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Car Safety

How to Change a Flat Tire Safely

If you drive, you need to know how to change a flat. Hopefully, you have some kind of roadside assistance program that will send someone out to change it for you, but you can’t count on being able to call to for help. Changing a tire isn’t difficult. You can do it. But you need to know how to do it safely. You face three dangers, getting hit by another car, being injured by your own vehicle due to improper jacking, and malfunction of your spare. Here are some tips for changing you tire without getting hurt.

Be Prepared

Make sure you have all of the proper supplies in your vehicle at all times. These include:

  • Owner’s manual
  • Jack
  • Lug wrench
  • Spare tire
  • Key lock adaptor if required on your vehicle

Check your spare for proper inflation every time you check the rest of your tires. Also, check the age of your spare. If it’s 10 years old or older replace it, even if it looks fine and holds air.

Find a Safe Spot

You should jack up your car on a flat hard surface. Most importantly, you need to be safely out of traffic. A parking lot is better than the roadside. If you must change your tire on the side of the road, give yourself plenty of room, use your hazard lights, and set up flares and reflective triangles.

Changing Your Tire

Before your start, check all of your supplies. If you don’t have everything you need or if your spare is flat, you can stop now. If everything is in order, get all passengers out of the vehicle, apply the parking brake and block the tire diagonal from the one you are changing.

Check your owner’s manual for the proper jack placement for your specific vehicle. Remove the hubcap. Loosen, but do not remove, the lug nuts before you lift the vehicle. Jack the car up until the tire is no longer touching the ground and has enough clearance for you to remove it. Remove the lug nuts and tire. Put the spare on and replace the lug nuts, tightening in the order given in your owner’s manual. Lower the car and give the lug nuts a final tightening.

Read The Importance of Tire Safety for tips on how to avoid a flat or blowout in the first place.

Categories
Car Safety

Car Accidents – A Leading Cause of Death for Children

Car accidents are a leading cause of death for children in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Even if you’re doing all the right things to keep your children as safe as possible, you could be doing them wrong putting them at even greater risk. The CDC estimates that 59% of car seats and 20% of booster seats are used incorrectly. When you do not use child restraints or use them improperly, you not only put your child at risk for injury or death, you may be compromising your ability to recover the money you need to pay for your child’s medical bills and more if they are seriously injured.

Children and Drunk Driving Accidents

The CDC gives us some frightening statistics about drunk driving and children. From 2001 to 2010:

  • About one in five child passenger deaths involved drunk driving. “Child” meaning kids 14 or younger.
  • 65% of the time, it was the driver of the car the child was riding in who was drunk.
  • 61% of the kids who were riding with drunk drivers when they were killed were not wearing seat belts.

There is a small kernel of hope in those statistics. While they don’t tell us how many children were riding with drunk parents vs how many were riding with drunk friends, it is clear that we could substantially reduce the number of deaths if we can simply kids to never, ever get in the car with a drunk driver.

Protecting Your Child Legally

If your child is seriously injured in a car accident, there will be expenses. Your child will need medical care and may be disabled for life. To give your child the best medical care and other services, you’re going to need every penny you can get. Of course your hope is that it will never happen, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared.

Learn about the child restraint laws in your state, and learn how to use child restraints properly. In some states, failure to properly restrain your child can cost you some or all of the compensation you need and deserve for their injuries, even if you were not at fault for your accident.

If your child has been injured in a car accident, read more about Choosing the Right Personal Injury Lawyer.

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Uncategorized

Basic Preparedness Tips

It’s very easy to look at shows like Doomsday Preppers and think to yourself “I could never do that!” The truth is, the vast majority of people who “prep” don’t do it that way, either. In fact, most people who prepare aren’t planning for the end of the world or Armageddon or any other type of apocalypse. They’re doing it as protection against leaner times.

 

When you were younger, you may have heard your grandparents or great grandparents talking about the Great Depression. After the stock market crashed in 1929, thousands of people lost jobs, and many families had to do without, or learn to live with very little, for many years afterwards. While our recent recession caused many to have to tighten their belts, it was mild compared to what our great grandparents, or their parents, went through.

 

Many who prep are doing so simply because they remember hearing stories of their own families going without. They know that, even though our country is technically in a recovery, the possibility of job loss is still very real, and that job security doesn’t mean a whole lot for many people these days. They simply want to have something set by in case something bad happens.

 

Many start preparing by doing something so basic that even the government tells us we should: preparing a 72 hour kit to be used in case of emergency. Some people call this a bug out bag or go-kit. No matter what you call it, it contains three days of food, water, and clothing for everyone in your family. It may not be in a bag or backpack. A plastic tote is a great place to store a 72 hour kit, especially if you’re planning on being able to drive out in an emergency, such as a weather or fire evacuation. This is the most common type of emergency that people prepare for.

 

From there, people usually try to increase the amount of supplies they have to a week, and then a few. One need only remember the long lasting power outages after Katrina and Sandy to have a good reason to stockpile a few weeks of food. If a major weather event moved through your area, would you be able to shelter in your home, if it was liveable? With a two week supply of food, your home would be a much safer, and more pleasant, option than a shelter.

 

As you can see, one doesn’t need to build a bunker or have a year’s worth of beans, rice, and water to be a prepper. Something as basic as preparing for a major weather event, or job loss, can make you a prepper. It’s all a matter of mindset. Buying a little extra here and there really adds up over time.

Categories
Personal Preparedness Preparedness Planning

Preparedness: Are You Ready?

It was Benjamin Franklin who said, those who ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail.’ When you think about things – and I mean, really think about them – the chances of disaster striking really aren’t that low. I’m sure you’ve had enough scare mongering from the 10pm news, so I’ll spare you that, but, we’re all aware of how fragile life can, and we all realize how everything exists in fine balance.

If you’ve ever worked for a multi-national company, you’ll know they’re insured against practically everything. It wouldn’t surprise me if many had coverage against snowman attacks, given the prepared nature of most CEO’s. Yet, curiously, when a person takes similar precautions, they can be seen as somewhat paranoid. It’s peculiar.

72 hour kits are something you buy and then forget about. They’re like bandages. You hope you’ll never one, but it’s there if ever you do. See the real scary outcome isn’t having to use a survival kit, it’s needing one, and not having one available. Then, you and your families lives are suddenly in jeopardy.

No matter the current state of the world, It’s not unreasonable to be prepare for war. It’s not unreasonable to prepare for extreme weather hitting. It’s not even unreasonable to assume a natural disaster could occur at any time  soon. Because nobody knows. In fact, survival kits aren’t pessimistic, they’re optimistic. Being prepared allows you to relax and face the future knowing that you have a contingency plan in place.

Ask yourself this, I were forced to evacuate my home, or if I were left stranded without food, water, gas and electricity, could I really cope?

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Uncategorized

Car Safety App is Released by the National Highway Safety Administration

A new car safety app that will provide real-time vehicle safety information to consumers from NHTSA’s SaferCar.gov site has been released by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The new car safety app is available on iPhones and iPod touches and can be downloaded from i. NHTSA’s car safety app allows users to search its 5-Star Safety Ratings for vehicles by make and model, locate car seat installation help, file a vehicle safety complaint, find recall information and subscribe to automatic notices about vehicle recalls.

NHTSA is also providing access to the site for app developers who may be interested in integrating the information on to other sites. By providing access through a Application Programming Interface (API), NHTSA hopes that the car safety information that it’s making available will go viral, spreading to as many sources a possible.

The SaferCar app, according to NHTSA, includes a number of features that will help consumers stay on top of safety developments and also help them to make the best possible decisions when it comes to car safety:

  • 5-Star Safety Ratings: Consumers considering vehicle purchases can look up crash test ratings and compare them across different makes and models.
  • Recalls and Complaints: App users can stay on top of safety issues for vehicles they already own. Consumers can register their vehicles to be notified by NHTSA if a safety issue is discovered. The app also makes it simple to submit complaints to NHTSA regarding possible safety problems with a particular vehicle.
  • Help Installing Child Seats: The app helps consumers ensure their most precious passengers ride safe. Users can quickly get driving directions to the nearest child seat inspection station and get assistance to properly install their car seats and boosters.
  • Safety Headlines and Alerts: App users can receive important news and information from NHTSA, as well as recall notices and push notices on their recorded vehicles.

This is just the first stage in the development of the Safercar app. Development of an Android app is now  underway. In the meantime, anyone with an interest in keeping up with developments in car safety can access the information at http://www.safercar.gov.

Categories
Earthquake Preparedness Fire Preparedness/Safety Humor

Emergency Fun Slide?

China’s emergency fun slide.

An emergency fun slide? Asia is prone, unfortunately to a variety of natural disasters, from typhoons to earthquakes. To speed up building evacuation one entrepreneur came up with the idea of using a 5 story slide. Supposedly, it can take you down 5 stories in 15 seconds. In this case, seeing is not necessarily believing. The decidedly rickety contraption doesn’t include banked turns, which means you’d be likely to going flying into the stairwell. It also means you have to brake at each turn, creating the potential for massive jam ups and crashes. The slide looks fun, but not necessarily safe. Oh, it also looks like walking might be quicker. Just saying.

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News

See us on the Today Show

Kelly Wallace of iVillage.com visits the Today Show on NBC and explains how you can be prepared in 2013 with preparedness kits from 1800Prepare.com

Categories
Disaster Kits Earthquake Preparedness Personal Preparedness Personal Stories Preparedness Planning Preparedness tips

Living in Earthquake Country – Why We All Need to be Better Prepared

By Keith Erwood

January 3, 2013

Six and a half years ago I moved to California from New York City. Since that time I have experienced several earthquakes. Let me just say for a New Yorker they were interesting to say the least, and certainly got my attention. These “small” 4.0 – 4.4 earthquakes to Californians are just minor little rumblings that make for interesting conversations and really nothing more. Sometimes, they even provide for a good laugh when seeing a newly transplanted East Coaster such as myself experiencing it for the first time. Such an event happened with me and my wife who is a CA native.

During my lifetime in NYC I experienced two (that I am aware of) small earthquakes of about 2.0 – barely felt by most. As a new Californian it was interesting to me, as it was for many on the West Coast to see the reactions to the recent East Cost Earthquake. One that caused little damage, but contributed to workforce disruptions in many areas as people fled into the streets.

Now as I sit here today I am pondering a number of things about earthquakes and preparedness. The first is that I live in so called “Earthquake Country” here in the Bay Area, or is that the entire State of CA? Then again, it could be that “Earthquake Country” is the entire West Coast. The truth is we all live in Earthquake Country. Let me explain.

There is not a single State in the U.S. that has never had or experienced an earthquake. Nor is there a State that can never have an earthquake again. True, some areas are less impacted by these earthquakes. Take my former home State of New York for example. Though NYC has had very few earthquakes, NYS has several every day. These earthquakes tend to occur in areas that are either unpopulated or have very small populations.

Then we have the New Madrid fault that is perhaps the one fault that can impact the largest portion of the U.S. if a significant earthquake were to occur in the region. In fact if a significant earthquake were to occur in this region the impact could be more widespread and damaging than a major earthquake in a place like the San Francisco Bay Area. Why?  Because cities such as St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville that are in the region do not have the same building standards to withstand such an impact.

Another surprising thing I learned is that not everyone who lives out here in CA is really prepared for when the “Big One” hits. Actually in reality, very few are truly prepared and myths about CA and earthquakes impact disaster preparedness even here. Let me provide an example for you how one of these myths can cause improper preparedness.

Myth: We live in Sunny California, where it never rains and is always warm and sunny. Well, this could not be further from the truth. Sure – it’s plenty warm and sunny in the summer months, especially where I live but it does get cold. Just last night it was in the low temperature was in the high 20’s and the high’s have lately been in the low 50’s or high 40’s. Now, this is not exactly in the teens, or 20 below zero like it can get in some areas of the country but it is below freezing and feels cold. If you were without a coat, jacket, blanket or other warm gear or heat source in your preparedness or earthquake kit you could be in trouble during the colder months.

In fact during the summer months when it gets very hot during the day the, it is not uncommon for the temperature to drop about 30 degrees at night. A change in temperatures such as this can actually cause a person to suffer from hypothermia even during the summer. Another part of this myth is that it doesn’t rain. In fact I even had someone tell me once, sure we have earthquakes, but at least when it does happen it will be dry since we hardly get rain.

To this I say not so fast. In fact as I write this, we are in the rainy season where it is not uncommon for it to rain for long periods of time. In fact last year, I think it rained everyday for a month straight. Add in the cold, wind, and an earthquake and the impact could be much more severe as people are exposed to the elements. If this happened certainly more people would succumb to the weather exposure than the actual earthquake.

In closing I ask that you reevaluate how you prepare for likely calamities in your home community – add more or additional supplies to keep you warm and dry. Consider the impact of a worse case disaster in terrible weather. And I want to remind you that we all live in earthquake country, not just those of us living on the West Coast in Sunny CA.

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C.E.R.T. Charities/Groups we support

Support your Local C.E.R.T.

Does your town have a C.E.R.T. (Community Emergency Response Team)? These are your friends and neighbors who have volunteered to help your community in the event of an emergency or disaster, when first responders are overwhelmed or unable to respond immediately. These people also help the community by promoting awareness of hazards and disaster preparedness, assisting fire department and law enforcement, and even installing smoke detectors for the elderly and disabled. You can recognize them by their signature green and yellow vests.

So how can you help your local C.E.R.T.? Get involved. If you live in Small Town America contact your local town council or mayor’s office. If you live in a larger town or big city, contact your local emergency management agency. These people can direct you to the proper organization.

Don’t have a C.E.R.T. in your community? Make one. You can google it or go to https://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/ or www.fema.gov/community-emergency-response-teams to learn more. These websites have all the information you need to get started.

Another good way to support your local C.E.R.T. is to donate. You can donate supplies or any kind, such as rope, gloves, flashlights, etc. Do you have a friend or neighbor who participates as a member of C.E.R.T.? Show your support by buying them a CERT Starter kit. A good place to find C.E.R.T. equipment is here.

So go out there and show your support. Hopefully you and your family will never have to experience a disaster. But if you do, you can take some comfort in knowing that your local C.E.R.T. will be there to help.

 

By Jason M. Watts (Contributing Writer to 1800prepare.com)

 

Categories
Fire Preparedness/Safety Preparedness Planning Preparedness tips

Fire Safety and using a Fire Extinguisher

As a volunteer firefighter, fire safety is very important to me. I also think that while all preparedness is important…it is much more likely that you will face one or more fires in your life than an earthquake, tornado, terror attack or some of the other major disasters we often read about on preparedness sites. One of my sayings is “Preparing for Life’s..What If’s”. A fire is something anyone of us can face regardless of where we live or work. Below are some tips in regards to both general fire safety and well as how to use a fire extinguisher.

General Fire Safety in the Home:

  • Purchase and know how to use fire extinguishers. At a minimum have one on each floor of your home and one specifically designed for kitchen fires
  • Make and practice an evacuation plan with your family. Make sure everyone knows what to do and where to go. Make sure you all know at least 2 routes out of the home in case your primary route is blocked. Also practice evacuating blindfolded or with little light as if there is bad smoke, you probably won’t be able to see that well
  • Pick an outside meeting place away from the house where you will all meet
  • If there is a fire in your home, even if you decide to try to put it out yourself…call the fire department first. Fires grow quickly and you want to get help on the way in case you can’t put it out or become trapped
  • Make sure you have smoke/carbon monoxide detectors on every floor of your home and near or inside every bedroom. Test them at least twice per year
  • Don’t overload outlets and keep flameable items like drapes away from outlets in case they spark
  • Consider purchase fire escape ladders for bedrooms in case the fire is on the first floor and the stairs are blocked
  • Other items you can consider are fire blankets and smoke hoods
  • Clean out your dryer vent line as well as your chimney every year or so

How to use an Extinguisher:

  • Remember…before you attempt to use a fire extinguisher…call the fire department first
  • If you feel it is safe enough to use the extinguisher to try to put out the fire, remember the acronym P.A.S.S. which stands for Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep.
  • Pull – pull the pin the top of the extinguisher
  • Aim – aim the nozzle at the base of the fire
  • Squeeze – squeeze the handle to release the extinguishing agent
  • Sweep – sweep from side to side and the base of the fire
  • While using a fire extinguisher make sure you have an exit behind you in case the fire grows out of control
  • Make sure every family member practices using the extinguisher at least once. The first time you want to pull one out is NOT during a house fire.
  • Visit your local fire department. They can show you how to use and might let you practice in a controlled environment

These tips are by no means complete. There are other factors to consider. As always..if you have a tip, thought or idea please share it.

 

Until next time….be safe.