This document provides guidance on creating a family disaster plan. It recommends inspecting your home for safety hazards, designating safe evacuation routes, and preparing an emergency supply kit. Key steps include sketching your home and marking risks/routes, assigning roles, and conducting regular drills. The goals are being prepared to make quick decisions in an emergency and ensuring all family members know what to do. Regular practice helps test plans and train the family to respond appropriately to disasters. Committing to implementing and improving the plan over time better protects the family.

1. COORDINACIÓN MUNICIPAL DE
PROTECCIÓN CIVIL Y BOMBEROS
Family Disaster Plan

2. IMPORTANCE
Why is it important to have a Family Disaster Plan in your home?
To avoid putting our lives, as well as the lives of our loved ones
and our belongings at grave risk.

3. Because we love our family
members and want to keep them
with us, we should not minimize the
risks of an emergency situation.
IMPORTANCE

4. A Family Disaster Plan has the following objectives:
OBJECTIVES
• Designate the safest evacuation routes, exits and areas to avoid major risks. Also, to
designate a meeting point for family members.
• That each and every family member know what to do before, during and
after a disaster or emergency, through knowledge of basic measures for
preparation and self protection.
• Know how safe our home and its surroundings are, as well as what
measures we can carry out to correct or improve their security.
•Know the recommended tools and supplies to have on hand for your
protection, communication and supply.

5. First: Inspect the construction of your home, its facilities and furnishings
as well as dangers present in your surroundings in order to reduce
potential risks, so that:
MEASURE 1

6. SECOND: Designate safe exits and evacuation routes and areas in order
to:
MEASURE 2

7. THIRD: Prepare yourself to make the best decisions when facing a
disaster or emergency in accordance with the circumstances
the situation could present, in order to:
MEASURE 3

8. FOURTH: Conduct regular emergency drills and simulations in the
home, in order to:
MEASURE 4

9. Fifth: IN ORDER TO BE ALWAYS PREPARED, you should organize at least TWO
family meetings
MEASURE 5-1
THE FIRST MEETING in order to identify the various tasks outlined in this guide and
assign responsibilities for carrying them out; assign someone to check the
family first aid kit, insuring that the necessary medical supplies are present and
ready for use (not expired); also assign someone to periodically check that
adequate drinking water is being maintained in a closed container. Name
someone responsible for carrying out simulations and drills, along with
identifying the safest areas in the home, as well as areas of high risk. Designate a
family gathering place in case of emergency or disaster.

10. THE SECOND MEETING will be to insure that each responsible person has
completed their task and fix a date to conduct a home family drill in order to:
MEASURE 5-2
Evacuation
Route

11. IDENTIFYING RISKS:
 Start with a simple sketch of your house and its surroundings
THE RISKS
 Note in your sketch your observations regarding possible
risks in your home and its surroundings, as well as
recommendations to reduce those risks.
 Inspect your home and note on your sketch in RED, any
problems that need corrected

12. THE RISKS
IDENTIFYING RISKS
 Locate and indicate in your sketch, the location of
stored flammable materials, gas tanks, electrical
outlets, etc.
 Mark other dangers such as: uncovered sewer or
access holes, openings or uneveness in floors,
wires or cables laid on floors or other tripping
hazards, things projecting from walls, pots, planters
or other items that could cause damage.
DANGER
DO NOT
TOUCH

13. REDUCING THE RISKS
 Next, make sure you identify any items that could fall during an earthquake or
become projectiles during a hurricane, such as televisions, bookcases, radios,
shelves, cabinets, lawn or yard items, etc.
 Adequately store flammable items that could start a fire, in order to reduce risks
from:
- Alcohol - Turpentine
- Thinner - Oil
- Gasoline - Other
DANGER

14. DESIGNATING ROUTES
The safest location is one that will offer you the maximum possibility to
survive a disaster.
 Identify and mark on your sketch, with GREEN arrows, the
routes to reach the safest areas inside the house and those that
will best lead you out. Don’t just think of the quickest way out,
but the safest!
 Remove or relocate objects along these routes that could
possibly block your escape.
 First you should identify the safest areas both inside and
outside the house.

15. DESIGNING ROUTES
 Indicate in your sketch, the best locations of furniture in order to
facilitate exit.
 Once you have identified alternate evacuation routes, measure the
time it takes to reach a safe location for each route. Try measuring
the time it would take from various locations within the house and
choose the quickest and safest.
DON’T FORGET THAT TO EVACUATE CHILDREN,
ELDERLY OR DISABLED PERSONS MAY REQUIRE
SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TIME. BECAUSE OF THIS,
CONSIDER WHAT EXTRA HELP YOU MAY NEED.

16. DURING AN EMERGENCY SITUATION:
 STAY CALM. This is the crucial element in order to survive an emergency.
Therefore, you should know how to behave and execute emergency measures.
 NO SHOUTING! NO RUNNING! NO PUSHING! STAY CALM!
ACTION
 One of the decisions that you often have to make in an emergency is to stay in or
leave the house. There is no common answer for all situations, a place is safer to
the extent that it is less exposed to risk and affords the best chance of survival.

17. An outside area is not necessarily safer than inside the house. It can be said that
when it is possible to exit the house, we should not expose ourselves to further
risks. For the following cases, here are some criteria:
HURRICANE: The best protection is to stay at home with windows protected by
masking tape, or proceed in advance to a designated shelter. (Verify the location of
the nearest shelter with your state or municipal Proteccion Civil).
ACTION
FLOOD: Evacuate the area when you have news that it will occur,
but if that isn’t possible, then remain in the upper areas of your
home

18. FIRE: Exit the house immediately via the best exit route.
EARTHQUAKE: Stay in your house if it is reliably constructed and leave if
you have a safe outdoor location and if the exit time is less than 60
seconds.
ACTION
EXIT

19. MAKE A LIST OF ALL DOCUMENTS AND THINGS YOU WILL NEED CLOSE AT HAND
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY:
Collect personal papers from family members such as:
ACTION
 Birth Certificates
 Marriage Certificates
 Professional licenses and diplomas
 Bills of Sale
 Baptismal Records
 Military Service Records
 Prescription Medications
Passports and Visas
School Certificates
Insurance Policies
Credentials
Property Deeds “Escrituras”
Other Documents
Store these items in a fire and waterproof box and keep them readily available

20. Obtain copies of the listed documents and save them with another family member or
trusted friend who lives outside your area, in case you should lose the originals in a
disaster.
Have a telelphone list and emergency instructions from:
PREPARATIONS
 Red Cross________
 Security guard house______
 Family Doctor________
 Fire Dept________
 IMSS ________
 Insurance Agent____
 Delegación __________
 ISSSTE _______
 School_______
 Workplaces of family members_______
 Cultural, Social and Sports Centers your family
frequent _______
 State Civil Protection_______
 Municipal Civil Protection_______
 Other _______

21.  Set a meeting place in case the emergenscy occurs when family members are
scattered in different areas. Agree that eveeryone should go to this meeting place. It
could be the home of a friend or other family member.
 Have a duplicate set of keys to your house and autos near your exit door.
 Know the blood types for each of your family members
 Know the location of the nearest hospital and the quickest way to get there.
PREPARATIONS

22.  Have a radio and flashlight nearby, as well as replacement batteries.
 If possible, keep a toolbox in order to perform emergency repairs and a first aid kit
with instructions on its use.
 Store two days supply of canned food and potable water. Keep track of expiration
dates.
 During the approach of a predictable disater like a hurricane or flood, stay tuned to
messages from authorites, stay informed of the situation and make early decisions
as to whether you have to stay home or go to a pre-designated shelter.
PREPARATIONS

23. CONDUCTING DRILLS
A drill is a test or practice on how to act in case of an emergency caused by an
earthquake, fire, flood, hurricane, etc.
Conducting a drill has several advantages:
1. We can test in advance to see if our preparations are efficient.
2. Allows us to correct situations for better emergency care.
3. Allows us to be well trained in taking appropriate actions during an emergency or
disaster.
4. Promotes a culture of disater preparedness among family members and the
community.
DRILLS

24. THE STEPS TO CONDUCT A DISASTER PREPAREDNESS DRILL ARE AS FOLLOWS:
 Imagine what emergency situations could occur in your area
 Give responsibilities to each family member.
 Sound the alarm.
 Immediatly stop all activities and disconnect any operating electrical devices.
 Review your appropriate exit routes.
DRILLS

25. STEPS TO CONDUCT AN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DRILL...
 Exit in an orderly manner. No running, pushing or shouting.
 Arrive at your designated reunion area.
 Make sure everyone is present and in good health.
 Evaluate the results and adjust times and movements as needed.
 After performing one or two drills, the family should discuss and analyze any
points you find to be incorrect, so that you know what you have to do to improve
your plan.
THE PARTICIPATION OF CHILDREN IS VERY IMPORTANT.
DRILLS

26. COMMITMENTS IN A FAMILY DISATER PREPAREDNESS PLAN
 Once everyone is in agreement, each member should endevour to fullfill
his or her assigned responsibilities
 Commit with your family to permanently and systematically implement the
plan and improve it if necessary.
 We recommend also organizing a Neighborhood Civil Protection
Committee in your block, building or colonia in order to maintain ongoing
collaboration and mutual support.
CONCLUSIÓN

27. THE END
REMEMBER: WE ALL NEED EACH OTHER!.
Coordinación Municipal de Protección Civil y Bomberos
Av. Las Américas # 565 Colonia Lázaro Cárdenas
C.P. 48330 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
Tel´s 322 2239476 y 2239478
Email
protecccivilvallarta@hotmail.com
bomberosvallarta@hotmail.com