How to be an Engineer in a State of Emergency

Most everyone thinks they are ready for an emergency or a disaster. Most everyone is wrong. True, many are much better prepared, provisioned, and aware of the dangers and threats they may be exposed to. Chance favors the prepared.

But, disaster preparedness is as much about flexibility, ingenuity, skills, supplies, equipment, tools, and being able to adapt and MacGyver things together. This is what is needed to save the most lives and protect the most property.

Engineers are in a unique position here. Engineers may design emergency preparedness systems, and, may also be subject, just like anyone else to emergencies, disasters, and the need to go into survival mode. Here is where living with your design takes on a new meaning.

MORE FROM DESIGN NEWS: Model-Based Design of a Smart Emergency Response System

Not every emergency preparedness product or device is designed to be usable and helpful in an emergency. Design techniques should be employed to make survival or emergency gear as useful and survivable as possible.

I'll be teaching a free online Continuing Education Center course April 6-10 that will look at both sides of this. To sign up for it, click here. As a living breathing human with family and property to protect, you will want, need, and use gear and equipment when an emergency situation arises. This course discusses types of disasters, dangers, and provokes your thoughts as to what specifically you may need and want to put in place. As such, anyone can derive benefit from this course.

As an engineer, you may design equipment so cost sensitivities and deadlines may urge you to cut corners, but there are compromises you don't want to make. Lives may be at stake.

Sign up for Jon Gabay's FREE online course: "Engineering Systems for Emergency Preparedness"

Jon Gabay is a mad scientist with no hostility. He doesn't want to rule or blow up the world. He wants to make it a better place. Studying electrical engineering, he has worked with defense, commercial, industrial, consumer, energy, and medical companies as a design engineer, firmware coder, system designer, research scientist, and product developer.