Betty:
Hello, everyone. I am here with Bob from game plan experts to talk about preparing for an emergency. Bob, will you please introduce yourself?
Bob from Game Plan Experts:
Sure. Good morning, Betty. My name's Bob Harris and I'm one of the co-founders of game plan experts. And what we do at game plan is we help individuals, families, and organizations prepare for emergencies and disasters. And it all kind of started when my partner and I realized there were very few places to go for credible preparedness info or to shop for quality gear at decent prices. So we've been in business now for about seven years.
Betty:
Now you said the word game plan. What is a game plan?
Bob from Game Plan Experts:
Oh, that's a great question. Basically. We think of a game plan as kind of an action plan that will give you the confidence that you're going to know what to do in the event of an emergency or disaster. You know where to go, what to do, what actions to take and the right gear to have for the particular situation.
Betty:
So if we wanted to start our own game plan today, where would we start?
Bob from Game Plan Experts:
Okay. Yeah, the first place I would start is with what we call your base camp or your home. I'd encourage everyone to just go into their pantry, take inventory of what they have, look at what's perishable, what the shelf life is for various foods, the expiration dates, and think about how many people it's going to feed. And for what length of time you also wanna look at some of the basics, like, do you have a first aid kit? Do you have water storage, things like that? The main questions I'd be asking when you're just getting started is do you have enough food to last for you and your family for at least three days, that would be a minimum. And do you have the food that can be consumed without cooking or the need for electricity in case the electricity goes out? Is your food stored properly? Do you have emergency medical supplies? Are you prepared for a blackout? Those are all very important questions to be asking when you're just getting started. Honestly, you'd be surprised how many people don't store their surplus food properly and it can spoil before you use it, or sometimes they'll stock up on supplies that require cooking to make it safe to eat. And we don't always have the ability to cook food.
Betty:
Now, what do you recommend people to use for food storage?
Bob from Game Plan Experts:
One of the items that I like because it has so much flexibility, and portability is the three and a half gallon water brick for both food and water storage. It's easy to carry. It's easy to store and it's leak proof and you can easily add your bulk purchases, like flour, sugar, oats, and other food supplies. And they're nice and easy to stack in your designated storage area. You could also use the handle to transport them if you have to move to, you know, another location, which is always important for, for a game plan,
Betty:
Why would it be important to be able to transport your food or water supply?
Bob from Game Plan Experts:
Yeah. So when you are creating your game plan, you want to have the ability to survive in at least three places at home, primarily on the go in your vehicle, cuz you do spend a lot of time in your vehicles and at work because you obviously spend a lot of time there as well. So if you only have one location, you could find yourself unprepared because you really never know when or where an emergency is going to happen. So that's one of the reasons that, you know, it makes the water brick a good choice because you can just grab them and take them with you. If you have to leave your home due to an emergency.
Betty:
So what would a person do if they don't have a chance to grab their food or water supply?
Bob from Game Plan Experts:
Well, the first thing I would recommend is having your vehicle prepared with what we call a bug out bag or a 72 hour bag. And these are usually bags that consist of MRE food or meals ready to eat, water filters, small first aid kits and some basic survival gear like flashlights and things like that. The exact contents really should change depending on your local area and your climate. For example, you know, if you live in an area with a lot of bugs, you wanna pack bug spray. If you live in the desert, you wanna make sure there's sunblock, but you can keep your bag in your vehicle. So it's always with you when you're out and about. And if you don't have, or even want a 72 hour bag, I would encourage everyone to just keep some basic emergency supplies in their vehicle. Things like food, water, shovel, blankets, extra clothing, like comfortable walking shoes in case you have to walk or get stranded, and medical supplies if needed. Because like I said, you never know when an emergency is going to strike. So it's always best just to be prepared.
Betty:
You're exactly right. Emergencies can happen anywhere at any time, but how do you plan for an emergency at work?
Bob from Game Plan Experts:
So at work it's slightly different, right? You don't have complete control of your surroundings, but it can be as easy as having small items like keeping emergency supplies at your desk. I'm thinking in terms of protein bars or extra snack bars, water bottles, or a first aid kit or a flashlight, if the power goes out and you can purchase these types of kids to keep it at work, you can purchase 'em for your car and just easily have 'em ready when you need them, maybe just bring up the subject. I'd encourage a lot of people if you have like-minded coworkers bring the subject up at work with people that you work with and start an emergency plan together at work and have a game plan or an action plan with sufficient supplies in case something goes wrong there, but no matter what you do or where it's just important to start planning and, and be prepared for the next emergency.
Betty:
Wow. That's a lot of information you've given us Bob and a lot to think about when it comes to emergency planning. Thank you so much for joining us today.
Bob from Game Plan Experts:
Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.