Emergency Preparedness & The Holidays

By Mike Conrad, Division Chief Operations Aptos La Selva Fire Protection District

We have heard the warnings that the El Nino winter storms are just around the corner so now is the time to address the hazards that winter can bring and talk about what we can do now to protect ourselves and our property. If Mother Nature does provide us with an El Niño equal or stronger than the one’s in ‘97 or ’82, we better be prepared.

It’s better to spend time to correct potential problems now than in the middle of night in a pouring rain. Take a look around your property is it ready for the rainy season? Have the gutters on your house been cleaned? Are the downspouts free of obstructions and connected to your drainage system. What does the roof look like?

Now is the time to arrange for repairs or replacement. Will rain water drain away from your home or will it accumulate? Does drainage from your property impact your neighbor’s property? Is your property ready for the strong winds that we often see during the winter? Take time now to secure loose items in the yard or store them for winter. Have any limbs or trees in question checked and removed if necessary.

Be ready to spend several days without electricity. Have flashlights and extra batteries on hand as well as a landline telephone that requires no household electricity, and a battery operated radio. If you have a fireplace or wood stove, have the chimney cleaned and inspected, insure that a proper chimney cap and spark arrestor are in place. Check for limbs that may have grown over or near your chimney and trim them back at least 10 feet. Make sure to remove all combustibles away from the fireplace and wall or floor furnaces that may have accumulated over the summer.

During winter storms, do not drive into flooded roads so water won’t stall your car or carry it away. Because as little as six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet the best advice is to stay put during storms unless told otherwise by local emergency responders. If you live in an area where flooding is possible keep sandbags, plastic sheeting and other materials on hand before the flooding starts.

It’s also the holiday season; everyone is busy with the hustle and bustle that goes with this time of year. While you are enjoying family and friends this year please take a few moments to ensure their safety.

Statistics from the U.S. Fire Administration shows that during the month of December, 72% of structure fires are residential and the leading cause involves cooking and is closely followed by heating related fires. Cooks can often become distracted during this time of the year, by family, friends and yes even adult beverages. Cooking fires during the holidays result from food or cooking equipment being left unattended or combustible items like towels, wooden utensils, oven mitts and cook books being left too close to a heat source. Keep all combustibles well away from any heat source and never leave items cooking left unattended, it only takes a few minutes for oil in a pan to reach its ignition temperature and possibly ruin a holiday.

During the holidays we also see the use of open flame in our homes increase, with the use of a fireplace, wood stove and candles causing an increase in items coming into contact with these open flames but also from kids playing with fire. Keep candles away from combustible items and never leave a candle burning when you leave the house or go to bed. Remind children that fire is a very dangerous tool and should not be played with. You may consider taking this time of year and teaching older children the proper use of fire and how to safety start a fire in the fireplace or light a candle under adult supervision.

Christmas tree fires can produce the most dangerous fires of all. A Christmas tree will burn with the same intensity as a pool of gasoline. How fast a Christmas tree fire will spread depends mostly on how dry it is. Keep the tree well away from ignition sources like the fireplace or heater and inspect all lights on the tree and never leave them on while away from home or when going to bed. If you have a real tree, keep it watered and remove a dry tree immediately.

Make sure you always have working smoke detectors in your home, changing the batteries twice a year with the time change. A holiday gift of a smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector and a fire extinguisher may give the gift of life. On behalf of the members of the Aptos La Selva Fire District I would like to wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season. Oh and don’t forget you can spread the joy of the holiday season by stopping by any of the fire stations and donating food or toys for those in need.

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For more information please visit; www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/home_fire_prev/holiday-seasonal/holiday.shtm or call your local fire department.