing.)
Because we have systems in place, the children were out and buckled in within seven minutes. Yes, I am a little proud of that. :)
We've had a few family meetings about what we need to do so that we can get out quick. The meeting has also included conversation about what we each need to carry out to the van and HOW to accomplish what needs to be done so that we could depart in under 15 minutes and have lots of the important stuff with us. We even have a list on the back of a door AND on the inside of a high cabinet (for me) that guests and visitors are NOT likely to see that describes for each of us what our responsibilities are. This is a huge blessing. When they start asking me what they should do, all I have to do is remind them of the list and they can figure it out for themselves!
If we faced a real emergency departure situation, I would have enough to deal with just trying to make sure I got everyone and everything out that I need to. Answering questions would be way too stressful!
Do you have systems in place that will help you in case of an emergency departure situation? I'd love to hear how they've worked for you!
LINKED
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
statcounter
