Shelter in Place
Encyclopedia
Shelter in place is a process for taking immediate shelter in a location readily accessible to the affected individual by sealing a single area (an example being a room) from outside contaminants and shutting off all HVAC
systems. These actions would generally be taken after a chemical accident or terrorist attack. Depending on the exact situation, everyone within a specific distance of the incident may be ordered to shelter in place or people within a closer range may be ordered to evacuate while everyone else shelters in place. Sheltering in place is generally only used for a short period of time.
and other disaster management agencies are for individuals to be prepared to shelter for a matter of hours in a safe place should such a strategy be implemented. The Red Cross suggests a number of steps to prepare for a shelter in place. They encourage those preparing to develop and be familiar with emergency procedures and shelter in place plans both at home and at their place of work or school. These plans should include the selection of a room with access to a water supply and few or no windows, and creation of an emergency kit that includes food and water. The room chosen should have a minimum of 10 square foot (0.9290304 m²) of floor space per person to allow people to stay inside for at least five hours when sealed without dangerous buildup of carbon dioxide. A radio, flashlight, duct tape, and first aid supply should also be included.
Residents of an affected community might be informed that shelter in place is being implemented through the news media, Emergency Alert System
, Reverse 911
, warning sirens or horns, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
weather reports, and announcements from vehicles equipped with public address systems. In the United States, facilities like nuclear power
plants are required to be equipped with audio alert systems that can be heard within a 10 miles (16.1 km) radius.
Once a shelter in place is called, residents are expected to immediately go indoors, bring all children and animals with them, and to close and lock windows and doors. All ways in which outside materials may enter the shelter area should be eliminated, including closure of fireplace dampers, shutting off ventilation or climate control systems, and prepare an area for pets to eliminate waste that does not require allowing them outside. If told to do so via television or radio, those sheltering should seal their rooms with duct tape and plastic. Upon reaching shelter, those who were outside for a period of time seeking shelter after the shelter in place was called and who may have been exposed to chemical contaminants should remove all outer clothing, put it in a plastic bag, and wash with warm water. After an announcement that the shelter in place is over, residents should go outside and open all doors and windows to ventilate the shelter. Similar processes should be followed in cars, workplaces, or schools.
In October, 2009, authorities called a shelter in place in Contra Costa County, California
after a teenager committed suicide by mixing chemicals together. Three nearby residents who were affected by the fumes were treated at a hospital, and the shelter in place order was lifted after three hours.
On May 9, 2010, a shelter in place warning was issued in San Francisco, California after a gas leak.
HVAC
HVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
systems. These actions would generally be taken after a chemical accident or terrorist attack. Depending on the exact situation, everyone within a specific distance of the incident may be ordered to shelter in place or people within a closer range may be ordered to evacuate while everyone else shelters in place. Sheltering in place is generally only used for a short period of time.
Reasons
Public authorities may call for potential victims in a hazardous situation to shelter in place, particularly in the event of a release of hazardous materials such as radiological, biological, or chemical contaminants. Such releases, whether accidental or intentional, may put surrounding populations in danger and authorities may call for residents to shelter in place. Chemical agents that might trigger such a response could include solids, liquids, or gases that could cause serious injury or death to people, animals, or plants.Implementation
Shelter in place is intended as a short-term strategy for dealing with disaster. As such, recommendations from the American Red CrossAmerican Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
and other disaster management agencies are for individuals to be prepared to shelter for a matter of hours in a safe place should such a strategy be implemented. The Red Cross suggests a number of steps to prepare for a shelter in place. They encourage those preparing to develop and be familiar with emergency procedures and shelter in place plans both at home and at their place of work or school. These plans should include the selection of a room with access to a water supply and few or no windows, and creation of an emergency kit that includes food and water. The room chosen should have a minimum of 10 square foot (0.9290304 m²) of floor space per person to allow people to stay inside for at least five hours when sealed without dangerous buildup of carbon dioxide. A radio, flashlight, duct tape, and first aid supply should also be included.
Residents of an affected community might be informed that shelter in place is being implemented through the news media, Emergency Alert System
Emergency Alert System
The Emergency Alert System is a national warning system in the United States put into place on January 1, 1997, when it superseded the Emergency Broadcast System , which itself had superseded the CONELRAD System...
, Reverse 911
Reverse 911
Reverse 911 is a public safety communications system developed by Cassidian Communications, formerly PlantCML, a unit of EADS North America. It is used by public safety organizations in Canada and the United States to communicate with groups of people in a defined geographic area...
, warning sirens or horns, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
weather reports, and announcements from vehicles equipped with public address systems. In the United States, facilities like nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
plants are required to be equipped with audio alert systems that can be heard within a 10 miles (16.1 km) radius.
Once a shelter in place is called, residents are expected to immediately go indoors, bring all children and animals with them, and to close and lock windows and doors. All ways in which outside materials may enter the shelter area should be eliminated, including closure of fireplace dampers, shutting off ventilation or climate control systems, and prepare an area for pets to eliminate waste that does not require allowing them outside. If told to do so via television or radio, those sheltering should seal their rooms with duct tape and plastic. Upon reaching shelter, those who were outside for a period of time seeking shelter after the shelter in place was called and who may have been exposed to chemical contaminants should remove all outer clothing, put it in a plastic bag, and wash with warm water. After an announcement that the shelter in place is over, residents should go outside and open all doors and windows to ventilate the shelter. Similar processes should be followed in cars, workplaces, or schools.
Incidents
In March, 2003, three Israeli residents of Kafr Qassem, a mother and her two sons, died in their sleep after sealing the room in which they were sleeping against potential chemical or biological attack. They had lit a charcoal fire to keep warm. The father and another child survived.In October, 2009, authorities called a shelter in place in Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
after a teenager committed suicide by mixing chemicals together. Three nearby residents who were affected by the fumes were treated at a hospital, and the shelter in place order was lifted after three hours.
On May 9, 2010, a shelter in place warning was issued in San Francisco, California after a gas leak.