This newsletter is a free publication by the Institute for Secure Activism (ISA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting personal security for activists, advocates, and the organizations that support them. ISA provides training, workshops, education materials, technical solutions, and technical consulting to civil rights and social justice advocacy organizations focused on LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and other marginalized communities. Please consider making a tax-exempt donation to support our mission.
When we talk about personal security for activists and protestors, we’re often talking about digital safety. However, online security practices are just one part of a comprehensive security mindset. Physical security for our community, family, and self is the ultimate end goal. Our life, our liberty, and our ability to pursue happiness depends on our physical security. Using end-to-end-encrypted messaging and limiting your social media exposure doesn’t matter much if your family home is burning to the ground. Which is exactly what happened in South Carolina a few weeks ago. So let’s get back to basics and talk about home security.
Judge’s house burns after ruling against administration
Do you and your family have a home evacuation plan? Do you have easily-accessible fire extinguishers? Did you change the batteries in your smoke detectors when we “fell back” out of Daylight Savings Time? Do you have an alarm system or some other early alert mechanism? Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein issued a temporary restraining order on September 2 to prevent information about 3.3 million South Carolina voters from being turned over to the Trump administration. On Saturday October 4 her beachfront home burst into flames and burned to the ground. Her husband, son, and one other person were hospitalized after jumping from an upper floor to escape. South Carolina authorities stated that there was no evidence of arson in the early stages of their investigation. However, there were some reports that Judge Goodstein had received death threats in the month between her ruling and the fire.
Have an emergency home evacuation plan
Whether Judge Goodstein’s home was deliberately firebombed or not, this event can serve as an important reminder for all of us. Home emergencies can and do happen. Planning for common events like an accidental house fire does double-duty as a plan for a politically-motivated arson attack. While we wish Judge Goodstein’s family members a speedy recovery, let’s all put a household plan together today! Here an approach to making a good evacuation plan:
- Early Warning – Our home’s main early warning system is our smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. Test your alarms regularly and change their batteries every six months. Remember that most smoke and CO alarms physically expire every 10 years and need to be replaced! Get to know your neighbors and establish ways to watch each other’s homes. Smoke alarms inside your home might not alert to an outdoor or garage fire, and your neighbors might see smoke or flames first.
- Evacuation Routes – Does every room in your house have two usable exit routes? Upper floor rooms need an escape ladder, one for every room. Jumping to safety is not a good plan, even “just” from a second floor. Windows need to be open-able from the inside; don’t plan on breaking the glass to make an escape. Keep materials (towel, blanket, etc) in every bedroom to block smoke from coming under the door while occupants escape through a window. Make a plan to assist differently-abled individuals in an evacuation, or empower them to effect their own escape. Place fire extinguishers and fire blankets in strategic locations to help you suppress fire along your evacuation path. You likely won’t be able to put out an established house fire yourself, but you might be able to knock the flames down enough with an extinguisher or fire blanket to move outside unharmed.
- Assembly Point – Designate a location away from but still in view of your home for everyone to assemble after evacuation. It should be someplace which you can describe simply: the mailbox, the end of the driveway, etc. Someone in the household should always be aware of who else is in the home, so that an accurate accounting can be made at the assembly point. This includes people and pets! Firefighters will approach a burning home VERY differently (for their safety and yours) depending on whether they believe someone is still in the home or not.
- Critical Items – You shouldn’t grab anything on your way out of a burning home which isn’t absolutely critical for your well-being. Make a “go bag”: keep important documents in a fireproof envelope along with important medication, water, and other essentials in a backpack (or another hands-free bag) which you can easily grab at the BEGINNING of an evacuation. Don’t expect to remember to pick up that bag somewhere on your way out of the home: you’ll forget it ! Grab that bag and get out! Keep your phone charged and “grabbable”: you’ll need it to call emergency services at your assembly point.
- Practice – Put your emergency plan into action! Make sure that everyone knows the plan before an emergency occurs, and then figure out what works and what doesn’t. Try out both primary and secondary evacuation routes from different places in your home. Don’t expect to figure out how to deploy and climb down a fire ladder for the first time under the stress of a real evacuation: practice! When you exercise your evacuation plan calmly, you’ll discover things you didn’t account for. Did you grab your indoor cat but now you don’t have a carrier to keep them safe? Did your escape ladder get caught on the trellis you installed last summer? Do you get stuck in a small window while you’re wearing your go-bag? Are you unable to see your escape path in the dark? Practicing your plan both day and night will reveal opportunities for refinement.
A solid evacuation plan will serve your family well, no matter how a fire starts. Other kinds of home emergencies, however, might require a different approach. In our next newsletter we’ll explore planning for “shelter in place” situations.
As always, thanks for subscribing and please send your questions and comments! We’re all in this together.
We take care of us, we keep our community safe, we look out for each other. Go do good work!
