Find-It-Fast

Three Steps-3, CPR-4, Choking-7, Stroke-9

Prepare
Plans-11, Medical Hx-16, Evacuation-24, Action-32
Respond
Medical-33, Exposure-66, Terrorist-83, Disaster-94
Survive
General-111, Home-114, Car-122, Wilderness-124
After...
General-126, Damage-131, Resources-132
2008, Second Edition Informed

Clear, Concise and Practical

BeforeDuringAfter Guidelines
Home Emergency
Pocket Guide

Published by Informed

Publishing, Tigard, Oregon

2
Find It
Using this Guide
Surviving any crisis requires following three steps:
AssessQuickly and calmly, assess what is
happening so that you can determine the
appropriate steps to take:
q Are you in danger? Take care of yourself frst.
q What is the nature of the crisis?
q What can you do to help?
RespondAlways call out for help and have
someone call 911. If it is safe, respond yourself
using the information in the following sections:
q Medical
Breathing/Heart Emergencies ........................... 36
Bleeding/Injuries ................................................ 43
Life-threatening Illnesses .................................. 50
General Medical Treatment ............................... 59
q Exposure, Contamination & Decontamination
Disease Exposure ............................................. 66
Biohazard Exposure .......................................... 68
Chemical Exposure ........................................... 68
Nuclear Exposure .............................................. 69
Decontamination................................................ 82
q Terrorism
Evacuation ......................................................... 85
Bombing ............................................................ 86
Bioterrorist Attack .............................................. 87
Chemical Attack ................................................. 89
Radiological Attack ............................................ 91
Weaponry Attack ............................................... 92
q Disaster
Earthquake ........................................................ 94
Fire .................................................................... 96
Flood.................................................................. 99
HazMat ............................................................ 100
Hurricane ......................................................... 102
1
2
11
Prepare
PREPAREDNESS
This section contains information and worksheets
you will need to prepare for virtually any disaster.
Take the time now to read this section with your
family, your partner, or your neighbors, and make your
plan. When facing a crisis later, youll be glad you did.
Create a Disaster Plan
Family Medical History
Shelter-in-Place Kit
Personal Evacuation Kit
Home First Aid Kit
Portable First Aid Kit
Evacuation & Communications
Put Your Plan into Action
Create a Disaster Plan
1 Your frst step in preparedness is to create a disaster
plan. Follow the instructions in this section, collect
and write down the necessary information, perform a
home walk-through and assemble the information and
materials you need.
2 Once you have done the preliminary work, meet
with your family and friends and discuss disaster
preparation and what each family member should do
during a disaster.
NOTE: When speaking with small children, try not to
alarm them about the potential of disaster. Speak to
them calmly and explain that preparation is something
you do just in case, and assure them that everything
will be fne, even if a disaster does strike.
3 Once your plan is in place, review it on a regular
basis or any time something changes in your family,
such as relocation or a child entering a new school.

18
Prepare
Shelter-in-Place Kit
Disasters strike quickly and without warning, and can
confne you to your home. Be prepared.
NOTE: Local offcials and relief workers will be on the
scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone
right away. During an emergency, you may not be able
to access help for 72-hours or longer. The Shelter-in-
Place Kit helps provide self-suffciency and comfort.
Events that trigger Shelter-In-Place orders include:
v Terrorist Attack
v Biological Agents
v Chemical Agents
v Radiological Releases
v Overturned Chemical Truck
v Train Derailment
v Pipeline Rupture
v Emergency Drills, particularly if you live in a potential
HazMat release area
Your shelter-in-place kit should include:
q Portable battery-operated U.S. Emergency All-
Hazards and EAS weather radio, preferably with
NOAA channels, with extra batteries
q Plastic sheeting and duct tape, precut to ft all windows
q Scissors or a sharp knife
q Drinking Water for three days
q Cloth Towels (if youre not sheltering in the bathroom)
q Flashlight and extra batteries
q Non-perishable dry snack foods for three days
q First Aid Kit
q Personal medications
q HEPA, N95 or Air-Aide mask
q Your plan(s) checklist
19
Prepare
q Wills
q Drivers Licenses
q Bank account
numbers
q Credit card companies
and account numbers
q Passports
q Immunization records
Personal Evacuation Kit
In addition to your Shelter-in-Place Kit, each person and
pet in your family should have a Personal Evacuation
Kit. It should be small and portable so that each family
member can carry his/her own.
1 Buy a daypack for each person in your family. If you
have a large dog, consider a daypack that stores food
and water for your pet.
2 Divide up all of the items between the family
members daypacks. Because children cant carry as
much as adults, you may want to keep a master list
of all the items necessary for your family, and divide
them across all adult members.
Make copies of important records keep them in a
waterproof portable container.
q Health insurance
cards
q Birth certifcates
q Homeowners
insurance policy
q Inventory of valuable
household goods
q Car insurance
q Social security cards
3 Write down all bank account and credit card
numbers and store them in a safe place where only
you and family members and trusted friends can
access them.
29
Prepare
Pets
Our animals depend on us for their safety and well-being.
When evacuating take your pets with you if at all possible.
If your home isnt safe for you, its not safe for your pets.
NOTE: At the time of printing, state and federal laws
have recently passed that will provide for animals
in case of disaster; however, few states have
implemented any specifc changes. In the meantime,
continue to check with your local Humane Society
to see if they will take pets or to see if new
provisions have been put in place in your state.
Pets can be overcome with fear during a disaster.
Approach all petsincluding yourswith caution.
If your pet is injured or frightened, carefully cover
its head and gently lift. Consider lightly wrapping
a cloth around its muzzle to prevent nipping.
Make sure your pet is safe by:
q License your pet and make sure a collar containing
identifying information is in place at all times.
q Updating Microchip information (valid contact
number and address) when applicable.
q Putting information by the front entrance to your home
with information about the pets you have.
q Ensuring your pet is current on all necessary
vaccinations and boosters and storing these records
in his Personal Evacuation Kit.
q Having a crate or carrier for transport (one for each
animal, if possible).
q Having a Pet Evacuation Kit that contains:
medications (stored in a waterproof container), a pet
frst aid kit, sturdy leash and harness for dogs and
cats, a current photo of the pet, food and potable
water for at least three days, bowls, cat litter/pan,
37
Breath
If you are having a heart attack:
q Call 911 to take you to the hospital.
q While you wait for the ambulance to come, swallow
one regular tablet of aspirin or chew four baby
aspirin. Dont take the aspirin if youre allergic to it.
q If you can, go to a hospital with advanced care.
CPR for Cardiac Arrest
If the patient is not breathing (Cardiac Arrest):
1 Place the heel of the hand on the
breastbone in: the middle of the
chest between the nipples. Then,
stack second hand on top of frst,
fngers aligned.
2 Depress the chest approximately
1 1/2 to 2 inches and then allow
the chest to return to its normal
positionrepeat 30 times @ 100
per minute
3 Provide high-quality chest
compressions of adequate
rate and depth with minimal
interruptions until:
medical professionals arrive
the patient begins breathing on
his or her own
you are too exhausted to continue
NOTE: As a result of studies in 2007, the American
Heart Association determined that hands-only CPR
was acceptable for bystanders performing on cardiac
arrest victims. These studies did not indicate a
negative impact on a victims survival when mouth-to-
mouth was not used.
38
Breath
CPR for Special Circumstances
CPR for infants (birth to 1 year)
Use two fngers for chest compressions
Position fngers on center of
chest
Compress 15 times @ 100 per
min.
Cover mouth and nose with your
mouth
Ventilate with 2 puffs of breath
to avoid over-expanding lungs.
Use 15:2 ratio
CPR for children (1 year to 8 years)
Compress the lower half of the breastbone 30 times
with the heel of 1 hand or with 2 hands but do not
press on the bottom end of the breastbone or the ribs
Compress the chest about one third to one half the
depth of the chest @ 100 per minute
Ventilate until you see the patients chest rise.
Use 30:2 ratio
CPR for drowning victims
Remove victim from water and call for help if available
Provide CPR as normal
Give 5 cycles (about 2 minutes) of CPR before
leaving the victim to call for help
Get medical attention for victim
CPR for Hypothermia victims
Remember that the brain needs less oxygen when
cold. Dont give up without trying CPR.
Remove wet clothes from the victim; insulate or
shield the victim from wind, heat, or cold.
Perform CPR as indicated by age of patient.
If possible, have helpers begin to warm patient while
you are performing CPR.
82
Expose
Decontamination
NOTE: Chemical accidents, viral exposure or terrorist
attacks may contaminate you and your clothes. This
makes it necessary to remove and dispose of your
clothing and then wash yourself. This process is
called decontamination.
Importance of Immediate Decontamination
q To prevent the chemical from being further absorbed
by the body or from spreading on the body
q To prevent the chemical from spreading to other
people
1 Remove your clothing.
Quickly cut off clothing that has chemicals on it.
Try to avoid touching any contaminated areas.
2 Wash yourself.
As quickly as possible, wash any chemicals from
your skin with large amounts of soap and water
If your eyes are burning or blurry, rinse your eyes
with plain water for 15 minutes. Remove contact
lenses and throw them out. If you wear glasses,
wash them with soap and water.
3 Dispose of your clothes.
Place your clothing inside a plastic bag.
Wear rubber gloves to handle clothing or put
the clothing in the bag using tongs, tool handles,
sticks, or similar objects.
NOTE: Anything that touches the contaminated
clothing should also be placed in the bag. If you wear
contacts lenses, put them in the plastic bag, too.
Put rubber gloves in the bag and seal it, and then
seal that bag inside another bag.
When the local or state health department or
emergency personnel arrive, tell them what you
did with your clothes.
83
Terrorism
TERRORIST ATTACK
Terrorist attacks often most times come without
warning. Signal that you are under attack a
tremor, heard an explosion or crash, hearing or
having diffculty breathing or seeing.
Identify the Event
Initial Response
Bombing
Bioterrorist Attack
Chemical Attack
Radiological Attack
Weaponry Attack
After a Terrorist Attack
Residual Contamination
Decontamination
Identify the Event: THINK & OBSERVE
The frst step is to observe the situation to determine
how to react:
Explosion, blast debris, fre, victims near blast site
only = INCENDIARY BOMB ATTACK
Explosion, debris, victims who do not appear
injured, dead animals = NUCLEAR ATTACK
Sudden widespread illness, dead wildlife and
vegetation = BIOLOGICAL ATTACK
Trouble breathing, eyes tearing, blistering skin,
dead wildlife = CHEMICAL ATTACK
Initial Response
1 Call 911 only once to report what you heard or felt.
2 Immediately turn on your radio or television.
3 Turn to local stations frst. If the local stations are off
the air, this is likely confrmation of a local attack.
!
94
Disasters
DISASTERS
Disasters can be natural like earthquakes
or hurricanes or they can be manmade like
terrorism. No place in the is free from all types
of disasters. Everyone should be prepared. While there
are general precautions you should take for all types of
disasters, read through the following disaster guides and
prepare for the specifc types of disasters known to affect
your area.
Earthquake
Fire
Flood
Hazmat
Hurricane
Power Outage
Thunderstorm
Tornado
Tsumani
Winter Storm
Earthquake
Fact: Even minor shaking can cause damage, injury,
and death. Most quake-related injuries are caused by
buildings or their contents falling on people.
Earthquake Preparedness
q Ensure you have followed the steps in the
Preparedness section of this guide.
q Learn about seismic hazards. Visit the US Geological
Survey website to determine the level of activity in
your area: http://earthquake.usgs.gov
q Securely anchor items in your home and workplace
that could hurt you if they shifted, including:
Refrigerators
Artwork
!
97
Disasters
14 Store frewood 30+ feet away from house or deck.
15 Learn how to turn off gas and electricity in an
emergency (page 13).
16 Cover all fues with spark arrestors.
17 Cover all exterior vents, openings and eves with
metal mesh screens.
18 Consider installing an interior sprinkler system.
19 Consider replacing shake roofs and wood siding with
fre resistant materials.
What to do During a Fire
1 Evacuate immediately when you hear a smoke or fre
alarm. Account for all family members and pets.
2 Call 911 from a cell phone or neighbors phone.
3 STOP, DROP, and ROLL if your clothing or hair
catches on fre.
4 Never pour water on
an electrical fre.
5 If caught in smoke,
drop to your hands
and knees and crawl.
Breathe shallow
through your nose and
use your blouse, shirt
or jacket as a flter.
6 If youre forced to walk
through fames, hold
your breath, cover
your head and hair,
move quickly, keep
your head down and close your eyes as much as
possible.
7 Shut off gas if you smell a leak (smells like sulfur or
rotten eggs).
101
Disasters
After a HazMat Release
1 If you are sheltering in place, remain inside until the
all clear signal is given.
2 If you have evacuated, do not return until local
authorities have said that you can.
Hurricane
Fact: Hurricanes produce sustained strong winds and
heavy rain, but most deaths are caused by the storm
surge created when the wind drives ocean water inland,
producing a higher-than-normal tide.
What to Do Before a Hurricane Strikes
1 Follow the steps in the Prepare tab.
2 Secure your roof with metal tie-down straps.
3 Have plywood on hand to cover windows.
4 Prepare for fooding by keeping valuables on your
second foor or as high as possible.
5 Prepare for power outages.
6 Prepare for severe weather.
7 Locate a safe room in your home to escape from
hurricane hazards.
8 Determine escape routes.
What to Do During a Hurricane
1 If a hurricane watch or warning has been issued and
you live in a storm surge area, immediately evacuate
your family and pets and seek safe ground.
2 Secure your home by taping windows or covering
them with plywood secured to the house siding.
3 Bring your pets inside and put them in a travel kennel
with food and water.
4 Charge all cell phones before power is interrupted.
5 Bring anything that can blow away, such as outdoor
furniture, inside.
106
Disasters
After a Thunderstorm
1 Continue listening to local radio or television
stations for updated information and instructions.
2 Stay away from storm-damaged areas.
3 Watch out for fallen power lines and report them
immediately.
What to Do If Someone Is Struck By Lightning:
1 Call 911.
2 Give frst aid. If breathing has stopped, begin rescue
breathing. If the heart has stopped beating, a trained
person should give CPR. If the person has a pulse
and is breathing, look and care for other possible
injuries.
3 Check for burns in two places. The injured person
has received an electrical shock and may be burned,
both where they were struck and where the electricity
left their body. People struck by lightning carry no
electrical charge that can shock other people, and
they can be handled safely
Tornado
Fact: Tornadoes tend to be short-lived events. However,
the conditions that create them may persist for days, so
be alert to changing weather conditions. Listen to local
radio or television newscasts for the latest information.
Look for approaching storms
Watch for the following danger signs:
Dark, often greenish sky
Large hail
A large, dark, low-lying cloud (particularly if rotating)
Loud roar, similar to a freight train.
If you see approaching storms or any of the danger
signs, be prepared to take shelter immediately.
107
Disasters
What to Do during a Tornado
If you are indoors:
1 Go to a pre-designated shelter area such as a safe
room, basement, storm cellar or the lowest foor level.
2 If there is no basement, go to the center of an interior
room on the lowest level (closet, interior hallway)
away from corners, windows, doors and outside walls.
3 Put as many walls as possible between you and the
outside.
4 Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to
protect your head and neck.
5 Do not open windows.
If you are in a mobile home:
1 Get out immediately and go to the lowest foor of a
sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter.
If you are outdoors:
1 Lie fat in a ditch or depression and cover your head
with your hands.
2 Do not get under an overpass or bridge.
3 Never try to outrun a tornado in a car or truck.
Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter.
4 Watch out for fying debris. Flying debris from
tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries.
After a Tornado
Leave shelter carefully; check for debris and
weakened structures. Stay clear of collapsed buildings.
129
After
q Continue to keep the house closed off as much as
possible if you are sheltering in place
q Cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief or
surgical mask when you go outside
q Avoid strenuous exercise or activities
q Breathe shallowly if possible
Water Contamination
After a natural disaster or terrorist attack, assume that
the water supply is contaminated.
Accidental Contamination
If the water supply has been contaminated accidentally,
you may drink the water AFTER you have treated it:
1 Boil all water at a roiling boil for 10 minutes. Add to
the cooling water ONE of these items:
Add eight drops of liquid chlorine bleach (such
as Clorox) per gallon of water. Make sure the bleach
is 4 percent to 6 percent sodium hypochlorite. OR
Add 20 drops of 2 percent iodine per gallon of
clear water or 40 drops per gallon of cloudy water.
OR
Add water purifcation tablets according to directions
on the package.
Let the water stand for at least 30 minutes.
WARNING: Do not use or drink any water that is dark
in color or has any material foating in it. Use purifed
water for all personal hygiene, cooking and cleaning.
Terrorist Contamination
If the water supply was purposefully contaminated by
terrorists, you must not drink it or use it for cleaning or
personal hygiene until the local authorities have deemed
it safe to use.
133
After
assigned to your loss/claim. If you dont obtain this
number or have misplaced this number, call the HELP
LINE number assigned to the
disaster.
Getting Back to Normal
q 24 hours or so after a disaster, continue to take care
of yourself and your family, and begin to take stock of
the damage that has occurred.
q Listen to the radio periodically to hear any late
breaking news about help on the way or places to go
for help.
q Try to contact your out-of-state friends and let them
know where you are, and how you and your family are
doing.
q If you have evacuated, do not try to return home
until you have been told it is safe to do so. Dont
become a victim a second time.
q If you have stayed in your home, try to return to
normal routines as quickly as you cango to bed at
the same times, get up, eat breakfast, etc.
q Remember that everyone is likely to be on edge and
outbursts of anger, frustration, and sadness are normal.
q If it safe to go outside, check on your neighbors
and relatives. Offering to help others will make you
feel like you are helping to the situation. Similarly, if
people offer to help you, take the help and be glad it
was offered.
NOTE: After a disaster or terrorist attack, many
survivors will suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) after the event. If you cannot sleep, are
having fashbacks, are suicidal or depressed, seek
professional help for coping with your stress and loss.
You are not alone, and these feelings, though disturbing,
are normal and can be treated.
134
Info
RESOURCES
National Resources
American Red Cross
202-303-4498
http://www.redcross.org http://disastersafe.redcross.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
800-232-4636
http://www.cdc.gov
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
800-621-3362
http://www.fema.gov
http://disasterhelp.gov
Humane Society of the US (HSUS)
202-452-1100
http://www.hsus.org
National Weather Service
202-482-6090
http://www.weather.gov
Ready.gov
202-282-8000
http://www.ready.gov
Reallyready.org
202-546-3300
http://www.fas.org/reallyready/index.html
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Regional offces
http://www.epa.gov
Geological Survey
888-275-8747
http://www.usgs.gov
National Weather Websites
www.nws.noaa.gov
www.weather.com
www.accuweather.com
www.cnn.com
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(BLS)
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NIMS:
Incident Command
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The guide in every EMTs pocket.
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and tactics update, enhanced WMD
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Includes current AHA guidelines, 12-lead
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A pocket guide giving you on-the-spot
critical information for WMD and terrorism
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Vital information for all law enforcement,
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The original EMS Field Guide has grown
into the most used reference guide in
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