Emergency Preparedness with Duracell and the Toronto Fire Service #PGmom

It was the evening of Dec. 21, 2013, when our superintendent loudly knocked on the door around 10 pm. She apologized for disturbing us but wanted us to move our car as she was afraid the storm might take a tree down and land on it. And boy, did that storm ever wreak havoc - and the tree did come down. Our car was safe - but the tree came down on a power line leaving our apartment building without electricity for a whole week.

You would think after living through that ordeal I would have an emergency kit to sustain my family and home for the recommended 72 hours. Alas, I am one of the 53 per cent of Canadians who don't have one - and my reasoning is the same as those who were surveyed by Duracell and the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. When my power eventually came back, it was not top of mind (like 57 per cent of other Canadians)...and I became lazy about it (like 23 per cent of our nation).

So when I was contacted through the #PGmom program with the opportunity to learn how to create my own emergency preparedness kit I jumped at the chance. Earlier this week Hannah and I found ourselves at Fire Station 121 in Toronto and we both learned new safety rules and how to be prepared.

Being prepared is quite simple. Once you pull the kit together and create your escape plan, it's just a matter of updating contents, testing your alarms and reminding family members of what to do.

Basic Emergency Kit Items from getprepared.gc.ca:

Easy to carry
Think of ways that you can pack your emergency kit so that you and those on your emergency plan can easily take the items with you, if necessary 

Water
Two litres of water per person per day (Include small bottles that can be carried easily in case of an evacuation order) 

Food
That won't spoil, such as canned food, energy bars and dried foods (remember to replace the food and water once a year) 

Manual can opener 

Flashlight and batteries 

Battery-powered or wind-up radio 

Extra batteries 

First aid kit 

Special needs items
Prescription medications, infant formula or equipment for people with disabilities 

Extra keys for your car and house 

Cash
Include smaller bills, such as $10 bills (travellers cheques are also useful) and change for payphones 

Emergency plan
Include a copy of it and ensure it contains in-town and out-of-town contact information 

You can visit getprepared.gc.ca for printables so you can check off the boxes as you go. They also have a list for Additional Emergency Supplies (blankets, clothes, personal sanitation items, whistle, etc.) and an Emergency Car Kit. Remember to include items that are tailored to your family's needs. I will be purchasing Duracell batteries for my kits, and putting my Duracell Instant USB Charger in the kit so I can continue to use my iPhone if disaster strikes.

In an emergency your family also needs to have a plan on how to escape - including assisting family members. In our house, I'm in charge of Hannah and Chris is in charge of Booyah (our cat). Download your own Alarmed for Life: Your Home Fire Safety Kit from Toronto Fire Services, which includes check lists to be prepared and even a space to draw your floor plan so everyone knows how to exit every room in the house. Make sure you also designate a meeting area outside - and call 911 from there. Practice makes perfect, so the Toronto Fire Services recommends timing your escape route at least twice a year.

Make sure you stock up your emergency preparedness kit with Duracell Quantum - they last up to 10 years in storage. Every pack of Duracell Quantum purchased at Canadian Tire from May 15th to June 30th, 2015, Duracell will donate four batteries to Canadian Power Forward disaster relief efforts.

I would like to send a huge thank you to the fire fighters at Toronto Fire Station 121. Hannah is STILL talking about how she met Sparky and loves her copy of No Dragons for Tea even if her parents can't read it as well as the fire fighters did!

Disclosure: I am a P&Gmom/mamanP&G. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events and opportunities. The opinions on this blog are my own.

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