Post by Loupy on Apr 12, 2013 16:29:22 GMT -7
The Thirty Minute Semi-Annual Home Safety Inspection
By Gaye Levy @ www.backdoorsurvival.com/
From time to time, we all make resolutions and affirmations for improving our quality of life. We set goals and make strident attempts to improve ourselves, our preps and our relationships with both other people and things.
The goal, always, is to make things better. But how do you define better?
Let me toss this one out for you: how about making your home (house, cottage, apartment or condo) a safer place to live – free from impediments that will prevent you from surviving an emergency.
Not again you might say. Didn’t I just go through this a while back when I provided tips for preventing a holiday fire? Sure thing, but shortly after that, I read about a number of preventable fires that occurred due to homeowner carelessness over the holiday season. So humor me today and take a few moments out of your new year to walk through your home to perform the semi-annual home safety inspection.
I promise – it will only take about thirty minutes and the results just might save your home – and your life.
The Semi-Annual Home Safety Inspection
Bedroom and Sleeping Area
Are heaters located away from furniture and bedding?
Are there two exits out of each room and are the exits easy to navigate?
Is a phone nearby so that you can call 9-1-1? Does everyone know how to properly use 9-1-1-? (And yes, there is a proper way. See A Primer on Using 9-1-1 for Emergencies.
Are smoke alarms mounted high, near doors and away from corners?
Do you sleeping area include a carbon monoxide detector placed a distance away from any fuel-burning devices?
Do you sleep with the bedroom doors closed? Fire can’t travel when the route is blocked. Closed doors can contain the fire and give you more time.
Do you have sturdy shoes and a flashlight under your bed so that you can easily get through debris if there is an earthquake or other disaster in the middle of the night?
Are your room exits blocked by heavy furniture making a quick escape impossible?
Kitchen and Cooking Areas
Is the stove area clear? Pot holders and paper towels should be kept far away from the stove. Don’t keep your fire extinguisher above or behind the stove, as you won’t be able to reach it through the flames.
Does normal cooking trigger your smoke alarm? If it goes off frequently while cooking, improve ventilation, or move it further from the stove; don’t disable or start ignoring the alarm!
Living Areas
Are heaters placed far from furniture, throws, or curtains?
Are electrical cords away from rugs, rocking chairs, curtains, and not through doorways?
Do you use flameless candles? (You should.) If not, are your candles in safe, free-standing spots away from pets, children, or wind?
Garage and Storage Areas
Are flammable items kept away from dryer tops, or from around the base of any appliances with a pilot light, such as a water heater?
Is the area around electrical panels clear?
Are household chemicals stored out of the reach of children, and in a way that won’t allow them to accidently fall and mix together?
Is the water heater raised above likely flooding, and braced against the wall?
Are there old and dirty rags and flammable paints and chemicals close to heat sources including the furnace?
Taking it all for granted
Household safety is something we tend to take for granted until something bad happens. Perhaps not to you but to a neighbor or someone nearby in the community. In my view, you can not be a true prepper unless you are prepared for the short term types of calamities as well as those of the catastrophic sort.
Having said that, I have three more questions to ask yourself:
1. Does everyone in the household have knowledge of and know how to implement the family back-up community plan?
2. Do all household members know how to turn off the utilities (gas, electricity and water)?
3. When is the last time you have rehearsed your household escape routes and plans?
The Final Word
Common sense abounds, right?
Still, in our busy lives it is so easy to overlook the smallest of issues, thinking we will get to them later. And yet think about it. An abundance of stored food, water, medical supplies and gear will not do you an iota of good if you cannot get out of your home safely following a disaster.
Much as we inventory the goods in our survival pantry on a regular basis, and check our smoke alarms twice a year (you do that, don’t you?), why not also also keep this list handy and do this simple walk through from time to time to insure that these no-nonsense safety measures are in place.
It is a good habit to get in to and of course, simply makes good sense.
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
By Gaye Levy @ www.backdoorsurvival.com/
From time to time, we all make resolutions and affirmations for improving our quality of life. We set goals and make strident attempts to improve ourselves, our preps and our relationships with both other people and things.
The goal, always, is to make things better. But how do you define better?
Let me toss this one out for you: how about making your home (house, cottage, apartment or condo) a safer place to live – free from impediments that will prevent you from surviving an emergency.
Not again you might say. Didn’t I just go through this a while back when I provided tips for preventing a holiday fire? Sure thing, but shortly after that, I read about a number of preventable fires that occurred due to homeowner carelessness over the holiday season. So humor me today and take a few moments out of your new year to walk through your home to perform the semi-annual home safety inspection.
I promise – it will only take about thirty minutes and the results just might save your home – and your life.
The Semi-Annual Home Safety Inspection
Bedroom and Sleeping Area
Are heaters located away from furniture and bedding?
Are there two exits out of each room and are the exits easy to navigate?
Is a phone nearby so that you can call 9-1-1? Does everyone know how to properly use 9-1-1-? (And yes, there is a proper way. See A Primer on Using 9-1-1 for Emergencies.
Are smoke alarms mounted high, near doors and away from corners?
Do you sleeping area include a carbon monoxide detector placed a distance away from any fuel-burning devices?
Do you sleep with the bedroom doors closed? Fire can’t travel when the route is blocked. Closed doors can contain the fire and give you more time.
Do you have sturdy shoes and a flashlight under your bed so that you can easily get through debris if there is an earthquake or other disaster in the middle of the night?
Are your room exits blocked by heavy furniture making a quick escape impossible?
Kitchen and Cooking Areas
Is the stove area clear? Pot holders and paper towels should be kept far away from the stove. Don’t keep your fire extinguisher above or behind the stove, as you won’t be able to reach it through the flames.
Does normal cooking trigger your smoke alarm? If it goes off frequently while cooking, improve ventilation, or move it further from the stove; don’t disable or start ignoring the alarm!
Living Areas
Are heaters placed far from furniture, throws, or curtains?
Are electrical cords away from rugs, rocking chairs, curtains, and not through doorways?
Do you use flameless candles? (You should.) If not, are your candles in safe, free-standing spots away from pets, children, or wind?
Garage and Storage Areas
Are flammable items kept away from dryer tops, or from around the base of any appliances with a pilot light, such as a water heater?
Is the area around electrical panels clear?
Are household chemicals stored out of the reach of children, and in a way that won’t allow them to accidently fall and mix together?
Is the water heater raised above likely flooding, and braced against the wall?
Are there old and dirty rags and flammable paints and chemicals close to heat sources including the furnace?
Taking it all for granted
Household safety is something we tend to take for granted until something bad happens. Perhaps not to you but to a neighbor or someone nearby in the community. In my view, you can not be a true prepper unless you are prepared for the short term types of calamities as well as those of the catastrophic sort.
Having said that, I have three more questions to ask yourself:
1. Does everyone in the household have knowledge of and know how to implement the family back-up community plan?
2. Do all household members know how to turn off the utilities (gas, electricity and water)?
3. When is the last time you have rehearsed your household escape routes and plans?
The Final Word
Common sense abounds, right?
Still, in our busy lives it is so easy to overlook the smallest of issues, thinking we will get to them later. And yet think about it. An abundance of stored food, water, medical supplies and gear will not do you an iota of good if you cannot get out of your home safely following a disaster.
Much as we inventory the goods in our survival pantry on a regular basis, and check our smoke alarms twice a year (you do that, don’t you?), why not also also keep this list handy and do this simple walk through from time to time to insure that these no-nonsense safety measures are in place.
It is a good habit to get in to and of course, simply makes good sense.
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
