How to Prevent Cooking Fires

Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home injuries. The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking. It's important to be alert to prevent cooking fires.

• Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don't use the stove or stovetop.
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire - oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains - away from your stovetop.

If you have a cooking fire

• Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.

• Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you leave.
• If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear way out.
• Keep a lid nearby when you're cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
• For an oven fire turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

FROM http://www.nfpa.org/index.asp

Check out this funny commercial from DKI as a reminder of the disasters that can happen as we cook this holiday season! ENJOY!

Get Ready to Shake Out on October 17, 2013

Southeasterners must get better prepared before the next big earthquake, and practice how to protect ourselves when it happens. The purpose of the ShakeOut is to help people and organizations do both.

HOW CAN YOU PLAN A DRILL?

Today:

• Register yourself or your organization to be counted in the ShakeOut Drill, get email updates, and more.

Between now and October 17:

• Consider what may happen when an earthquake shakes your area. Plan what you will do now to prepare, so that when it happens you will be able to protect yourself and then recover quickly. See this page for what to do if you have a disability or an activity limitation.


• Download Audio and Video "Drill Broadcast" recordings that have been created to provide instructions during your drill (Video versions have text captions).


• Talk to other people or organizations about what they have done, and encourage them to join you in getting more prepared. Display posters around your community, classroom, or office space and provide flyers for further information.

October 17th, 10:17 am:

1. Drop, Cover, and Hold On: Drop to the ground, take Cover under a table or desk, and Hold On to it as if a major earthquake were happening (stay down for at least 60 seconds). Practice now so you will immediately protect yourself during earthquakes!


2. While still under the table, or wherever you are, look around and imagine what would happen in a major earthquake. What would fall on you or others? What would be damaged? What would life be like after? What will you do before the actual earthquake happens to reduce losses and quickly recover?


3. Finally, practice what your community will do after the shaking stops.

Atlanta Events for October 2013

October 1st: Jack Johnson at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA

October 9th -13th: Disney on Ice: Let's Celebrate at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA

October 3rd - 13th: The Georgia National Fair in Perry, GA

October 5th and 6th: The Cotton Pickin' Fair in Gay, GA

October 19th: Kicks Country Fair 2013 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, GA

October 19th: Rod Stewart: Live the Life Tour at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA

Fire Prevention Week October 6-12, 2013

Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 conflagration that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. The fire began on October 8, but continued into and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871.

Commemorating a conflagration
According to popular legend, the fire broke out after a cow - belonging to Mrs. Catherine O'Leary - kicked over a lamp, setting first the barn, then the whole city on fire. Chances are you've heard some version of this story yourself; people have been blaming the Great Chicago Fire on the cow and Mrs. O'Leary, for more than 130 years. But recent research by Chicago historian Robert Cromie has helped to debunk this version of events.

The 'Moo' myth
Like any good story, the 'case of the cow' has some truth to it. The great fire almost certainly started near the barn where Mrs. O'Leary kept her five milking cows. But there is no proof that O'Leary was in the barn when the fire broke out - or that a jumpy cow sparked the blaze. Mrs. O'Leary herself swore that she'd been in bed early that night, and that the cows were also tucked in for the evening.

But if a cow wasn't to blame for the huge fire, what was? Over the years, journalists and historians have offered plenty of theories. Some blamed the blaze on a couple of neighborhood boys who were near the barn sneaking cigarettes. Others believed that a neighbor of the O'Leary's may have started the fire. Some people have speculated that a fiery meteorite may have fallen to earth on October 8, starting several fires that day - in Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as in Chicago.

The biggest blaze that week
While the Great Chicago Fire was the best-known blaze to start during this fiery two-day stretch, it wasn't the biggest. That distinction goes to the Peshtigo Fire, the most devastating forest fire in American history. The fire, which also occurred on October 8th, 1871, and roared through Northeast Wisconsin, burning down 16 towns, killing 1,152 people, and scorching 1.2 million acres before it ended.

Historical accounts of the fire say that the blaze began when several railroad workers clearing land for tracks unintentionally started a brush fire. Before long, the fast-moving flames were whipping through the area 'like a tornado,' some survivors said. It was the small town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin that suffered the worst damage. Within an hour, the entire town had been destroyed.

Eight decades of fire prevention
Those who survived the Chicago and Peshtigo fires never forgot what they'd been through; both blazes produced countless tales of bravery and heroism. But the fires also changed the way that firefighters and public officials thought about fire safety. On the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the Fire Marshals Association of North America (today known as the International Fire Marshals Association), decided that the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire should henceforth be observed not with festivities, but in a way that would keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention. The commemoration grew incrementally official over the years.

In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls. According to the National Archives and Records Administration's Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. The President of the United States has signed a proclamation proclaiming a national observance during that week every year since 1925.

Reproduced from NFPA's Fire Prevention Week website, www.firepreventionweek.org. ©2013 NFPA.

Ready GA Pet Caption Contest: Week 4

FROM READY GA:

We are now into Week 4, the last week, of our Pet Caption Contest - thanks to all who have participated so far! This sweet puppy seems to be prepared and can rest easy, what do you think? Click on the contest link (http://on.fb.me/18sg6Vm) and draft a caption for this prepared puppy - and you could be this week’s big winner! PLEASE DON'T POST YOUR CAPTION IN THE COMMENTS SECTION.

Get Wireless Emergency Alerts on Your Phone

FROM READY.GOV:

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) send free informational text messages to WEA-enabled cell phones within range of an imminent and dangerous local situation, severe weather event, or AMBER emergency.

• The WEA notification is designed to get your attention and notify you with a unique sound and vibration. When you receive an alert, take action and check local broadcasts for more information.
• Public safety officials use WEA to send you essential information whenever you are near the location of a life-threatening event.
• You do not need to register to receive WEA notifications. You will automatically receive alerts if you have WEA-capable phone and your wireless carrier participates in the program.
• To find out if your mobile device is capable of receiving WEA alerts, contact your mobile device carrier or visit CTIA The Wireless Association.
• If you choose not to receive WEA messages, you can adjust the alert settings on your mobile device. You can opt-out of receiving imminent hazard and AMBER alerts, but you cannot opt-out of Presidential alerts.

For more information about Wireless Emergency Alerts, download the WEA Fact Sheet or view Frequently Asked Questions.

Ready GA Pet Caption Contest: Week 3

FROM READY GA:

We are now into Week 3 of our Pet Caption Contest - thanks to all who have participated so far, the entries have been rolling in! These hungry little guinea pigs seem to be preparing by gathering food, what do you think? Click on the contest link (http://on.fb.me/18sg6Vm) and draft a caption for these furry friends - and you could be this week’s big winner!

5 Tips to Keep Your Basement DRY!

Being in the water damage business for most of my life, I have come to realize that there are A LOT of people that have leaky basements.  In some cases these basements have leaked for years.  I want to first explain the concept of a basement and then share a couple of simple ideas that can help to reduce moisture intrusion into your basement.

Imagine digging a hole next to your basement, all the way to the bottom of the foundation.  That hole would be 10 or more feet deep on some sides of your basement.  When there has been a significant amount of rain that hole would be filled with water.  That water is against your basement foundation.  For this reason I liken a basement to a boat.  If there are any cracks, water will come in.  There are always some cracks in a foundation.

To prevent water from coming in a couple of things are done during initial construction to prevent water intrusion.  First a piped drainage system is put around the perimeter of the foundation.  This gives water a way to drain away from the foundation and reduces the water level right around the house.  Then a waterproofing sealant is applied to the outside of the foundation.  This keeps any water that collects from coming in.  Then soil is pushed against the foundation and sloped away so that groundwater runs away from the house.  Gutters should also be installed and in some cases they are piped away from the foundation.

If your basement is leaking one or more of these controls has failed.  Commonly the drainage system outlet has been blocked or crushed, the ground is sloping toward the house or gutters are not functioning properly. 

Here are some simple fixes to try when you have a leaky basement:

1. Look around the perimeter of your home and be sure that on every side the ground slopes away from your house.  If the ground slopes toward your home, perhaps you can correct this or you may need to hire a landscaper for professional help to change the grade.


2. Clean out your gutters!  This is the most common reason water comes into the home.  Have a gutter guard that keeps leaves out installed or clean your gutters regularly.  I have lots of trees around my home and I have to clean gutters at least 4 times during the fall and then again in periodically winter, spring and summer.


3. Find the outlet of the foundation drain.  This usually exits on the sides that are the lowest.  Make sure the outlets are not blocked or crushed.


4. There are some sealers that can be put on the inside of the wall to keep water out.  These are moderately effective if all of the above items are first checked and corrected.


5. Install a dehumidifier to reduce humidity in your basement from normal water vapor intrusion.  This is valuable whether your basement leaks or not.

These tips should help keep your basement drier.  If they do not solve your problem there are basement and foundation specialists that can make guaranteed repairs that are very costly, but may be required. 

Jeremy Reets, CEO

Prepare Your Business for Flu Season

Keeping Healthy: 10 Tips for Businesses from FLU.GOV.

Employees are a crucial resource at any business, and especially small businesses. There are steps you can take now, and during the flu season, to help protect the health of your employees.

1. Develop policies that encourage ill workers to stay at home without fear of any reprisals.


2. Develop other flexible policies to allow workers to telework (if feasible) and create other leave policies to allow workers to stay home to care for sick family members or care for children if schools close.


3. Provide resources and a work environment that promotes personal hygiene. For example, provide tissues, no-touch trash cans, hand soap, hand sanitizer, disinfectants and disposable towels for workers to clean their work surfaces.
4. Provide education and training materials in an easy to understand format and in the appropriate language and literacy level for all employees. See www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business.


5. Instruct employees who are well but who have an ill family member at home with the flu that they can go to work as usual. These employees should monitor their health every day, and notify their supervisor and stay home if they become ill. Employees who have a certain underlying medical condition or who are pregnant should promptly call their health care provider for advice if they become ill.


6. Encourage workers to obtain a seasonal influenza vaccine, if it is appropriate for them according to CDC recommendations (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm). This helps to prevent illness from seasonal influenza strains.


7. Encourage employees to get the flu vaccine when it becomes available if they are in a priority group according to CDC recommendations. For information on groups recommended for seasonal and flu vaccines, please see www.flu.gov. Consider granting employees time off from work to get vaccinated when the vaccine is available in your community.


8. Provide workers with up-to-date information on influenza risk factors, protective behaviors, and instruction on proper behaviors (for example, cough etiquette; avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth; and hand hygiene).


9. Plan to implement practices to minimize face-to-face contact between workers if advised by the local health department. Consider the use of such strategies as extended use of e-mail, websites and teleconferences, encouraging flexible work arrangements (for example, telecommuting or flexible work hours) to reduce the number of workers who must be at the work site at the same time or in one specific location.


10. If an employee does become sick while at work, place the employee in a separate room or area until they can go home, away from other workers. If the employee needs to go into a common area prior to leaving, he or she should cover coughs/sneezes with a tissue or wear a facemask if available and tolerable. Ask the employee to go home as soon as possible.

Ready GA Pet Caption Contest: Week 2

FROM READY GEORGIA:

If you’re a fan of Grumpy Cat, this is the contest for you! Throughout the month of September, we will post a pet photo each Wednesday and challenge our Facebook fans to craft catchy captions featuring an emergency preparedness theme. Weekly winners will receive prizes from The Home Depot, Motorola, Georgia State Parks, Moe's Southwest Grill, Verizon Wireless and Lake Blackshear Resort. For more information and to enter this contest throughout September, visit the Ready Georgia Facebook page.

ENTER ON READY GEORGIA'S FACEBOOK PAGE!