Emergencies never knock on the door and ask to come in. They will mostly catch you unaware and only your survival skills will save you in such a situation.
Emergencies include severe weather, fire, hazardous material accidents, terrorism, plane crashes and civil disorder, to name but a few.
They occur sporadically and how you react to them could determine your survival.
However, very few members of the public have any basic survival skills such as swimming, how to use a fire extinguisher or first aid.
These skills should be compulsory at the basic education level to arm young people with survival tactics. They will grow up better prepared to help themselves and others.
Parents also need to be proactive and enrol their children in Kenya Scouts and Girl Guide clubs or the St John's Ambulance, which offer basic survival tactics.
Disaster response in Kenya is slow and disjointed and those caught up in emergencies or are the first to arrive at an accident scene can use their skills to save themselves or the lives of others.
Any emergency has four phases—mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
If well executed at any level this can greatly save lives, but it requires basic skills to do this. Let's be proactive and not reactive.
Quote of the Day: “If you do something, expect consequences.”
Larry King
His first radio broadcast was on May 1, 1957
