10 minute read
Winterizing and Emergency Preparedness
WINTERIZING
AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Tracy Wolin, CMCA, AMS, PCAM
Preparing our property, buildings, and residents for emergencies is always on our minds, it’s a component of risk-management, but we sometimes neglect emergency planning for our families and ourselves. Below are some examples of helpful emergency preparedness tips for hazards such as fire, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, snow, ice, extreme heat and flooding.
EMERGENCY SUPPLY KIT
An emergency supply kit should include items for a variety of emergency scenarios and placed in an easy access location to “grab and go.” The kit should include items that might be needed for three to fourteen days. Remember, everyone must be prepared and not rely on Emergency Services for assistance. Emergency Services may be unable to reach you. Some items to consider for an Emergency Supply Kit include:
• Water, one gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation. • Supply of nonperishable foods and can opener. • Battery-powered or hand-cranked radio, a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries. • Flashlights and extra batteries. • A first aid kit and whistle to signal for help. • Dust mask to help filter contaminated air. • Extra pair of eye glasses. • Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation. • Cellphone with chargers or solar charger. • Cash in small denominations in the event ATMs are not available due to power outages or stores may be unable to make change. • Copy of important documents such as passports, immunization records and Social Security cards. • Critical items for family members, such as pet supplies, medications, blankets, and baby items. • Live in a two- story home? A rope ladder may be needed to egress outside. • Fire Extinguishers, especially having a unit in the kitchen.
RULES OF THUMB REMINDERS:
• Never let your gas tank run empty past ¼ tank. If the power goes out, gas pumps will not work. • Check the tire pressure on your vehicles monthly and don’t forget the spare tire every few months.
Prepare an emergency plan ahead of time before an emergency occurs. The plan should include household member information, doctors and medical information, places where household members often spend the majority of their time, information on household pets, designated place where household members will meet and emergency numbers. For help making your plan, visit https:// knowhat2do.com/.
TOP TIPS FOR FIRE SAFETY
Install smoke/carbon monoxide (if you have gas) alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas such as hallways. Test alarms every month and change batteries if the smoke/carbon monoxide alarms are not working.
Remember to GET OUT, STAY OUT and CALL 9-1-1. Yell “Fire!” several times and go outside right away if you are not alone. If you live in a building with elevators, use the stairs. Leave all your things where they are and save yourself. If closed doors or handles are warm or smoke blocks your primary escape route, use your second way out. Never open doors that are warm to the touch. Always remember to use the back of your hand on a door to test for heat. Never use your palm. It is reflex to grab a hold of a hot door knob. If you must escape through smoke, get low and go under the smoke to your exit. Close doors behind you. If smoke, heat or flames block your exit routes, stay in the room with doors closed. Place a wet towel under the door and call the fire department or 9-1-1. Open a window and wave a brightly colored cloth or flashlight to signal for help. Once you are outside, go to your meeting place and then send one person to call the fire department. If you cannot get to your meeting place, follow your family emergency communication plan.
If your clothes catch on fire:
• Stop what you’re doing. • Drop to the ground and cover your face if you can. • Roll over and over or back and forth until the flames go out.
Running will only make the fire burn faster. • Then Once the flames are out, cool the burned skin with water for three to five minutes. Call for medical attention. • Flooding can happen anywhere. Just 6 inches of fast-moving water holds enough force to knock over an adult, and 2 feet will carry away most vehicles. It is not always easy to see a flooded area while driving especially in the night. • Flood Watch: A possibility of flooding. • Flood Warning: Flooding is occurring or will soon. • Flash Flood Warning: Flash flooding is occurring or will soon occur.
TORNADOS
Tornados are nature’s most violent storm and can occur in many sizes. They can be up to one mile wide and travel for long distances. A tornado watch means that the formation of one is possible. A tornado warning means that one has been seen by storm spotters or detected by radar, and residents should seek shelter immediately. Winter Weather Freezing rain, snow and ice, even though they can be fun to play in, can cause car accidents and hypothermia. Power lines can be knocked down for an extended period of time as well. We all got firsthand experience earlier this year in February, but it is a lesson that we must never forget.
WINTER WEATHER SAFETY TIPS INCLUDE:
• Ensure heating source is working properly and is well ventilated. • Winterize household pipes and keep faucets dripping when the temperature falls below freezing. • Winterize vehicles and prepare emergency kit to keep in vehicle (blanket, warm clothing, water, flashlight etc.). • Wear several layers of lightweight warm clothing instead of one heavy layer. • Ensure outer garments are water-repellent. • Ensure pets have plenty of food, water and shelter.
Outdoor Warning Sirens: Check your city to see if there are outdoor warning sirens. For instance, The City of Carrollton has 26 Outdoor Warning Sirens to alert citizens of severe weather, hazardous material releases, and national security events. The City of Dallas has 168 sirens. Fort Worth has 153 sirens. While these sirens are not meant to be heard indoors, it is designated to alert anyone outside to go inside.
Most smart phones also have a warning feature for weather, public safety, and AMBER alerts.
Visit https://lacounty.gov/emergency/earthquake-preparedness/ just to familiarize yourself with tips to stay safe in an earthquake no matter if you are driving, in a high-rise such as a hotel, stadium, or at the beach.
One thing I can tell you with first-hand knowledge is during an earthquake, cell phone calls do not work, but usually texting does work. This might be true in other emergency situations too.
Lastly, Tips on Winterizing Your Building and Home
Fall is a really good time to start thinking about maintenance for your property and building as you prepare for the winter season. Winter is particularly tough on buildings suffering from water intrusion because the trapped water expands if it freezes, causing bricks and masonry to crack, spall, and/or loosen.
See Basic Checklist on Next Page
Below is a basic checklist of some building components to consider when preparing for the winter season:
Caulking: is the first line of defense in keeping water out of buildings. Check caulking at all junctures and install or replace where it’s deteriorated or missing. Key locations are joints between coping stones on top of parapet walls, around through-wall window air conditioner sleeves, and around windows and doors.
Roof: The roof receives the bulk of exposure to the elements. Potential problem areas are all penetrations through the roof, such as stack vent pipes, ladders, and drains; open seams on the roofing membranes; blistering or cracking; ponding; base flashing that has slipped or peeled away from parapet or bulkhead walls; deteriorated counterflashing; and broken glass, nails, screws, or other debris that could puncture the roofing membrane
Drains: Check for clogs, and debris built up around the drains and clean as necessary. For roof decks with pavers, the pavers around the drains may need to be removed to see that there are no leaves, paper, sand, or other items blocking them. Gutters, leaders, and scuppers should also be checked to make sure they are not loose and are cleared of leaves and other debris so water can drain properly.
Facade: A visual exterior inspection should be conducted using binoculars or drones to check for loose, spalling, or missing bricks, stones, mortar, masonry, terra cotta elements, cornices, windowsills, balconies, railings, etc.
Windows: If a draft is felt around the windows or the panes are cold to the touch, the windows may be failing. As a stopgap measure consider installing removable foam insulation around the window frames.
Exterior faucets/sprinklers: Some balconies and roof decks have hose bibs. When the temperature drops, the inside valve for the plumbing line should be shut off, any remaining water drained, and the faucet covered to prevent water from freezing inside, which could cause the pipe to burst and crack the surrounding brick and mortar. Same can be said for landscape hose bibs and sprinkler systems. Boilers: The boiler flue tubes, over which hot water or steam passes, should be checked to make sure they are not leaking or clogged. A basic check of the insulation around the boiler piping should also be conducted. Most boilers require some type of chemical treatment to inhibit rust and corrosion. Check the boiler flue to make sure it is clean and not blocked.
Cooling towers: Buildings with central chillers, heat pumps, or fan coil units typically use cooling towers to reduce the temperature of the condenser water circulating through the system. Some properties shut down their cooling systems in October depending on the weather. Supply valves are closed off and drain valves opened to remove any leftover water in pipes to prevent freezing. Some heating and cooling systems operate year round. For those systems, the water in the cooling tower must be kept from freezing such as adding antifreeze to the water.
Outdoor piping: Cold water pipes running to and from a water tank or cooling tower are often heated using an electric coil, wrapped around the pipe to keep the water inside from freezing and the pipe from bursting. A layer of insulation is wrapped around the heat tracing, which is plugged into a GFCI. A routine check should include making sure the heat tracing is plugged in and none of it is exposed because of insulation that is worn away or missing.
Gutters: Once the leaves are pretty much off the trees, it’s time to clean those gutters. When your gutters back up, they overflow, and when they overflow, that water runs down the building, speeding up the deterioration of the exterior.
Cover your patio furniture. Get your patio furniture protected, but make sure you wait until a clear, warm day to cover it so you don’t trap moisture.
Preparing your landscaping and pool for cold weather are other featured articles in this edition of the Magazine.
October Members Luncheon
Speaker – Matt Jones “Eight Continent Marathon Man”
At the October luncheon we had the pleasure of having Matt Jones speak about his inspiring life experiences overcoming cancer three times, a bone marrow transplant, relearning how to walk and then completing a marathon on every continent, all eight. Also, he shared the most current groundbreaking research in the science of success and leadership from his book “Happiness is a Marathon, 26.2 Ways to be Happier at Work and in Life”.
For more information about Matt please visit his website at www.MatthewDJones.com.
