Like most of the parents I know, the recent earthquake/tsunami/nuclear fiasco in Japan got me thinking, once again, about how prepared my family is for emergencies. The answer? Not very. I created a disaster kit several years ago (after 9/11), but I’ve done little to keep it updated. (Expired canned goods anyone?) Plus, it’s in the basement and quite bulky, so it’s not really portable and probably wouldn’t be accessible if there’s serious damage to our home.
I now realize it’s not feasible for me to keep everything we’ll need in any given emergency available and accessible, so I’ve decided to focus on the things we CAN do to prepare. Besides the minimum “supplies” – water, flashlights, blankets and a crank-powered radio – that means putting our energy into education.
Here at Metro Parent, we’re working on a series of safety articles for our June issue that will include information on emergency preparedness. In the meantime, I decided to begin my own family’s education by learning more about fire prevention and safety.
I began my research online, at the City of Portland Fire and Rescue website. Their “Top 10 Safety Tips” provided an ideal outline for my family’s fire safety lessons. One in particular, “Develop a home fire escape plan and practice it” had been on our to-do list for years, though we haven’t gotten around to actually practicing. This coming weekend, we’re planning to remedy that by showing our son how to remove the screen from his window and climb out (which, of course, I know he’ll love and probably want to practiced over and over) and taking turns attaching the expandable ladder in our attic to the window frame and climbing down. I’m kind of scared to climb down the ladder from the second story, but I know it will be better to practice it once or twice now rather than trying to do it for the first time in the midst of a house fire!
The PFR website also provides information about smoke alarms and other fire and general safety topics, including an interesting list of FAQs. Did you know PF&R has smoke alarms available to senior citizens, low income families and people with disabilities? (Call the smoke alarm hotline at 503-823-3752 for details.) You can even get your blood pressure checked at any fire station as long is crew is available. (You might want to call first to make sure it’s a good time.)
(Sadly, they won’t fill your swimming pool! Now, can anyone tell me why that’s a frequently asked question, especially here in Portland?)
…TO BE CONTINUED: Next week I’ll share what I learned from Portland Fire & Rescue about home fire extinguishers, and you’ll probably as surprised as I was by the information!
Does your family have a fire escape plan?
Have you practiced family fire drills?
April 18th, 2011 | Category: Safety
Good content. Looking forward to more on this theme of disaster prep. You might consider the important role played by Ham Radio Operators in keeping communications open between Red Cross and emergency workers. Studying for a Ham license was a fun summertime activity when I was a teen. I made lots of friends over the air and learned electronics and how to help my community in a disaster. (Forget your stereotypes of greying old men; I am a young woman still.)
[...] week I wrote about my family’s efforts to learn about fire safety. This week, I want to share some valuable — and surprising — information I gathered [...]