• Identify general principles and activities associated with preparedness, and appreciate their importance.
• Identify the known hazards and emergency risks in your area.
• List the 5 action steps in thinking and planning for disasters.
• Name the two principle possibilities your emergency plan should account for.
• Describe the importance of stockpiling water; calculate daily water needs; and purifying water.
• Describe basic, essential emergency supplies for staying at home during an emergency or in the event of an evacuation.
• The best way to secure valuables, including important documents.
• How to create an emergency communication plan for your family and loved ones.
• How to decide whether to evacuate a location or shelter-in-place.

Module 1: Course Introduction & Why Do We Prepare?

• Explain the importance of emergency planning and preparation.

• Create a functioning emergency communications plan.

Module 2: Water

• Explain the critical nature of water in a survival situation

• Identify different ways to locate drinkable water

• Describe how to filter and purify water for drinking

• Review means for storing the appropriate amount of water for a survival situation

Module 3: Food

• Evaluate the importance of food storage in disaster preparedness

• Analyze the potential risks and challenges associated with obtaining food during a disaster

• Calculate the daily caloric requirements of each family member to ensure adequate food supplies are stored for short and long-term use

• Create a checklist of non-perishable food items with for a disaster stockpile

• Identify the different methods of food preservation, including canning, root cellaring, dehydration, freezing, and curing/smoking, and explain the basic principles and considerations of each method

Module 4: Hygiene and Sanitation

• Identify which items and how many you need

• Explain the different methods for cleaning and disinfecting laundry

• Describe alternatives to showering/bathing and toilets

• List the various strategies for waste disposal and pest control

Module 5: Medical & First Aid

• Recognize why first aid is critical every day, and particularly in disasters

• List the components frequently associated with a disaster first aid kit

• Explain the use of disaster first aid kit supplies

Module 6: Residential Security

• Conduct a home security audit to identify vulnerabilities and create a plan to fortify your home against potential threats

• Understand the steps for the protection of self and others within a residential setting using layers of protection

• Identify strategies for hiding valuables in case your home is ever breached

Module 7: Personal Security

• Understand the circumstances where force might be used for self defense

• Describe what to do after you have defended your self

• Recognize the advantages and disadvantages of various lethal and less-lethal weapons

Module 8: Heating & Cooling

• Identify alternate sources of heating and cooling.

• Explain the dangers associated with different heating and cooling sources.

Module 9: Cooking & Hot Water

• List fuel options that are capable of being used indoors.

• Explain the dangers associated with the operation of emergency cooking techniques.

Module 10: Lighting

• Identify the various lighting options available to you

• Explain the safety concerns associated with the variety of lighting options available

Module 11: Communications

• Create a communication plan that will work for you and those you care about

• Discuss the dynamics of communication in an emergency

Module 12: Fuel & Fuel Storage

• Identify characteristics of a given location that afford greater levels of comfort in a crisis

• Understand the considerations associated with deciding to shelter-in-place or to consider "bugging out."

• Identifying common practices associated with sheltering-in-place or evacuating a location

I loved the course, and how down-to-Earth it was. Being prepared will be of use in disasters of different scale, ranging from week-long power outages to natural disasters. It also makes me feel more empowered to know that I could be self-sufficient and possibly even helpful to others in a difficult situation. -Audit track learner