Safety if the power goes out.

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) Preparation Forum : One Thread

Yesterday there was an explosion and house fire that killed 7 and injured 6 more in a small town in Iowa. This tragedy got me to thinking.

Have you had your furnace serviced yet this year?? You should - even if the power goes off and it is not used, it could leak fuel and cause an explosion. Do you know where the shutoff is to the furnace, both electric and fuel?? Are these shutoffs in working order? If you have propane or fuel oil, have you checked the tanks for rust, corrosion, etc. particularly if they are older?

Do you know where the shutoffs are for other appliances that use propane or natural gas?? Have the appliances and shutoffs been serviced lately?

Do you know where the main is to your electric? If you have moved into an old house, is there even a main???? We found that we didn't have one and the only way to shut the electric off to our farm was to have the meter pulled. We have two now - one for the farm buildings and one for the house! ! Have you marked the breaker or fuse box to tell what goes to which room? You may want to throw the breakers to areas not necessary if you are using a generator.

If you are burning wood or coal in a stove, have you cleaned your chimney?? Do you have the tools to do so in the future? If it is older, have you had the chimney inspected?

Do you have plenty of smoke detectors? How about fire extinguishers? How about a backup plan if the fire department can't come?

These are things we can do now and possibly prevent a tragedy.

-- Beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), September 07, 1999

Answers

Hi Beckie, do you live near Richland? We live near Iowa City. E-mail is real. Thanks

-- (y2kfallback@yahoo.com), September 07, 1999.

Your post brought back a painful memory. Everyday while going to workI had to pass a house site that was destroyed by fire. Three beatiful children died in the fire. The electricity had been shut off for non payment and the family was using candles for light. One the the candles fell over and started the fire. My heart ached everyday seeing that burned out shell. How many more burned out sites will be around us after y2k?

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), September 07, 1999.

Carol, It worries me too about fires and the Richland tragedy just brought it home.

-- Beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), September 08, 1999.

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