One of the biggest issues with teaching preparedness is letting people know there are countless ways to make preparedness a subtle part of your current lifestyle.
Too many people think that “preparedness” is equal somehow to “survivalism” and that it means a total shift in their day to day living.
Not true.
Genuine preparedness is not complex at all. In fact I constantly use tell people that real readiness makes SENSE; it’s Simple, Economical, Necessary, Subtle, and Effective, and that’s the litmus test you should give everything you hear when others try to tell you how to protect your family.
Today’s tip from 1-800-Prepare follows this philosophy by giving you a reminder you can use twice a year to update some of your family’s protective measures.
It’s just about Daylight Savings Time, so when you rotate your clock, rotate your stock. You’ll want to look at, or update some of the following:
1. Change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
2. Check the pressure gauge on your fire extinguisher to make sure it’s reading full.
3. Check the expiration dates on stored food, medications, or over-the-counter medications you use daily.
4. Look through your list of family emergency contacts to make sure the people, phone numbers, email addresses and all that are current and correct.
5. Check the expiration dates on drivers licenses and other important documents.
6. See if you have acquired any new documents since your last rotation to see if you need to make any copies to go in your safe deposit box or other secure document storage.
7. Check the maintenance needs for all your vehicles. If any need servicing have it done now.
8. See if any family members (including pets!) are due for a medical or dental checkup.
9. Review at least one of your reaction plans, such as your family fire drill.
These are the main points and about all we can squeeze into a short posting. Note: If you’re already the proud owner of “Disaster Prep 101” you have the complete master checklist for items to check around the house this time of year. If not, you can get your copy through 1-800-Prepare.