National Flood Awareness Week March 12- 16, 2012

National Flood Safety Awareness Week (March 12 – 16, 2012) is intended to highlight some of the many ways floods can occur, the hazards associated with floods, and what you can do to save life and property. According to the National Weather Service (NOAA) flooding causes more damage in the United States than any other severe weather related event, an average of $5 billion a year. Flooding can occur in any of the 50 states or U.S. territories at anytime of the year. Our safety can never be guaranteed.

Once a river reaches flood stage, the flood severity categories used by the NWS include minor flooding, moderate flooding, and major flooding. Each category has a definition based on property damage and public threat.

• Minor Flooding – minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat or inconvenience
• Moderate Flooding – some inundation of structures and roads near streams. Some evacuations of people and/or transfer of property to higher elevations are necessary.
• Major Flooding – extensive inundation of structures and roads. Significant evacuations of people and/or transfer of property to higher elevations.

The impacts of a floods vary locally. For each NWS river forecast location, flood stage and the stage associated with each of the NWS flood severity categories are established in cooperation with local public officials. Increasing river levels above flood stage constitute minor, moderate, and major flooding. Impacts vary from one river location to another because a certain river stage (height) in one location may have an entirely different impact than the same level above flood stage at another location.

How you can be prepared:

• Keep drains, gutters and downspouts clear of debris.
• Prepare an evacuation plan with a kit that includes insurance documents, medications and critical items in case you need to leave your home for a few days.
• Inspect sump pumps and drains regularly to ensure proper operation.
• Have a licensed electrician raise electric components at least 12 inches above the expected flood levels for your area.
• To prevent sewage backup, have a licensed plumber install an interior or exterior backflow valve. Make sure your yard’s grading (slope) directs water away from the building.
• Have the installation of your furnace, water heater and other permanent equipment modified so that they are elevated above the expected flood levels for your area.

Create an emergency kit:

Make sure you have an emergency kit prepared. Make sure the kit has a first aid kit, water, a flashlight and extra batteries. In terms of food, include some non-perishable items along with a can opener. It’s always helpful to include a NOAA weather radio. For more information, visit the FEMA.gov flooding website.

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When Spring cleaning, make your home fire safe

The change of seasons and warmer weather provides the excellent motivation to prepare your home to be fire safe. A good spring cleaning often means hard work on the part of the homeowner; lifting, climbing, scrubbing, scraping, and using strong cleaning solutions. We must also turn our attention to fire safety in the home.

The Home Safety Council urges families to keep the following safe practices in mind while cleaning to keep your home fire safe:

• When cleaning out closets or re-organizing, keep stairs, steps, and landings clear for a safe evacuation path.
• Reduce clutter and safely tuck telephone and electrical cords away from walkways.
• Follow safety recommendations when using harsh products, such as wearing gloves and masks. Do not mix products together because the contents could result in a flammable environment.
• Never use gasoline as a cleaning solvent, and never use or store gasoline in your home, even in tiny quantities. Because its vapors can readily ignite, it is too dangerous to use gasoline for any purpose other than as a motor fuel.
• Check to be sure flammable and combustible liquids are stored outside in a locking shed or garage. Gasoline must never be stored or used in your home, even in small quantities.
• Store matches, lighters, and candles in a locked cabinet, out of children’s reach.
• Replace your smoke alarm batteries and ensure that they are working properly. Also please remember that if your smoke alarms are older than 10 years old they should be replaced.
• Ensure your carbon monoxide detector is working properly.
• If you have a fire extinguisher, learn how to use it and install it properly; children should should not be permitted to handle a fire extinguisher.
• Use safety covers in electrical outlets and anti-scald devices in faucets in home with young children.
• Test the temperature of your hot water. If it is more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit, a child’s skin can burn in seconds. Test your hot water and adjust the temperature to no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Here is a printable Spring Cleaning Checklist from Martha Stewart.

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NIFAST  is organized to dramatically improve fire safety standards and results. NIFAST was formed with one mission in mind: to provide for safer lives. It is our goal to roll out our programming into four key areas:

•  NIFAST Home Inspectors Program: Through our home inspectors network and associated relationships, we hope to outfit every home inspector with fire safety tools and techniques to update home occupants with an updated fire safety profile (both residential and commercial).
•  NIFAST Flashpoint Program: With our campus programming, NIFAST provides a fully scalable education and training program that will enable every student the opportunity to become educated about safer practices, both on and off campus. Request a Flashpoint demo.
•  Home Occupancy Program: Our home occupancy program allows every resident the opportunity to take our program, and then be tested for accuracy and mastery of fire-safe techniques.
•  Fire Safety Training Program: Our fire training services allow our certified fire safety resources to be deployed to any company or facility in order to facilitate a train-the-trainer approach and to help keep current with NFPA code regulations.

These four key areas have become the core of the NIFAST program. Contact us to find out how NIFAST can help train you to be fire safe.

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The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) provide a brief explanation about the process of using a clothes dryer.  Clothes dryers evaporate the water from wet clothing by blowing hot air past them while they tumble inside a spinning drum. Heat is provided by an electrical heating element or gas burner. Some heavy garment loads can contain more than a gallon of water which, during the drying process, will become airborne water vapor and leave the dryer and home through an exhaust duct (more commonly known as a dryer vent). Lack of proper cleaning and maintenance can lead to fires in the home.

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It’s that time of the year again where we remind you to check your dryer vents to avoid any potential fires. With a few safety tips you can prevent fires.If you are a home inspector you may be interested in reading the following information on dryer vent safety codes from InterNachi.
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In the event you find yourself on the road in a winter storm, make sure you have the following items in your car to provide you with some comfort until you can get going again.

Update the emergency kits in your vehicles with:

• a shovel
• windshield scraper and small broom
• flashlight
• battery powered radio
• extra batteries
• water
• snack food
• matches
• extra hats, socks and mittens
• first aid kit with pocket knife
• necessary medications
• blanket(s)
• tow chain or rope
• road salt and sand
• booster cables
• emergency flares
• fluorescent distress flag

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The following post by Terry Flanagan appeared here on November 12, 2009

University of Delaware student takes NIFAST fire training

Proactive. This word is used frequently. As I was tasked to come up with online residential and off campus housing fire safety courses that word stuck in my head. As I poured over the statistics from 1999-2007 and saw the number of deaths, injuries, and damage in the residential arena (2,920 deaths in 1999, 2,895 in 2007), I realized we were missing something. Why are we always looking backwards and assessing horrible fire statistics after the tragedy occurs, instead of trying to be more proactive to prevent these terrible tragedies in the first place?

There are many sites that talk about what to do in the event of a fire, about having a plan, and practicing it. But very few that talk about HOW TO PREVENT FIRES.

NIFAST’s motto is “Fighting Fire with Awareness”. The key is prevention! Educating residents, teaching college students what hazards to look for and believe it or not, how to safely host a party! Education and knowledge are the keys to safer lives!

The NIFAST online courses are comprised of three sources that are comprehensive, easy to read, and yes, proactive. At NIFAST we strongly believe that the best way to drive down the number of people who lose their lives in residential and off campus fires annually is to prevent the fires in the first place. The key to this is to be proactive in educating the occupants. Our online courses do exactly that! Please continue to follow us as we help residents, home inspectors and college students arm themselves with the right fire safety education. The time is now to be proactive about updating your fire safety profile. Please join in our efforts to help provide for safer lives!

UPDATE: Visit the University of Delaware website for more information about how the University of Delaware is using the NIFAST training program.

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Make sure you are prepared for winter weather and keep the following essentials ready so that you can be safe this winter.
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Winter Grilling

Grilling has become very popular year round. What once was seen as a summer activity is now taking place in all seasons. When grilling in unpleasant weather you may be tempted to move the grill closer to the house to keep it out of the conditions and to keep yourself from getting cold or wet. By doing so you increase the risk of a grilling mishap or equipment malfunction that could cause a damaging fire to your home or those around you.

Not only is this dangerous but it is against the law. Ohio Fire Code Section 308.3.1 prohibits the use of open-flame cooking devices on decks and balconies attached to any multi-family structure with over two-families. You also can’t cook within 10 feet of any combustible construction including a deck near a wall, fence or railing. This includes both charcoal and propane grills that are over one pound in size (Most propane tanks are at least 20 pounds).

The separation of your grill and home reduces the likelihood of flare-ups coming in contact with a combustible wall. Also hot embers could fly from the grill and set the structure on fire. Once a fire is started, the fuel from your grill could further feed the fire and cause greater damage.

Although single and double family homes are allowed to using cooking devices on decks it is important to use caution. There is always a danger of an out of control fire and harmful smoke. Carbon monoxide can build up in your home or in a neighboring unit without you even knowing. Since you can’t control the wind it is important to pay attention to where it is blowing the smoke.

According to the NFPA, there is an average of 7,900 annual home grill fires. These fires result in a great deal of property damage and over one-third involve grills that were on a balcony or porch.

Cooking on a balcony in a multi-family structure is dangerous and illegal. You put many people and homes at risk so follow the law and move your outdoor cooking away from the building.Similar Posts:

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