Rule of Threes

"When encountering an emergency situation, what we do will be affected by what someone introduced to me as the "Rule of Threes."

One cannot last longer that three minutes without air. Do we have effective fire emergency drills to know what to do in the presence of smoke and fire?

You cannot last longer than about three hours in extremely cold weather without appropriate clothing.

Do we have correct winter clothing available and set aside - or even brought along on long trips - just in case we are forced to cope with extreme winter conditions?

Three days is normally what a person can survive without water. It will be even less when the temperatures are very high or there is great stress or physical activity. Do we have at least a gallon of water per day per person set aside for our 72-hour kits? Do we have some amount of water in our vehicles if we are traveling in the back country or on deserted byways?

The human body can take a great deal of stress and will survive up to about three weeks without any food. But that is not a pleasant thought. Do we have sufficient supplies to last at least 72 hours, or a month or even a year or more?

Our church leaders have stressed the need to prepare for the unexpected. If something happens where the government or the church cannot respond to our needs in our neighborhood, do we have the means to help ourselves or our neighbors until there is a return to normal conditions?

Let us all look at what needs we have to have sufficient for our needs when an emergency situation should happen."
(Source: R. Hatch, Ward Preparedness Specialist)