According to the study, Massachusetts is the safest State to live and New Hampshire comes in at number two. Overall the entire North-East of the United States is pretty safe overall based on this study.
The study used the following safety factors to determine the relative overall safety of each state. Financial Safety of the State, Driving Safety Rank, Workplace safety, Natural Disaster Rank, and finally, Home and Community Safety. These factors then provide an overall rating of each State giving us the safest and least safest States to live in based on the study.
The news is reporting on people buying up Potassium Iodide also known as KI in droves and that suppliers have run out and are scrambling to make more. One supplier has also donated a large supply to Japan.
I also know several preparedness retailers who have also run out and have a large number of orders being placed that they can't currently fill. The two things that worry me about this is first, the people who may need them may not get them since the supply is short (though governments do have stock piles of them) and the second is the potential for people who should not be taking KI to have adverse side effects.
Some facts you should know about KI:
KI only protects the thyroid gland from radioactive iodide
KI does NOT protect the thyroid from other types of radiation
KI does NOT protect other parts of the body internally or externally from radioactivity or harm
KI has the potential to damage or cause swelling to the parotid glands (they produce your saliva)
Other side effects include: acne, loss of appetite, or upset stomach. More severe side effects which require notification of a physician are: fever, weakness, unusual tiredness, swelling in the neck or throat, mouth sores, skin rash, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, irregular heartbeat, numbness or tingling of the hands or feet, or a metallic taste in the mouth.
Severe allergic reactions from taking KI are possible especially if you have certain food allergies.
People who should avoid KI:
You know you are allergic to Iodine
Certain skin disorders such as dermatitis herpetiformis or urticaria vasculitis
People with thyroid disease (for example, multinodular goiter, Graves’ disease, or autoimmune thyroiditis)
Lastly KI is considered a possible teratogen (meaning birth defects or developmental issues in young people).
Does your business know how to handle a shelter in place situation? Chances are if you are like most businesses you do not currently have a plan or the supplies needed to shelter in place.
Fairly recently I was consulting with a client and asked if they had made any preparations or had plans to shelter in place. The response I got back was very interesting, "Sheltering in place, thats only for hospitals isn't it?" This told me all I needed to know about how adequate their planning was.
As a side note, here in the CA, Bay Area, Shelter In Place orders are issued fairly frequently due to various incidents from gas leaks to industrial accidents.
Though I wont mention the particular business I am speaking of, I am paying particular attention to them for a reason. They had just relocated to a new building, that is located right next to an electrical sub-station which if it were to catch fire releases a very large amount of toxic fumes and smoke. These types of fires also burn extremely hot, and have the potential to place nearby structures in danger.
Just to provide you with some example of these types of fires, see the videos below.
Florida Sub-Station Fire & Explosion
March 2009 Ottawa Sub-Station Fire
Warning: The Video below contains Expletives
San Leandro Sub-Station Fire
These are not the only situations for which a shelter in place can be called, but as I stated, the fumes and smoke from these fires are extremely toxic, and generally contain PCB's. However, transformer fires are fairly a common event and as you can see from these videos, people are unfamiliar with the potential dangers, even having their kids outside to watch.
What does this have to do with business? Well, businesses have a duty to act appropriately to safe guard both employees, and guests or visitors at the business site and knowing what to do when a shelter In Place order is given.
There is a lot more to a Shelter In Place program, but here are some basics to get you started:
Close the business, no one should come in or out.
Choose an interior room, preferably with no windows, hopefully with a telephone.
Ensure and provide for the safety of visitors, and clients, someone will need to direct them what to do
Close and lock ALL outside windows and doors If you can close all blinds and curtains
Turn off all Fans, heating, and air conditioning systems
If possible, have people call their emergency contacts to let them know where they are and that they are safe
Get the names of all the people in the room or onsite
Seal off the room using the plastic sheeting and duct tape, cover all doors, windows, and vents
Listen to the radio for instructions, and for when the shelter in place advisory is over
If you have questions or concerns about Sheltering In Place feel free to Contact me and I will be glade to help you get this done the right way at your business.
Recently I mentioned workplace violence and the need to address that issue within the business. Another type of workplace violence on the rise over the last few years is that of the Active Shooter, which is typically, but not always a disgruntled employee, customer, student or even an acquaintance of a current or former employee.
First, what exactly is an Active Shooter? The Department of Homeland Security defines an Active Shooter as: an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; in most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.
Before continuing on we need to clear up some misconceptions about active shooter scenarios and situations. First, it is not a new phenomenon. Active shooter incidents have been occurring for many years, and in the United States as far back as August 1, 1968 at the University of Texas in which 14 people were killed. I am excluding other events, and acts of violence to focus solely on active shooter type events.
Second, if we include Europe, the events go back to June 20, 1913 to an event known as the Bremen school shooting, in Bremen, Germany and in Canada as far back as October 10, 1902 in an incident known as the Altona schoolhouse shooting. So, contrary to popular notion these events are not exclusive to the United States.
Third, not all of these events occur at schools, but schools in particular have had quite a history of active shooter incidents and have security vulnerabilities that are likely to make them targets of future incidents.
What is the intention of the active shooter? The active shooter is often acting out of frustration and rage. They usually see their act as attempting to correct some event they perceive as a wrong that has been committed against them. The active shooter has a desire to kill and usually is not concerned with their own life, safety, or threat of capture. Active shooters will also usually have intended victims and will search them out. Active shooter will accept targets of opportunity while searching for or even after finding their intended victims.
Another thing to know about active shooters is that the active shooter will often move throughout a building or area until either stopped by law enforcement, they commit suicide, or are stopped by other intervention.
The active shooter situation is highly unpredictable and events involving active shooters unfold very quickly often ending within 10 to 15 minutes. This is typically before law enforcement arrives on scene. It is for these reasons that every business and school should be prepared to confront this issue and make it part of their planning process.
It is something most planners and law enforcement officials dread. The active shooter scenario is by many accounts difficult to plan for and often impossible to predict, especially the who, and when. But it is possible to prepare and train for it and even mitigate some of the potential of it occurring if done properly. Another step in preventing this scenario is dealing with work place violence and threats of violence appropriately from the onset as discussed in a previous article: .
What are some other things you can do to deter this event from taking place at your school or business?
Have an active and highly visible security force and ensure they are trained and equipped to deal with such an event.
Having both concealed and visible security cameras can also act as a deterrent.
Have an electronic security system with electronic ID access for employees.
Have all visitors, contractors, and guests to your facility sign in.
Train employees to recognize trouble or potential issues early.
Make counseling services available to those who need it.
Have a notification and alerting system, along with procedures for its use during an active shooter situation.
Post evacuation routes in hallways and near exits which are also removable so emergency response personnel can utilize them.
Include your local law enforcement and other emergency response personnel in your active shooter training exercises.
Create a respectful workplace.
What should you do if an active shooter situation does occur where you work or go to school? There are a number of ways to handle the situation, the first and often the best choice is to evacuate.
Have an escape route plan in mind and use it.
Evacuate whether or not other with you agree to follow.
Leave all your belongings behind.
If possible, help others escape.
Try to prevent others from entering an area where the active shooter may be.
Keep your hands visible.
Follow all instructions from police officers.
Do not attempt to move injured or wounded people.
When safe to do so, call 911.
If you can’t evacuate, the next best option is to hide in a place where the active shooter is not likely to find you. The place you choose to hide should be out of view of the active shooter, provide protection if shots are fired in your direction and should not trap you or restrict your options for movement. When hiding be sure to do the following.
Lock the door.
Blockade the door with heavy furniture.
Silence your cell phone and/or pager.
Turn off any other source of noise such as a radio or television.
Hide behind large items.
Remain quiet and calm.
Call 911 if you can to alert police to the active shooters location.
If you cannot speak just leave the line open for the dispatcher to listen in.
Lastly, if evacuation and hiding are not options, as a last resort and only as a last resort, you can attempt to take action against the active shooter. You can do this by taking the following actions.
Acting as aggressively as possible against the active shooter.
Yelling at the active shooter.
Throwing items and improvised weapons at the active shooter.
Attempting to overtake and subdue the active shooter, but you must commit to your actions if you take these steps.
Once the police arrive on scene to an active shooter incident they will likely take action using the Immediate Action Rapid Deployment (IARD) so it is possible only one or a small team of police officers may enter the area or building the active shooter is in. In the past it was common for the police to wait for a SWAT team, but these incidents take place so fast, additional action was needed and IARD was developed in response to active shooter situations.
Be aware that police officers arriving on scene will be heavily armed, possibly with rifles and shotguns and may be wearing heavy outer bulletproof vests, helmets, and other tactical equipment. Be prepared for the police to take the following actions.
The police will likely use pepper spray and or tear gas.
Responding officers will be shouting commands, and may push or force people to the ground for their safety.
Here are some things you should do when law enforcement arrives on the scene.
Listen for and follow the police officers instructions
Put down anything in your hands, including bags, jackets, cell phones and keys.
Immediately raise your hands and spread your fingers.
Keep your hands visible at all times.
Avoid making any quick movements.
Avoid grabbing or attempting to hold onto the officers for their safety and yours.
Do not make sudden movements towards the officers.
Avoid screaming, pointing and yelling.
Do not stop to ask officers for help or directions, just proceed in the direction from where the officers came from.
Be aware that the initial police officers in the building will not stop to aid injured victims.
If you are able to successfully call 911 and speak with a dispatcher be prepared to answer the following questions.
Location of the active shooter.
Number of shooters, if more than one is involved.
A physical description of the shooter(s).
Type and number of weapons the shooter(s) may have.
The number of potential victims that are at the location.
This is a fairly long list of things you should be aware of during any active shooting incident, and yet it is only just touching on the issue. One of the most important things is that you prepare, train, and if you can, involve local law enforcement and emergency personnel into your planning.
Most people consider their place of work safe and free from violence. No one really wants to think that when they leave for work they will have to confront verbal abuse, threats, or deal with physical assaults and homicide. However, workplace violence is a growing problem and concern for both employers and employees nationwide.
In fact, according to OSHA, two million Americans are victims of workplace violence every year. People who work in certain professions also face an increased risk of violence. These professions include anyone who exchanges money with the public; delivers passengers, goods or services; people who work alone or in small groups; healthcare workers, social service workers, probation workers, gas and utility workers, phone and cable TV installers, letter carriers, and retail workers.
Employers need to consider workplace violence as having the potential of happening in their office or place of business, and also need to educate employees on how to handle such issues. For instance, the employer should establish a workplace violence prevention program, and ensure that all employees know the policy and have that policy within an employee handbook.
Some things the policy should contain is a policy to carry only a minimal amount of money, make drops into the safe often. Also avoid traveling alone and avoid unfamiliar locations and situations when possible. Be sure to call the police after any violent incident, and keep a log book to document what happened.
Employers should also have policies in place to secure the workplace to prevent and deter any potential violence by having surveillance cameras, extra lighting, alarm systems, security guards, identification badges and if possible electronic key cards for building access.
There are a great many more things to include in your policies and training but this should get you started. For more information on workplace violence be sure to visit:
My name is Keith Erwood, and disasters are my life. Well, not just disasters really, but to help people like you, owners, executives and managers of businesses prepare for disasters and emergencies.
Saturday, July 12, 2014 at 12:48PM
