SURVIVAL GUIDE FROM NORWEGIAN GOVERNMENT by Tyr Neilsen

The Norwegian government wants its citizens to be prepared and able to survive. This isn’t exactly common knowledge in Norway, but the government has a permanent website with this information in both Norwegian and English, and the title reads:

YOU ARE PART OF NORWAY’S EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

ADVICE ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB - Direktorat for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap), has created an emergency preparedness guide for every single Norwegian. This guide is full of good sense information for emergency preparedness, as well as explaining what might happen in such an emergency.

NEED FOR PREPERATION

Emergencies can happen at any time. The consequences of being unprepared can be devastating. Being prepared for an emergency helps you think more clearly, have a greater sense of control, and make better decisions in such a situation. If a national emergency occurs, there will be many demands on local government and emergency services, and they might not be able to help you immediately because they have to focus their efforts elsewhere, which means you need to be prepared to help yourslelf.

The Norwegian emergency preparedness guide provides a sensible outline of what people will need in a national emergency situation without creating panic. It starts by saying that whilst Norway is a safe and stable country, it is also vulnerable, then states something that might not be obvious to everyone, which is that Norway depends on various forms of energy, water, and internet, in order to stay safe and stable.

The guide lists things that can jeopardize this stability, such as storms, natural disasters, technical problems, sabotage, terrorism and war. As such situations could result in power outages and problems with supply of water, food and other essentials, this guide explains to Norwegians that they could end up in need of help in a crisis, and that they should prepare so that they can take care of themselves and those around them.

In this guide, the Norwegian government requests that all households take care of some basics to improve their own emergency preparedness, and proceeds to describe these basics. The guide lists items each household should have to keep themselves self-sustained for at least 3 days.

The list includes:

9 liters of water per person. 2 packs of crispbread per person. 1 pack of oat porridge per person. 3 boxes of canned food or 3 bags of dried food per person. 3 boxes of sandwich spreads or jam with long shelf life per person. A few bags of dried fruit or nuts, biscuits and chocolate. Any medication that you are dependent on. Wood, gas or paraffin stove for heating. Gas fueled grill or cooker. Candles, flashlight with batteries and paraffin lamp. Matches or lighter. Warm clothes, blankets and sleeping bags. First aid kit. Battery powered DAB radio. Batteries, battery bank and mobile charger for the car. Wet wipes and disinfectant. Paper towels and toilet paper. Cash. Extra fuel and wood/gas/paraffin/denatured alcohol for heating and cooking. Iodine tablets in case of a nuclear event.

The 3-DAY BASIC NEEDS

As not everyone has thought about such a situation, or has experience in bushcraft, the Norwegian government’s guide not only lists the basics for what a Norwegian citizen would need to survive 3 days, it goes on to explain in small chapters exactly what each citizen should do to prepare for an emergency.

FOOD

According to this guide, each citizen should have enough food. It asks Norwegians to think about how they can prepare food if there is no power or water supply. It also explains that if a person has pets or special dietary needs, that they will need to plan for these also.

The guide asks that people make sure they have sufficient food to last for some extra days. It recommends getting extra food with long shelf life. Food that can be stored in room temperature and some food that can be eaten without being heated, such as crispbread, canned spreads, soups, hiking food, canned dinners, energy bars, and dried fruit and nuts.

DRINK

The guide says each person needs at least 3 liters of clean water a day for drinking and cooking. Any water should be stored in a cold, dark and frost-free place such as a shed, garage or outhouse. For people who have done this, the guide reminds them to replace the water at least once a year, preferably on a fixed date.

The guide explains how to make sure Norwegians have enough fluids by buying bottled or canned water from a store, or by cleaning bottles or cans, then filling them to the brim with cold tap water and sealing them. The guide also explains that juice, soft drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages can cover some of the need for fluids.

HEAT

An emergency might occur at any time of the year, including winter, so this guide reminds people who have only electricity as the main or only source of heating to be better prepared for power outages, and suggests obtaining options such as wood burning stove, fireplace, gas or paraffin stove, warm clothes, blankets, sleeping bags and a supply of wood with matches or lighter.

The guide also encourages people to make arrangements with neighbors, family or friends, regarding shelter in an emergency.

MEDICINE and FIRST AID

In a large crisis, it would be impossible for emergency services to help every single person, so the government guide says that every Norwegian citizen should be able to provide basic first aid, and that each person should have a standard first aid kit and painkillers.

The guide recommends that if someone relies on medication or medical aid, they should check the shelf life of all medication, and talk to their doctor or pharmacy about the possibility of having emergency reserve medicine. It also recommends a supply of iodine tablets in case of a nuclear event.

HYGIENE

The guide adresses this basic necessity that everyone should understand, because poor hygiene can lead to infection and disease. The importance of personal hygiene and cleanliness concerning food and cooking is clearly stated, and the guide recommends everyone should clean themselves daily, especially washing hands after toilet visits and before cooking.

In an emergency situation where water may not be available, the guide suggests keeping wet wipes and antibacterial disinfectant handy, as well as keep the home clean and tidy and organizing toilet alternatives.

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

The guide reminds Norwegians that in the event of emergency, crisis or accidents, it is important to have access to public information about such situations and advice on what to do. This guide reminds Norwegians that emergencies are chaotic and unpredictable. It warns against misleading or false information, and recommends obtaining information from reliable sources.

NRK P1 is the Norwegian emergency channel which broadcasts information to the population, even when other sources are unavailable. To make sure people have access to this station and important information, the guide recommends having a portable DAB radio that runs on battery power with extra set of batteries. NRK P1 can also be heard on a car radio, and cell phones can be recharged in a car.

Norway has warning systems, sometimes called typhoon or air raid sirens, which warns the population of acute danger. When an alarm sounds, it means that citizens need to seek information.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GUIDE

The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection has put this emergency preparedness guide (EPG) on its website as a PDF file so that it can be printed out and used in every home, business, hospital and workplace.

Here is a link to the site:  https://www.sikkerhverdag.no/globalassets/din-beredskap/dsb_beredskap_brosjyre_originalutvikling_engelsk_utenlogo_digital_nbb.pdf

HOW TO BE PREPARED FOR AN EMERGENCY

Being prepared for an emergency is not just about what you have, it’s also about what you know.

The guide suggests that each person should consider what could happen in the area they live, and how they, and others around them, might be affected in an emergency. It is recommended that each person makes a plan for how to handle an emergency. Once that is done, finding out whether anyone in the area needs help, and how to help is the next priority.

The guide wants each Norwegian to learn basic first aid and to be prepared. It asks if the planned emergency equipment is in good working order, and that each person knows know how to use the equipment.

All emergency service numbers in Norway are listed in the guide, which encourages Norwegians to visit the website of their municipality to read about local conditions, and to visit the emergency website: sikkerhverdag.no

ADVANTAGES OF BEING PREPARED

There are many advantages to being prepared. Preparation helps avoid fear, stress, anxiety and loss that comes with disasters, and problems can be handled much quicker and more efficiently because solutions are already in place. By being prepared, you can reduce the impact of an emergency situation and sometimes avoid danger completely.

All of the information in the Norwegian guide is grounded in good sense and is of real help for people who have not seriously considered any of the emergency situations listed in the guide. There is slightly different information in survival guides from other countries, including civic duties, responsibilities, and suggestions for basic equipment, such as: multi-tool, duct tape, can opener, compass, local map, axe, knife, saw, crowbar and whistle.

Here are a few links to emergency preperation and survival guides from different countries:

USA: https://www.ready.gov/kit

UK: https://evaq8.co.uk/Survival-Kit-List.html

SWEDEN: https://www.dinsakerhet.se/siteassets/dinsakerhet.se/broschyren-om-krisen-eller-kriget-kommer/om-krisen-eller-kriget-kommer---engelska.pdf