Continue reading »]]> Suffer in Comfort – Winter Home Preparedness

by Ken and Cyndi Hoagland -

With the advent of beautiful fall weather and looking toward the coming cold
winter months, we want to consider some of the Emergency Preparedness
needs that are unique to colder climates.

Since many of our wonderful friends and neighbors are like us, and have moved
to this area from states that typically have warmer weather throughout the year
(i.e. California, Florida, Georgia, etc.) some of these items may be new to your
list of “must haves” in your emergency supplies. These ideas were shared at an
Emergency Preparedness fireside presented by Timothy Woolf. He used the idea of
“Suffer in Comfort” for the visual image of why some of these ideas would make
us able to endure something like a major earthquake in relative comfort.

1. Clorox Bleach is often stored to be used as a purifier for water; however,
Clorox is only 5% chlorine and 95% something else. 50% to 70% of the actual
chlorine is gone within 6 months, and 100% of the chlorine has evaporated
away by one year. A better solution is to purchase and store small containers
of powdered chlorine – which can be purchased at pool or spa stores. 1/8th
of a teaspoon will purify a 55 gallon drum of water.

2. Because windows often break in earthquakes, it is recommended that we
purchase 2 or 3 rolls (25 yds each) of 6 mm clear plastic. You will need duct
tape – a staple gun – small nails, etc. to attach the plastic, and one sheet
should be put on the inside of the window, with another on the exterior of the
window. As the plastic tears (and it will because of wind, snow) just add
another piece over the existing one, building up the plastic which will form a
good solid barrier from winter weather.

3. Obtain a good quality kerosene Heater – a K1 rating is best. A 23,000 BTU
kerosene heater will heat up to 2,000 square feet of space. You should also
have on hand a kerosene cook top which can be used both indoors and
outdoors (but do not use a stove as a heater because it gives off carbon
monoxide and over several hours it could be hazardous to your family). If you
have 2 – 55 gallon drums of kerosene on hand it will get you through the winter.
Kerosene MUST be stored in a dry place as moisture will cause it to break
down.

4. A solar generator is another good idea – one that is 1500 watts has
enough energy to run any appliance in your home. Although you could only
run one appliance at a time – at least you could rotate them and be able to
maintain most appliances.

5. A small solar battery charger will allow you to keep small, hand held
items fully usable.

6. A solar oven is a terrific item, and at about $260 dollars, it will enable
you to bake bread and other items throughout any emergency. Because
we get great sun here, even in the winter months a solar oven will heat to
350 degrees very easily.

7. A propane burning portable shower can be purchased at sporting good
stores or on-line, and will provide HOT showers for your family. 22 green
canisters of propane will produce enough hot water for one shower each
day for a year.

8. A hand turned tumble clothes washer is a great find. When you add
detergent and hand-crank the washer – spinning it for about 10 minutes, out
come clean clothes. The cost is about $50 and these can be found on-line .
. . just google “wonderwash”.

That’s enough for now. Some of these were new ideas to us and we are
hoping they will be useful ideas for you. If anyone has unique or different
emergency supplies we could share with others – please let us know and
we will use our “block coordinators” to get that information out to everyone.
We think it is important that we all prepare ourselves to “Suffer in Comfort”
in the face of any emergency.

Ken and Cyndi Hoagland

Continue reading »]]> Why Emergency Preparedness?

Utah, especially Draper Utah, is a wonderful place to live.  Unfortunately, we also live in an area that is subject to several types of natural disasters.

Fire: each summer residents hope that they won’t see that tell-tale dark smoke in the sky, and yet each summer fires happen.  Some are minor, and others (like the Camp Williams fire last year) burn homes and threaten lives.

Floods: As dry as Utah is, you wouldn’t think we’d have much of a problem with water, and yet every year some unfortunate home (or group of homes) have their basements filled with mud and debris from a sudden rain storm, irrigation pipe rupture, etc.  Some mud slides have been large enough to move homes off their foundations.

Earthquake: It’s been a while since Utah has felt a major earthquake, and yet large fault lines run throughout the Salt Lake Valley.  We are told it’s not “if,” but a question of “when” we are hit.

Winter/Snow/Cold:   With Little and Big Cottonwood canyons averaging over 500 inches of snow (that’s over 41 feet of snow) a year, it’s only natural the valleys get some too.  While all that snow can be fun, it can also be a pain-in-the-neck (and back) and even life threatening under certain circumstances.  We shouldn’t expect there to not be snow – this is Utah after all (not Florida), but we can be prepared.

What can we do? While we cannot prevent all natural problems, we can prepare as best as we can. This website is devoted to that preparation.

Continue reading »]]> Upcoming CERT Training

Draper City, in cooperation with Unified Fire Authority, announces an upcoming CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training course.

Classes will begin April 16 and run through May 21 They will be held on Wednesday evenings, from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.   Classes will be held at the Bill Good Marketing Building, located at 12393 South Gateway Park Place (430 West).

Cost:  $30 due at the first class (includes helmet, vest, first aid gear and textbook).  For more information, please contact Unified Fire Authority, Micayla Dinkel at 272-2154 or email:  communityassistance@UFA-SLCO.ORG

For Draper City CERT website – http://www.draper.ut.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={3EE1027C-E688-4B52-996D-13FAC92FDA7B}

Continue reading »]]> Fire Danger

The danger of fire is always of concern, especially during the hot and dry months of summer.  Whether started by accident, mother nature, or the work of arsonists, the time to prepare is BEFORE another fire starts.

Below are several free publications made available by the National Firewise Communities Program and others, for you to download and hopefully implement their suggestions.  These are documents in PDF format.  Clicking on these links will open the document or website in a new window.

1) Firewise Landscaping For Utah – an excellent guide for better understanding the nature of hillside fires and the best ways to reduce the risk to life and property.

2) Firewise Guide To Landscaping – a brief guide to common sense steps you can take today to protect your home from fire danger.