NEED FOR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:

The key aspect of community involvement is the sustainability of community level initiatives for disaster
reduction. External agencies, like government, non-government organizations may initiate and implement
community level programs before and after disasters. However, such initiatives many times discontinue
once the external support is ended. There can be many reasons behind this lack of sustainability, some of
which may be lack of partnership, participation, empowerment and ownership of local communities.
Unless the disaster risk management efforts are sustainable at individual and community level, it would
be difficult to reduce the vulnerability and losses. It is therefore important to involve people in decision
making on policies and strategies that should be followed for their development in the community.
All communities and villages have some vitally important assets to deal with disasters. These may include
knowledge of disaster warning signs, locally safe and vulnerable areas, experience of past disasters,
methods of survival and social relations that are often vitally important in coping with crisis. Local
communities have an active part to play before and after disaster because:
• A good state of disaster preparedness may reduce its impacts
• More number of lives can be saved during the first few hours after disaster has occurred
through local response teams, before help arrives from elsewhere.
• The numerous problems dealt with more efficiently, if the community is active and well
organized (WHO 1989).
The relevance of the community-based disaster management approach is increasing due to changing
patterns of disaster occurrence and loss. While occasional large catastrophes continue to occur, it has been
documented that rapid increase in the occurrence of small to medium-scale disasters associated with
socio-natural hazards such as landslide, floods, drought and fire.
The key aspect of community involvement is the sustainability of community level initiatives for disaster
reduction. External agencies, like government, non-government organizations may initiate and implement
community level programs before and after disasters. However, such initiatives many times discontinue
once the external support is ended. There can be many reasons behind this lack of sustainability, some of
which may be lack of partnership, participation, empowerment and ownership of local communities.
Unless the disaster risk management efforts are sustainable at individual and community level, it would
be difficult to reduce the vulnerability and losses. It is therefore important to involve people in decision
making on policies and strategies that should be followed for their development in the community.

General elements of the bottom-up approach include the following:

1. Local people are capable of initiating and sustaining their own community development
2. The role of the local government, private sector and NGOs is important, the primary requirement
for grassroots development is with local leadership
3. A successful bottom-up strategy will include broad-based local participation in comprehensive
planning and decision-making activities that promote motivation.
4. Educational opportunities should correspond to identified local needs
5. Emphasis is on improving utilization and management of local resources
6. Responsible utilization of outside financial assistance is required
7. Replication of a community’s success is a powerful factor in continuing local initiative
8. Responsibility for change rests with those living in the local community.
9. Various community members and groups in the community may have different perception of risk
and varying vulnerabilities.
RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR
COMMUNITIES:
General preparedness
• Fire preparedness
• Earthquake preparedness
• Volcanic eruptions Preparedness
• Floods, tornadoes, typhoons, cyclones, tsunamis preparedness

Communication plan
• Universal emergency code system
• Preparing family communication
• Personal and home disaster survival
Preparedness planning
• Assembling emergency kit
• Learning preparedness skills
• Patterns of Survival (Staying Alive)
• Finding fast solutions naturally
• Food and water procurement
• Signals
• Navigation
• Special Needs
• PACE Planning
• Primary, Alternate Contingency, Emergency
• Shelter in place or bugging out

Disaster Preparedness:
Disaster preparedness covers activities to enhance the ability to predict, respond to and cope with the
effect of a disaster. It includes pre-cautionary activities by households, communities and organizations to
react appropriately during and following the event.

General Preparedness:

• Fire Preparedness:
Fire outbreak may come by accident but for the most part it can be prevented. With proper fire safety
habits and a place designed to minimize the spread of fire, people have greater chance of surviving this
tragedy.
• Success of firefighting depends on a number of factors which are as follows:
• Fire-fighting equipment in good working condition
• Fire warning system and quantity of extinguishers
• Fire training.
• It is essential for everybody to know the type of fire and then extinguish it with correct
extinguisher in quick and effective manner.
• Remember F.I.R.E FIRE TRIANGLE:
• Fire
• Inform 1.Oxygen
• Response 2. Heat
• Evacuate 3. Fuel
Classification of fuels:

8 most common type of fire hazards:

1. Cooking
2. Christmas tree
3. Children Playing with fire
4. Lightning
5. Dryers and washer machines
6. Electrical and lighting
7. Smoking
8. Candles
Fire safety and prevention:
• Fire outbreak may come by accident but for the most part it can be prevented. With
proper life safety habits and a place designed to minimize the spread of fire, you have
greater chance of surviving this tragedy.
The following are essential teachings we need to inform to clients such as individuals, families,
populations, groups, and communities to prevent them from becoming a victim of tragic fire-related
accidents.
1. Use stairs not the elevator
2. Stay low
3. Stop. Drop. Roll
4. Seal off smoke
5. Know your way out
6. Test smoke alarms

Home fire safety information:

-Top tips for fire safety:
 Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms, outside
sleeping areas.
 Test smoke alarms every month. If they are not working, change batteries.
 Talk with all family members about fire scape plane and practice the plan twice a year.
 If fire occurs in your home, GET OUT, STAY OUT, AND CALL FOR HELP. Never go back
inside for anything or anyone.
7 ways to prepare for a home fire:
1. Install the right number of smoke alarms.
2. Teach children what smoke alarms sounds like and what to do when they hear one.
3. Ensure all household members know two ways to escape fire and meeting spot.
4. Establish family emergency communications plan and ensure that all household members know
how to contact if they cannot find one another.
5. Practice escaping from your home at least twice a year.
6. Make sure everyone knows how to call 9-1-1
7. Teach household members to STOP, DROP and ROLL if clothes are caught by fire.

Develop fire safety habits:

If you do nothing else:
 Keep items that can catch on fire at least three feet away from anything that gets hot, such as air
fryers, turbo broilers, space heaters.
 Smoking materials are the leading cause of residential fire deaths. If you smoke take precautions.
 Use deeply sturdy ashtrays and douse cigarette and cigar butts with water before disposal.
 Talk to children about dangers of fire.
 Never leave a burning candle unattended.

Develop fire safety habits:

If a fire starts:
 Know how to operate fire extinguisher.
 Remember GET OUT, STAY OUT, and CALL FOR HELP.
 Yell “FIRE!”
 If primary exit are locked or
cannot be open use secondary exit
plan such as windows.
 If scaping through smoke get low
and go under smoke.
 If you are blocked due to smoke,
heat or flames stay ion the room
and put wet towel under the door
and call for help. Open window
and wave a brightly colored cloth.
 If you are outside, ask one person
to call for help, and go to your
meeting place.
Then
 If you are injured and had burns,
cool the burned skin with cold
water for three to five minutes and
call for medical attention.
Rule for fighting fires:
 Sound the alarm
 Leave the building
 Call the fire department of call for
help
  Never fight a fire
 Finally, always know the exit.

Philippine National Red Cross safety tips:

1. Avoid electrical overloading.
2. Unplug all electrical appliances after every use.
3. Check all electrical installations regularly.
4. Check gas stoves and LPG tanks for leaks.
5. Keep children away from flammable liquids, lighters and matches
6. Avoid smoking in bed.
7. Ensure you have a pre-fire plan at your residence or office.
8. Do not leave lighted mosquito coils unattended.
9. Always take extra precautions while cooking.
10. Never leave lighted candles unattended.
11. Do not throw lighted cigar or cigarette butts on dried leaves and garbage.
12. Strictly obey the "no smoking" signs.
13. Maintain proper housekeeping to eliminate fire hazards.
14. Check fire protection gadgets or devices of appliances equipment regularly.
15. And be fire safety conscious.

Recovering after a Fire:

Learn how to begin cleaning up and recovering after a home fire. 
• Caring for yourself and Loved Ones .
 Pay attention to how you and your loved ones are experiencing and handling stress.
Promote emotional recovery by following these tips. Discard any food that has been
exposed to heat, smoke or soot.
 Watch pets closely and keep them under your direct control.
 Help people who require additional assistance- infants, elderly people, those without
transportation, large families who may need additional help in an emergency situation
people with disabilities, and the people who care for them.

4 steps to take immediately after a home fire:

1. Call local emergency number. Give first aid, cool and cover wounds to prevent further injury or
infection.
2. Let friends and family know your safe.
3. People and animals that are seriously injured or burned should be transported to a professional
medical veterinary help immediately.
4. Stay out of fire-damaged homes until local fire authorities say it is safe.
Precaution measures and proper procedures in addressing a fire incident:
1. Know the address of the property and the number of the local fire department . Make sure you
note the emergency hotlines and display it somewhere where it can be seen clearly.
2. Scan the property for the fire evacuation plan.
3. Observe regular fire safety precautions.
4. Install smoke alarms
5. Choose an outside meeting place to be access during fire.
6. In case of fire stay out, go to the meeting place.
7. Do your best to lessen any fire causing hazards as early as possible.
8. After fires, do temporary repairs to damages roofs, walls, and window openings as soon as
possible.

 Wildfire Hazards:
• Also called Forest fire
• Fire in a combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or rural area
• Example: Bush Fire, Brush Fire, Desert Fire, Forest fire, grass fire, hill fire, pear fire,
vegetation fire or veld fire
• Forest fire can be beneficial and can also harm properties and human lives.

4 major Natural cause of Wildfire:

1. Lightning
2. Sparks from Rockfalls
3. Spontaneous combustion
4. Volcanic Eruption

The Man-Made causes of Wildire:

1. Arson
2. Discarded cigarettes, powerline arcs
3. Sparks from equipments
4. Ignition of wildland fires via contact with hot rifle- bullet fragments
5. Slash and burn clearing
6. Forest cleared by logging, abandoned logging roads
7. Campfires
8. Fireworks
9. Yard Waste Burning
10. Vehicles

How to prevent a wildfire?

• Contact your local emergency number
• Never leave a fire unattended
• Take care when using lanterns, stoves, and heaters outside
• Do not cigarettes, matches, and smoking materials on combustible areas
• Avoid backyard waste burning

Evacuation tips:
• Evacuate immediately when advised
• Know your evacuation route ahead of time and prepare checklist for emergency supplies
 • Wear protective clothing and footwear to protect yourself from sparks and ashes

Before you leave, prepare your house:

• Remove combustivles, such as firewood, yard waste, bbq grills and fuel cans from yard
• Close all windows, vents, and doors to prevent a draft
• Shut off natural has, propane, or fuel oil supplies
• Fill any large vessels with water to slow or discourage fire

If caught in a wildfire:
• Don’t try to outrun the blaze, instead, look for a body of water to crouch in
• If no water nearby then find a hole with no vegetation, lie low to the ground and cover your body
with wet clothing
• Protect your lungs by breathing air closer to the ground through a mouth cloth, to avoid inhaling
smoke

 Earthquake preparedness

Earthquake safety and survival

• Scientists cannot predict when and where an earthquake will occur
• But we can teach out client, patient, or other people about how to spot when an earthquake is
about to occur
• As nursing students we are taught through return demonstation, related learning experience,
etc. about these matters.
• The whole Philippines is prone to earthquake so it is important to learn earthquake safety and
survival
• Nurses have a vitalk role in the aspect of education toward earthquake preparedness safety
and survival
Part 1: What happens during an earthquake?
• There is a gentle shaking, or a violent jolt. It could also be a low rumbling noise.
• After a few seconds you’ll really be experiencing the shaking and it’ll be very hard to move
at this point.
• Cabinets and bookshelves are likely to topple. Clocks, maps, may shake and loose and fly
across the house
• Suspended ceiling components may pop out
• Doorframes may be bent by moving walls and may jam the doors shut. Moving walls may
ben window frames causing glass to shatter
• Could cause emotional stress to people who haven’t experienced it.
Part 2: Hazard hunts
• Earthquake doesn’t open up and swallow people. Most injuries from earthquakes come from
object in the house that dislodge and fly away
• Anything that can move, fall or break , is an earthquake hazard
• Nursing students can remove objects in their homes that could fall and cause injury during
earthquake shaking. Those objects that cannot be removed should be securely fastened
• There will be some hazards in the classroom, home, community and healthcare institutions
that nursing students will not be able to eliminate. Be sure they know how to avoid things
they cannot changed.
Part 3: Prepare and Share emergency kits
 • The nursing students will devise emergency kits for several settings and make one for the
home or online/face to face classroom ad applicable. Students will also make posters as the
way of sharing their knowledge of earthquake preparedness
Part 4: Earthquake simulation and drill
• Drop, cover, and hold drill (always remember!)
• The moment the ground shakes you must get under a desk/table, face away from windows,
bend your head close to your knees. Use one hand to hold onto table leg and protect your eyes
with your other hand. If your shelter moves, move with it.
• After earthquake ends, get out of the
building along with emergency kit and roll
book. Students will point out various
hazards that might occur in the course of
leaving the building and discussing ways of
dealing with various obstacles
• Aftershocks may occur without warning,
minutes or even months after the major
earthquake. Always practice drop and cover
on the way out of building and as many
times until it becomes 2nd nature to you and
your family

What to do in the event of an earthquake:

Earthquake can be very destructive but everyone who takes appropriate safety precautions can
minimize damages, injuries, and other potential quake concerns. There is no effective warning
system for earthquakes, which makes preliminary precautions even more essential. At the same
time, knowing what to do and how to behave when a quake occurs and what to do after the event
is just as important as staying safe.
A. What to do before an earthquake
o Keep a battery powered radio flash light and first aid kits. Make sure everyone knows where
they are kept
o Learning first aid is a must
o Avoid keeping heavy object in high shelves
o Fasten heavy appliances to the floor, and anchor heavy furniture to the wall
o Discuss earthquake safety in school and at home
o Conduct earthquake drills in school and at home
o Keep some food and drinking water, good for 3 to 7 days
o Have home and school evacuation plan
o Know responsibilities during emergency

B. What to do during an earthquake

o REMAIN CALM DON’T PANIC
o Stay away from buildings, tress if you’re outside.
o IF indoors, stand against a wall near the center of the building or get under a sturdy table and
make sure head is covered
o Stay away from windows and outside doors, cabinets, mirrors and bookshelves
o In a high rise, never use an elevator
 o When in a vehicle, refrain from going to bridges, keep away from over passes and stay inside
the vehicle until earthquake stops
o DROP COVER AND HOLD IN AN EARTHQUAKE

C. What to do AFTER an Earthquake

o Check oneself and nearby people for injury and provide first aid
o Turn on the radio or tv for emergency instructions
o Reduce use of phone lines because it may be required for conveying some important
messages
o Stay out of damaged buildings
o Wear helmets and gloves to protect against shattered glasses and debris
o Check appliances, electrical lines, water and gas for damage. Do not turn on anything until
checked
o Avoid lighting matches, using any open flames or turning on appliances or electical switches
until you are sure that there are gas leaks
o Check if there are any spilled bleaches, medicines, gasolines and other flammable liquids and
clean it up
o Listen to radio for instruction on public safety
o Anticipate and prepare yourself for aftershocks, this could lead to further damages on already
weakened structures.

Earthquake safety reminder for all:

If you’re inside:
• crouch under a desk or table
• Face away from windows
• Bend your head close to your knees
• Use one hand to hold onto table leg and protect your eyes with the other hand
• If no desk or table then
• Kneel against and interior wall
• Face away from windows
• Bend your head close to your knees
• Clasp hand on the back of neck
If you’re outside
• Stay outside
• Go to an open area away from hazards

How to conduct an earthquake drill in school

Objectives
1. To ensure safety of parents, students, teachers and staff during and after a damaging earthquake
2. To help school administrators and their disaster action groups to design a specific response plan
of the school for earthquake
3. To train teacher, school staff, and student on how to practice proper action and response during an
earthquake
Stage 1. Planning/Organizing the Earthquake drill
A.Form a School Disaster Management committee (SMDC)
Members should evaluate the school
 1. Have the following information available yearly
2. Acquire the most recent school ground lay out or plan/map
3. Obtain a building lay out/floor plan for each building
Stage 2: Developing the school earthquake evacuation plan
1. The school earthquake evaluation plan should have provision
2. Determine if there is a sufficient space for all
3. Consider number of students
4. Each class should have an assigned specific evaluation plan5. Determine flow of traffic
5. Indicate by arrows, the flow of student evacuation
6. Prepare final evacuation route and orient all the teachers and school stuff about this
7. Prepare earthquake survival kits
8. Prepare first aid kid
Stage 3: orientation prior to conduct of earthquake drill
C. Prepare the students a week before the scheduled earthquake drill. For each class, instruct the
homeroom adviser to do the following
1. Allot a specific time for lecture
2. Conduct a classroom observation activity
3. Draw floorplan of classroom, identify safe spot in the classroom, danger spots, then
correct the danger spots
4. Introduce to student the suggested evacuation route
5. Introduce to the student the assigned space
6. Assign somebody who will be in charge in making sure that the door is open during the
shaking.
D. The main concern during an ongoing shaking is how to protect oneself
1. Give specific instruction on what to do during an earthquake
- Introduce duck cover and hold
- Take cover, watch out for falling objects, keep calm and don’t panic
2. Give Specific instruction about what to do as soon as the shaking stops
• Be alert
• Listen to teachers instruction
• Walk out of the classroom in an orderly manner
• While walking along the corridor to the nearest exit of the building, be alert for
falling debris
• Don’t talk, don’t go back, don’t bring things
• Don’t run, don’t push
• Quietly proceed to the evacuation area
• Never go back to the building
STAGE 4: Actual Conduct of Earthquake drill
1. Prior to the scheduled drill, inform neighborhood regarding the drill
2. Identify and assign observers for the actual drill
Assumptions
• One minute strong shaking signified by 1 minute siren or bell
• Person should not stand
• Building may have damage but no collapse
• No immediate assistance available
• Possible injuries, fear, panic among students and teachers
3. Give instructions/ reiterate the what to do’s
 • Once the siren is heard, participants should perform one minute duck, cover and hold.
• After the one minute siren, students should proceed to designated area
• Teacher should make a head count
4. While the drill is ongoing, observers should take note on the performance of the teachers
and students
5. Observers will give their comments
6. To be effective, this drill should be done regularly.

Phases of an Earthquake drill: