Emergency Personal
Protection Guide
Contributed by Police Services
This Guide will help you be better prepared for an emergency affecting
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania..
-Learn what to do before, during, and after an emergency
-Create a family emergency plan.
-Prepare an Emergency Go Kit.
Protective Actions
Protective actions are steps we take to protect our family members and ourselves
from harm. The two most common forms of emergency protective actions are
shelter-in-place and evacuation. During and after an event, stay tuned to your
local emergency radio or television station or listen to emergency personnel to
know which protective action you should use.
Shelter-In-Place
Shelter-in-place involves simply staying in your house or inside any other loca
tion. In the event of an emergency such as the release of a hazardous material, it
is not always recommended to immediately evacuate. Leaving your house
might expose you to harmful agents that have been dispersed into the air.
Before An Emergency Strikes
It is necessary for you to learn about the things you can do to be prepared
before an emergency occurs. Two actions that will help you do this are to devel
op an emergency plan, and an Emergency Go Kit.
Create an Emergency Plan
In the Commonwealth we use the Emergency Alert System (EAS) during emer
gencies. When the decision is made to activate the EAS, original programming
will be interrupted and an emergency message will be broadcast. It is important
that you listen to the instructions. Emergencies may strike when your family
members are away from home, so find out about plans at your workplace,
school, or anywhere you and your family spend time. After creating a household
emergency plan, you should take time to review it with your family every six
months. Steps to take in creating a household emergency plan include:
-Meet with household members and discuss the dangers of possible emergency
events, including fire, severe weather, hazardous spills, and terrorism.
-Discuss how you and your family will respond to each possible emergency
-Discuss what to do in case of power outages'or personal injuries
-Draw a floor plan of your home. Mark two escape routes from each room
-Teach adults how to turn off the water, gas, and electricity at main switches
If you do turn off natural gas service to your home, call your gas provider to
restore service. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RESTORE GAS SERVICE YOUR
SELF.
-Post emergency contact numbers near all telephones, pre-program emergency
numbers into phones with autodial capabilities.
-Teach children how and when to dial 911 to get emergency assistance
-Teach children how to make long-distance telephone calls
-Pick a friend or relative that all family members should call if separated. It is
often easier to call out-of-state during an emergency than within the affected