fire drill – 1800PrepareBlog

One of the things I say continuously in my presentations as a disaster preparedness trainer is “the news channels will never go out of business.”

This means that there will always be something bad for them to report, but that also, there will be far more viewers unaffected by what’s going on than there will be victims.

So today’s tip is “Use the News.”

With current headlines echoing a volcanic eruption and tsunami in Indonesia, and severe weather in the Midwest around Chicago, we have opportunities to discuss readiness.

Most people will watch these stories on the news and say “Oh, how awful!”

But you, being the readiness-oriented in the group can say “You know what we’d do if that happened in this area?” And there you go. Your opportunity to use the news.

Use the news as a reminder to have a fire drill, to examine your home’s structure in advance of an earthquake, to prompt you to check you level of supplies you keep on hand for various emergencies, and to discuss reaction steps with your family.

Do you have small children? Taking the “Here’s what we’d do” approach with them serves several purposes at once.

1. It teaches them to look at bad news in a more positive manner.
2. It involves them in family planning so they can grow up making preparedness a subtle part of their life.
3. It provides an opportunity for them to seek the solution rather than focusing on the problem.
4. It reassures them that you’re in control and things will be alright.

Paul Purcell
Author – “Disaster Prep 101”
(Available at 1800Prepare)

According to national fire stats about 84% of all fires are residential fires, and most of these occur in the winter months due to the use of alternative heating devices such as space heaters and fireplaces.

Many of these fire safety sources repeat the logical suggestions that each home should have a working smoke detector and families should practice fire drills.

To this, 1800Prepare adds the following suggestions which are excerpted from the book “Disaster Prep 101” (found on our books page).

1. Smoke detectors are great to have and they’re inexpensive, so have at least 2 per floor, and have one that only comes out in winter. This extra one is meant to be used near your alternate heating devices during the winter when they’re in use.

2. Some of these extra smoke detectors might be located far away from your bedrooms. Since the worst time for a fire to occur is when the family is asleep, use this simple trick. Go get a “baby monitor.” They’re inexpensive new, and you might find some deals at yard sales or thrift stores. Put the monitor’s transmitter near your farthest smoke detector and the receiver in your bedroom. If the smoke alarm goes off in the middle of the night, you’ll be sure to hear it.

3. When you practice your family fire drills, take turns to allow each family member to be “it,” the one who discovers the fire and warns the others. Also, be sure to have some realistic practice by performing your fire drill while blindfolded and crawling on hands and knees (IF all family members are physically capable and you’re not doing anything dangerous like trying to crawl down the stairs. Safety first, even in drills!)

4. Make sure you have a working fire extinguisher in each area a fire may occur such as the kitchen, garage, and near your clothes dryer.

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