Get Ready for Winter Advisories & Ice Storms

Temperatures are barely predicted to rise aboving freezing all week which could mean several hazards across the state.  FEMA and Ready GA are encouraging everyone to be prepared for this winter weather.  These tips are from www.ready.ga.gov and we hope they are useful to all of you.

Prepare for Winter Weather

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"Baby It's Cold Inside"

With temperatures plummeting here in Georgia this week, a safe warm home to come home to is on everyone's mind. But if your first comment as you walk in the door is, "Baby, it's cold inside!", you may decide to add a space heater or use your fireplace to toast your cold toes. But here are a few tips from the National Fire Protection Association on using auxillary home heating equipment.

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Be Prepared in 2010!

2010 is approaching rapidly and FEMA's Ready Campaign is encouranging people to make it their goal to be ready in 2010.

Below are some very useful links from Ready.gov that will help you to prepare your family for whatever 2010 brings.

RESOLVE TO BE READY TOOLKIT:

http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/resolve10/resolve2010_tool_kit.pdf 

RESOLVE TO BE READY MICROSOFT POWERPOINT PRESENTATION:

http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/resolve10/ready_508comp.ppt

Grease Fire Prevention - Watch What You Heat!

Grease fires occur when oil or grease type foods are heated and ignite. They happen most often when food is cooking and the cook leaves the room, becomes distracted or even forgets that the food is cooking. Such a fire can do significant damage, especially if it extends to surrounding cabinets or other combutilble items. If unnoticed, a grease fire can easily extend to a major house fire, engulfing the entire kitchen, adjacent rooms or even the attic.

What should you do if there is a kitchen fire? When if doubt, just get out. If you do vacate the house, shut the door behind you to help contain the fire. Call 911 after you leave.

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A LETTER FROM A HAPPY CUSTOMER

We recently received this letter from a very happy client.  She and her three young girls were at home when a fire started.  Needless to say she was under a lot of stress when Champion arrived to handle the repairs.  Fortunately, we were able to have her home repaired and her family moved back in their home in less than seven months.  She was very happy with the level of service she received and this is what she had to say:

To Whom It May Concern:

My “normal family life was changed by a fire that almost devoured our home on January 19, 2009.  I had no real way of knowing the far reaching effects of losing my home and the displacement of what I took for granted was our way of life for my three girls and me. On that night we were horrified as the fire engulfed our home and there was nothing we could to stop it. It was a wonderful blessing that the four of us were not injured in the fire.

I had no way of knowing what to do next. I am happy that I purchased USAA homeowner insurance. I went to the house wearing the pain from the fire in my soul the day following the fire.

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Smoke Detectors Save Lives

Every year in the United States, about 3,000 people lose their lives in residential fires. Most fire victims die from inhalation of toxic smoke and gases, not as a result of burns. Most deaths occur during the night while victims are sleeping. So, that is why smoke alarms are considered one of the best and least expensive means of providing early warning of potentially deadly fires. In fact, the risk of dying in a residential fire is twice as likely in homes without functioning smoke detectors. The key here is "functioning". You could easily have one or more "non-functioning" units in your home. That is why the US Consumer Product Safey Commission recommends testing smoke alarms at least once a month to make sure they are operating properly. Make replacing the batteries a seasonal routine when you reset the clocks for Daylight Savings Time to ensure that your alarm is working. As you insert the new battery, take a second to test the alarm.  So, next week head your shopping list with "batteries for smoke detector" so that when November 1 rolls around and it is time to reset the clocks, you will have no excuse whatsoever to avoid changing out those batteries. Remember, don't wait for a fire in your home to test your smoke alarm. Do it now! Kathy Reets - Co-Founder and Owner

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Winter Fire Safety Quiz

1. Where do most fires start in the home?

A. The bedroom
B. The living room
C. The kitchen
D. The bathroom

The answer is C: 30% of house fires start in the kitchen.

2. In the United States, a home fire claims a life every _________.

A. 2 hours
B. 3 hours
C. 6 hours
D. 8 hours

The answer is B: In the United States, a home fire claims a life every 3 hours.

3. TRUE OR FALSE: Use a fire extinguisher if you have a grease fire on your stove.

The answer is FALSE: Never pour water or use a fire extinguisher on a grease fire.

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Fire Roasted Vegetable Salsa

I know we are a restoration company but we are also great eaters and to continue with the fire theme I have added a recipe that includes roasted tomatoes and peppers. There are thousands of ways to prepare salsa, and different dishes are better with different salsas. There are sweet salsas, hot salsas, green salsas, red salsas.  I would like to share with you the salsa I use to put in chicken or beef soup.  This salsa is also good just on plain chips. 

Ingredients
6 Tomatoes ( I use roma since that is what we planted this year)
2 Jalapeno peppers
1/2 onion
1 tablespoon of cilantro
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Turn your broiler to high. Place some aluminim paper on your broiler pan so you dont have to wash it. Wash the tomatoes and the peppers and cut them in half and place them on the broiler pan. Peel the garlic clove slice it and place it next to the tomatoes and peppers. When they are browned, turn them over and let it cook on the other side. Place the tomatoes, peppers, garlic and salt in the blender, press the pulse button about 4 or 5 times depending on how chopped you want it. Chop the onion and the cilantro and mix in or you can arrrange the chopped onion on top and the cilantro on top of the onion.

Pearla Jimenez - Job Data Processing

Would YOU know what to do if you had a cooking fire in your home?

Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires in the United States.

Would YOU know what to do if you had a cooking fire in your home?

• IMMEDIATELY CALL 911


• GREASE OR OIL FIRES: Slide a pan lid over the flames to smother the fire, then turn off the heat and leave the lid in place until the pan cools. Never carry the pan outside.


• OTHER FOOD FIRES: Extinguish the fire with baking soda. Never use water or flour on cooking fires.


• BROILER OR OVEN FIRES: Keep the oven door shut and turn off the heat to smother the fire.
  
  Visit our new INFORMATION CENTER on our website for more fire safety tips and other tips and information!
  
  http://drying911.com/information-center.php

BE SAFE THIS WINTER: Home Heating and Winter Fire Safety Tips

The high cost of home heating fuels and utilities have caused many Americans to search for alternate sources of home heating. The use of wood burning stoves is growing and space heaters are selling rapidly, or coming out of storage. Fireplaces are burning wood and man made logs. All these methods of heating may be acceptable. They are however, a major contributing factor in residential fires.

Many of these fires can be prevented. You can prevent the loss of life and property resulting from heating fires by being able to identify potential hazards and following these safety tips.

Wood Stoves

- Carefully follow the manufacturer's installation and maintenance instructions.
- Look for solid construction, such as plate steel or cast iron metal.
- Check for cracks and inspect legs, hinges and door seals for smooth joints and seams.
- Use only seasoned wood for fuel, not green wood, artificial logs, or trash.

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