Wildfire training coming soon

Thanks to our topography (steep canyons), our climate (no rain from April through October), and our vegetation (live oak, madrone, chaparral, and other woods that burn long and hot), California has one of the most severe wildland fire risks in the world.

Walking our terrier on Pulgas Ridge, a wildland area in San Mateo County (CA)

(Can you name the nine cities in San Mateo County (CA) officially identified within the Wildland-Urban Interface? See answer below.)

For those who  live in San Mateo County on the San Francisco Peninsula, there’s a new training available to learn more about staying safe in the wildland-urban interface.

Among the topics you’ll learn about:

• the unique dangers of living at the wildland-urban interface
• how fires behave
• how to prepare your home, yard, and neighborhood
• what to do when a wildland fire is threatening your community

This class will meet Saturday, February 6, 2010, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm at the San Carlos Library Community Rooms, 610 Elm Street, San Carlos, CA. And there will be refreshments.

Registration is required for this free class. Email Christy Adonis, Disaster Preparedness Officer, at christya@bscfd.org or phone her at 650.802.4254.

The cities are: San Carlos, Belmont, Redwood City, San Mateo, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, and Portola Valley.

Help Haiti and prepare for an earthquake at home

When I visited Haiti in 1979, it was the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. At 2 a.m. homeless boys as young as eight woke from their barely-covered doorway to surround a taxi in the hope of getting a tip or a gift. The federal government, rather than creating the circumstances for all the citizens to prosper with clean water, police services, and education, created the circumstances for private and public corruption to flourish.

National Palace, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

In the past 31 years, some of the details have changed in Haiti, but the deep poverty remains.

With the 7.0 earthquake that struck January 12, this poor nation has suffered tragic loss of life and property. Current estimates indicate that 35-40,000 people lost their lives, with many more injured. Among the property losses are the beautiful Port-au-Prince cathedral and presidential palace, sources of pride for Haitians.

For those who would like to contribute to the Red Cross’ relief effort, the  organization has made it simpler than ever. If $10 suits your budget, you can text the number 90999, and send the message “Haiti” to send a donation to the Red Cross, with the $10 contribution added to your phone bill. It couldn’t be easier to help.

If you’d like to donate a different amount, or support another aid organization, The Daily Beast has compiled a helpful list of non-governmental agencies with excellent track records of getting relief where it’s needed most.

As of Thursday night, more than $5 million had been raised by the Red Cross text message campaign. This generous response is a great start to meeting the needs of providing adequate food and temporary shelter for this country where deep poverty already  prevails.

If you live near the coast of California, or along known fault lines anywhere, make a firm decision to improve your earthquake preparations.

First, make a family emergency plan. Next, begin to gather emergency supplies, or add to your kit. Finally, learn more about how to respond to emergencies.

If you want to improve your emergency preparations, but you don’t know where to begin, or what tools to use, or if you just want someone to help, call Preparation Nation. We offer services to Northern California residents to help you go from “I know I should” to “I’m prepared.”

What do kissing, playing the oboe, and evacuating a high-rise building have in common?

A musician friend once told me, “There are very few things in life that can’t be improved with practice,” and I have found that to be true. His words apply not only to playing the oboe and kissing. Rehearsal improves survival in an emergency, too.

This year, make it a habit to take the stairs out of your high-rise office or apartment once a week.

When the towers of the World Trade Center were struck  on September 11, most of the designated floor-evacuation coordinators had never been in the stairwells that were their only means of escape.

Evacuation took twice as long as the fire officials had predicted (over a minute per floor rather than the expected 30 seconds; it took people on the 50th floor over an hour to get out.) There were places where evacuees had to leave one stairwell and cross over to another stairwell to continue down to ground level, but these pathways were completely new to them.

Take advantage of the power of practice, and take the stairs down from any building where you work or live.

Happy New Year

I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I’m in a cabinet meeting.

– Ronald Reagan

I wish you a new year filled with laughter and peace. I am honored that you have welcomed Preparation Nation to contribute to your emergency planning, and I look forward to sharing the best (and simplest) steps with you again next year.

All the best, Margaret Lukens

A New Job for the Kitchen Sink: fire extinguisher

Here’s a design problem for you: how to improve the fire safety in the kitchen, the most common room where house fires begin?

A home fire extinguisher is a good tool, but it has several limitations. First, it must be tested periodically to make sure it’s in good working order. In the case of a fire, someone must be home to use it. And the worst limitation of all, anyone using a fire extinguisher must stay in the same room with an unpredictable and potentially deadly fire.

Sprinklers are expensive to install, may do a lot of water damage before effectively suppressing a fire, and could spread a grease fire before extinguishing it.

Today’s New York Times Magazine reports that  two industrial design students in England have invented a third method, Automist — a system that connects a heat sensor in the ceiling to a pump beneath the sink. In case of fire, the Automist creates a water mist that extinguishes fire by depriving it of oxygen. Water mist, long used in confined spaces such as ship’s galleys, is effective even on grease fires. The fire is starved of oxygen in less than five minutes.

To see a video of Automist in action, visit its manufacturing company, Plumis Ltd. Once the invention becomes commercially available in the US, which is expected by next summer, a licensed plumber will be able to install the Automist on any standard faucet.

Please Read “The Unthinkable: who survives when disaster strikes – and why”

I’ve never enjoyed reading about disasters. It makes me tense. Likewise, I did not watch the film The Perfect Storm. I don’t enjoy disasters.

If you feel, as I do, that life is too short to focus on the negative, don’t be put off by this book’s title. The Unthinkable is simultaneously educational, fascinating, and inspiring.

Amanda Ripley, a senior writer for Time Magazine, has written a thoroughly enjoyable book that helps us better understand the most important variable in any emergency – our own behavior.

Ripley examines disasters from the 1917 explosion of the French freighter Mont Blanc in Halifax harbor, to an armed Colombian hostage-taking in 1980, to Hurricane Katrina and the destruction of the World Trade Center on  9/11 to explore the psychology of our reactions to extreme circumstances. Connecting these events to the experiences of individual participants — emergency personnel, victims, witnesses — she weaves vivid stories that illuminate what takes us over in dire emergencies, and uses those insights to help us better prepare for disasters large and small.

The book is full of fascinating facts that may challenge our conventional wisdom:

• Fire kills more people each year than all other disasters combined, yet it is not the one we tend to fear the most.
• The most predictable hazards are often the most destructive, hurricanes for example.
• We tend to fear human-made disasters more than natural ones, even though natural ones are often more deadly and more frequent.
• Emotions are often a much better guide to risk assessment than rational thought.

Ripley gives examples of how emergency personnel sometimes take tools away from the average citizen who will need them and be able to use them in a disaster, and how to change this costly and sometimes deadly pattern. For example, the 2005 London train bombings revealed that first aid supplies were stowed in the offices of the London Underground supervisors, useless and inaccessible to those actually embroiled in the disaster.

Having read this book, I felt informed and inspired to better prepare for the disasters that are most likely to befall me and my family. Knowing the truth about getting out alive turns out to be a lot less frightening than staying in the dark.

Give this book to anyone on your gift list this year. You, or they, could save a life. And wouldn’t that be a gift?

Automatic Christmas Tree Watering

To reduce fire danger in your home during the holiday season, keep the Christmas tree well watered.

Two years ago I found this tree watering system at my local garden center, and it has been such a pleasure to use, I want to share it with Preparation Nation readers.

The Ever-Green Tree Watering System, disguised as a red and green gift, consists of a plastic drum with a lid and flexible plastic tubing. The drum has a fitting near the bottom which attaches to the tubing. The other end of the plastic tubing goes into your tree’s water reservoir. The package directions explain how to set the water level in the drum and begin the siphoning action. Then just refill the plastic drum whenever its water level drops by an inch or so.

Rather than watering the tree’s stand directly twice a day (and hoping as I grope under the tree that I’m watering the tree and not the floor), I’ve found that I need to refill the drum much less often . I have been able to leave home for a few days without worrying about keeping the tree watered. And at the end of the season, the tree leaves behind, not a shower of brown needles, but a tablespoon or two.

Several online sites have instructions for making your own siphon system. Take a look at one from Instructables.com, which is simple and clear. However, because the tubing goes over the top of the bucket in the homemade system, the siphon is much harder to start. If you have to buy the brass fittings and the bucket, you may have spent more than the cost of the ready-made system.

I am now using my purchased system for the third year. It has been efficient and reliable. This is one case where the ready-made option may be superior to the homemade in function, ease, AND price.

My only complaint is that I don’t love the designs of the “gifts”. This year I’ll be giving mine a quick coat of spray paint.

Do you have any favorite tools for safer holidays? Please share them by leaving a comment here.

Sanitation in an emergency

A hundred years ago, a door with a crescent moon signaled an out-house.

Please pardon me, but the subject really can’t be avoided. In an emergency such as an earthquake, sanitation services may be interrupted, leaving residents without water for up to two weeks, so let ’s consider how we’ll cope.

You do have your water supply of one gallon per day per person for cooking, drinking, and washing, right? And some for the pets? Good.

Now let’s add on. If there’s a baby in your house, you are going to want to sequester what the baby produces every day. Use trash bags for diapers. You’ll want to do the same with all household trash. Make sure you have a good supply of trash bags.

If the tap water is of uncertain quality, one of two chemicals can be used to purify it, iodine or chlorine. Each carries some risks. Iodine is not recommended for pregnant women or those with thyroid conditions.  Also, iodine is not effective against cryptosporidium, a common cause of water-borne illness in Northern California.

FEMA and the Red Cross recommend chlorine in the form of Clorox bleach for rendering poor water safe for use. Be prepared to add unscented bleach, at a concentration of 16 drops per gallon, then let the water stand for 30 minutes to render it safe for human or animal use. If you have a lemon tree in the neighborhood, add a few slices of lemon to improve the flavor just before drinking.

Water may also be purified by boiling for three minutes, which will kill bacteria and protozoa, but boiling uses a lot of fuel, which may be scarce. Let boiled water cool, then filter it through a clean cloth.

If you are an avid back-country camper, you no doubt already know ways to treat and purify water, and you may own a small solar, ceramic, or other filtration system. Great! Your neighbors will welcome your expertise.

For purposes of sanitation, add these supplies to your emergency stash:

• large, heavy trash bags
• large trash cans
• a large painter’s bucket with a tight-fitting lid, to line with a garbage bag and use as a loo if necessary
• toilet paper
• unscented, plain bleach
• liquid soap
• toothpaste and tooth brushes
• feminine hygiene supplies, if needed
• diapers, if needed

Four questions for a “gas crisis”

Gas flames in a furnace. The orange filament is the pilot light.

Of all the topics I address, one that gets the most interest is questions about turning off the gas in an emergency. I’ve written about this subject before, so let me treat a few of the questions that haven’t been fully answered so far.

1. What is “off” position on a gas valve? How do I know that the gas is off?

The gas valve requires just a quarter turn to close or open. It is not like turning off a bath tub faucet, where you turn the handle until it won’t turn any further. The gas valve is more like a gate: swing it one way, it’s open; swing it the other way, it’s closed. When the valve is running along the same line as the pipe, gas can flow through and the valve is open. When the valve is lined up across the pipe, the valve is closed and no gas can flow.

2. If I can easily turn my gas off in an emergency, why can’t I turn it back on? Don’t I just use the wrench to turn it back the other way?

Well, yes – but don’t do it! When you shut off the gas valve, the pilot light, which ignites the flame that turns the gas into heat, goes out. To restore the flow of gas without restoring all the pilot lights in the house is to create a flow of unburned gas, which could easily be deadly. When a licensed plumber or utility repair worker restores your gas, they check and test all pilot lights. They make sure there is no air in the lines. They keep your house from exploding.

3. In case of an earthquake, I’m not taking any chances. I’m shutting off every gas valve in town. Problem?

Yes, problem. Because it takes a PG&E employee or licensed plumber to re-open a closed gas valve, your neighbors may not thank you if you turned off their gas needlessly. In a major emergency such as an earthquake, service may not be restored for days. Unless you want your neighbors using your fence boards and furniture for fireplace wood, don’t be hasty. Only turn off the gas if you smell gas or hear gas escaping.

4. How can I test my gas valve to make sure I can shut it off in an emergency?

Using a wrench, turn the valve just an eighth of a turn (from 12 o’clock to 1:30 position, for example). Then return it to the 12 o’clock position. This will allow gas to flow so the pilot lights will stay on, while also assuring you that in an emergency you will be able to turn it all the way off. Testing your valve every year or so by turning it slightly  is a good practice. The valves do get stiff, and if you should need to turn off the gas in the middle of the night, you’ll be glad you kept it loosened and movable over the years.

Can we count on our public officials in an emergency?

Kermit the Frog as "The Mayor" (photo courtesy of muppet.wikia.com)

Not long ago, I heard a man say, “If there’s an emergency, I’m not worried. Our fire and police departments will take care of me. They’d better. That’s what I pay taxes for.”

Here is the situation in his town of Burlingame, CA: The town of 50,000 maintains five fire engines and one truck, with four officers on patrol at any given time. The retired fire chief says that the department maintains its staffing at a level to meet day-to-day needs, but in the event of a major disaster the first responders (police, fire, and ambulance personnel) would be “totally overwhelmed.”

There is a well-resourced fire department for the city’s regular needs. But an emergency would swamp those resources.

Imagine that a major earthquake struck, breaking some water mains, toppling power lines, and shattering windows on every street. Fires may dapple the city from broken gas lines. The phone lines would immediately become jammed and could remain so for days. If someone was able to get a call through to 911 to report a house fire, gas leak, or medical emergency, for example, the emergency vehicles may not be able to get through because of road closures (think fallen redwoods, buckled pavement, and those power lines) or because they simply had more calls than they could respond to for days.

The simple truth is that citizens must be prepared to see to their own welfare for the first three days to a week. Making arrangements for our own food, water, shelter, and first aid will be required of us.

Here’s what the Department of Homeland Security  has to say on the subject:

“As uniformed emergency responders constitute less than one percent of the total U.S. population, it is clear that citizens must be better prepared, trained, and practiced on how best to take care of themselves and assist others in those first, crucial hours during and after a catastrophic incident.” (from the National Preparedness Guidelines, September, 2007)

In other words, our government will be counting on us to take care of ourselves. When the National Preparedness Guidelines refer to “those first, crucial hours”, they mean those first 72 or more hours, in other words, the first three days after a catastrophic event.

Our public officials will take care of us by doing their best to protect our hospitals, keep roads open, fight fires, and maintain a safe water supply. But with just four firefighters for 50,000 residents, there may be several days when we must rely only on ourselves and our neighbors for more local help.

• Make sure you have enough water for everyone in your household for at least three days, and build your supply up to a week – that’s seven gallons per person, plus some for pets.
• Keep a supply of non-perishable food and disposable dishes and utensils.
• Keep a first-aid kit, and consider taking a class in first-aid and CPR.
• Learn where your gas, electric, and water service enters your building and how to shut them off.
• Meet your neighbors.

These simple steps can go a long way toward keeping each of us safe and comfortable, so that we can count on our public officials for the bigger jobs.