Preparing to get out

I had a friend Emil me last week as she watched the Colorado fires burning in the distance. She was safe or now, but felt that things could go bad fast, and she wanted to prepare. Here was my advice to her: Top 15 things to do NOW 1. Go thru your entire house w a video camera, and narrate the tour identifying everything including the date.  Open drawers, cabinets, closets, everything.   2. Fill easy to carry tubs NOW so you can grab and go.  Be thoughtful and prepared.  It will be easier to put things away than to hurry and grab.  Put the following in those tubs: 3. Pictures 4. Family heirlooms...if it's big, wrap in a garbage bag, tape it shut and put it in the car or basements 5. Jewelry 6. A weeks worth of clothes and shoes, deodorants, tooth paste, brushes, combs, mmbrushes... 7. A couple blankets, sheets, pillows in case you mare in a shelter for a while 8. Your homeowners policy and agent contact info 9. Medicines, eyeglasses, prescriptions, doctor names and phone numbers 10. Souvenirs that you would miss 11. Marriage licenses, tax returns seven years, birth certs, social security cards 12. If you have pets, their food for a week, a cage, leashes, meds 13. Wedding dresses, baptism gowns, etc 14. Portable computers, phone chargers, flash light and batteries, Download computer files onto an external hard drive and take it 15. Grab address books, etc. letters, etc Most importantly though, things are things. Houses can be rebuilt, but your family makes a house a home. Protect them first.

Here come the holidays

It's almost time for the first in a series of highly anticipated holidays, bringing with them their rituals, traditions and celebrations among families, friends, even strangers. Approach these holidays with a new perspective....make them safe. Read the post below on Holiday safety, and consider giving a gift of safe home planning this year. While my book hasn't sold record breaking copies (really hard without a publicist/publisher), those that HAVE read it have said the following: I loved your book..I am working through each chapter and my wife and I are making changes, creating lists, etc. We live in a log home, in a wooded area, and your tips have really made us look at everything in a new light...Mike E., St. Louis, MO........and another.....I was so inspired by your book that this year, I am giving each of my sisters and my son a copy of your book in one of those plastic storage tub you recommend, with a home fire extinguisher, a note pad, and a disposable camera...I hope they will be safe, and I hope my gift conveys how important they all are to me...Peggy B., Cape Girardeau, MO...

Please share your safety tips here and consider making someone you love safe this holiday. The book is available on the website, www.isurvivedahousefire.com. If you want an autographed copy, I'll make that happen if you email me via the contact page on the website. Happy SAFE holidays to you and your family!!

Grease Fires---Not what you'd expect

Grease fires happen all too frequently on kitchen stove tops across the world. What you don't know about extinguishing them can cost you dearly.

NEVER put water on a stove top grease fire. The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom of the pan, where it instantly becomes superheated.

The explosive force of the steam created by the evaporating water blows the burning oil up and out. This can resemble a mini nuclear blast right on your stove top.

The attached 30 second video demonstrates this affect, and the effect is one that will stay with you a long time.

Fire Drills...how to, when to

Do you routinely practice home fire drills? Here's a quick and easy guide to get you started:

1) Where: Answer--everywhere. Each month, on a set day of the month, pick a new location to practice evacuating from until you've covered the entire house, then start over.

2) How: From the room you are practicing from, consider the following: Rescue: Who/what should you rescue from this room if it is the one you must get out of? Which doorway? Which window? What if one or the other is blocked? Use a red towel to symbolize the fire line, and then have your family figure out a safe escape. Alert: Where in this room can they find a way to alert the rest of the family? The fire department? Contain: What can they use in this room to try to contain the fire? Where is the closest extinguisher? Are there sprinklers? Smoke alarms? What do they sound like from that room? Extinguish: Is it possible?

3) When: Monthly...from at least one room in the house. Also, try it in the middle of the night at least twice a year...who does the smoke alarm wake up? Who sleeps through? Whose job is it to be whose buddy?

4) Have a meeting place outside the home, safely away from the building. Where is it? What do you do if someone is not there? Remind the family that no one goes back in...the fire department is trained to do this and will as soon as they arrive...so stay together.

These are the basics. For more info, read the book!

Sending the kids off to college

Are you sending your child off to college? Have you considered sharing some fire safety tips with them?

Sure, the college dorm management will conduct fire drills, but most kids don't pay much attention to this activity. Why not spend a few minutes on moving day to check out the fire escape plan and review it together? How about a grab and go plan for the dorm room? Help your child know how to think in an emergency.

Have you two discussed what you want them to do in the event of a school disaster? Is there someone nearby they can go to? Do you have an agreement to text or call in the event of a major event to alert each other as to the safety of each other?

Think about leaving behind some plastic lidded tubs for your child to use to store important files, papers, books, etc. in in the event of a water related incident. How about storing out of season clothing in a covered, lidded tub to keep at least half the wardrobe protected from smoke or water damage.

Talk this over with your child, and don't hesitate to have the conversation...you just might save their life.

Too many deaths in the news

How does it keep happening? People dying in home fires. How can any homeowner not find $10 for a working smoke alarm? SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES. PERIOD.

And, have a plan for an escape. Practice it. Share it with visitors, especially children spending the night with you. Have a meeting place. Show your guests where that is. It's not silly, people, it's life saving.

My heart breaks when I read another news flash that children, or adults, have perished in yet another house fire. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER take the battery out of your smoke detector.  Change it, don't disarm it. If that doesn't work, replace the detector...they average a life expectancy of about 5-7 years.  Skip the Starbucks for a couple days, and buy a new smoke detector.

Change your smoke detector batteries and test the alarms once a month. Want a reminder, go to Twitter.com...there's a site that offers you a monthly tweet as a reminder. Search smoke alarms.  BE SAFE

Holiday Safety Tips

The holidays bring with them new opportunities for danger...more home fires are reported from candle fires, tree fires, and electrical fires during the winter holiday season than any other time of year. Why? This is when we overload electrical circuits with one too many extension cords; we place candles too close to flammable objects; and we let our fresh evergreens (trees, roping, wreaths and loose greens) get too dry and too near heat sources. Here are some helpful holiday tips to consider:

1. Candle safety: a) Never place burning candles near fabric, like curtains, napkins, tablecloths, etc. b) Never leave a candle burning in an unoccupied room...be sure you extinguish that flame before you retire to another room. c) Watch the candle, keep the wicks trimmed, and blow it out before it can "burn itself out". d) Don't place candles among live greens, never place them in a christmas tree, and use caution around garlands and roping. e) keep buring candles away from children
2. Electrical cautions: 1) don't overload your circuits, avoid using cube taps and other devices that allow you to plug too many items into one outlet. If that outlet feels warm to the touch, you have overloaded it! It is no longer safe. 2) don't plug more than 50 screw in lights into one outlet, and don't plug more than 3 strings of push in lights into the same outlet. 3) use caution outdoors with extension cords...keep them off sidewalks, and away from door entrances where ice, shovels, or snow removal equipment can potentially become entangled. 4) Be sure to unplug your tree and other lights when leaving the home or retiring for the night. It is never safe to leave your decorations illuminated when you are not there to oversee the functioning of these items.
3. Other holiday cautions: a) be careful with fireplaces; never burn dry greens or wrapping paper in your fireplace. The tars and chemicals in these items can damage your chimney. Dispose of these items properly. b) Do not set your dry Christmas tree next to your buildings or structures after discarding it. Take it out to the street and away from the property. This highly flammable object can start a fire in seconds. c) Use caution when preparing holiday meals...don't leave items on the stove to warm for long periods or use your oven to heat NON oven proof items.
4. Take a few moments to document your holiday decorations and how you move and arrange things differently during this holiday season. So many people don't do that and it makes filing any kind of claim very difficult.

Be safe this holiday season, and if you'd like more tips, be sure to consult the book "I Survived a House Fire...I Wish My stuff Had!