Guide to Preparedness

VIII. ELECTRICAL SAFETY

According to NFPA...

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  On average there are 38,400 home fires per year associated with wiring, switches, outlets, cords and plugs, fuse and circuit breaker boxes, and other equipment involved in distributing electricity around the home. These electrical service equipment fires annually kill 352 people and injure 1,343 annually.
  
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  Fixed wiring causes 1/3 of home electrical fires.
  
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  Cords and plugs cause 1/6 of home electrical distribution fires and 1/3 of related deaths.
  
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  In many cases, people can easily check and fix them, if necessary, without a licensed electrician.
  
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  Each year, electrical shock (not resulting in a fire) causes hundreds of burn deaths and thousands of burn injuries.
  
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  Nearly 2/3 of electrical burn injuries among children ages 12 and under are associated with household electrical cords and extension cords.
  
  

GFCIs: (ground fault circuit interrupters) can greatly reduce the risk of shock by shutting off faulty electrical circuits and equipment faster than conventional fuses or circuit breakers can. GFCIs are inexpensive; professional electricians can hard-wire them into your home electrical system.

PUSH BACK: In the kitchen, push back cords for countertop appliances to keep young children from pulling them off the counter.

SAFETY ADVICE

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  Replace or repair any electrical device with a loose or frayed cord.
  
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  Avoid running extension cords across doorways or under carpets.
  
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  In homes with small children, electrical outlets should have plastic safety covers.
  
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  Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for plugging an appliance into a receptacle outlet.
  
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  Most receptacle outlets contain two receptacles. As an added precaution, consider plugging only one high-wattage appliance into each receptacle outlet.
  
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  Avoid the use of “cube taps” and other devices that allow the connection of multiple appliances into a single receptacle.
  
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  Place lamps on level surfaces, away from things that can burn.
  
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  Use bulbs that match the lamp’s recommended wattage.
  
  

IX. THE BASICS

KNOW THE FACTS

According to NFPA...

• 
  In the United States and Canada, a home fire is reported to a fire department roughly every 75 seconds. Fires kill 350 people and injure more than 1,300 per year.
  
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  Eighty percent of all U.S. fire deaths occur in the home.
  
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  Someone is killed in a home fire in the United States and Canada roughly every 3 hours.
  
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  Smoke alarms are the most effective early warning device available. Having a smoke alarm in your home cuts your chance of dying in a fire nearly in half!
  
  

Automatic Sprinklers:

Consider installing an automatic sprinkler system if you are building a new home, or retrofitting your existing home with a system.

SAFETY ADVICE

Install at least one smoke alarm on each level of your home and in or near all sleeping areas. Smoke alarms should be tested once a month and batteries replaced once a year or when the alarm beeps, warning that the battery is low.

Every household should develop and practice a home fire escape plan that includes two ways out of every room and an outside meeting place.

CHAPTER 9

LIGHTNING...NATURES FIREWORKS

I. LIGHTNING

Lightning occurs with all thunderstorms. It averages 93 deaths and 300 injuries each year. It also causes several hundred million dollars in damage to property. Here are some helpful facts about nature’s fireworks...

• 
  What is lightning? Lightning occurs when the action of rising and descending air within a thunderstorm separates positive and negative charges. Lightning results from the buildup and discharge of electrical energy between positively and negatively charged areas.
  
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  The average flash of lightning could light a 100-watt light bulb for more than three months.
  
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  Most lightning occurs within the cloud or between the cloud and ground.
  
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  The air near a lightning strike is heated to 50,000 F which is hotter than the surface of the sun! The rapid heating and cooling of air near the lightning channel causes a shock wave that results in thunder.
  
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  To estimate the distance in miles between you and the lightning flash, count the seconds between the lightning and the thunder and divide by five.
  
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  Most lightning deaths and injuries occur when people are caught outdoors. Most casualties occur in the summer months and during the afternoon and early evening.
  
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  Your chances of being struck by lightning are estimated to be 1 in 600,000.
  
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  In recent years, people have been killed by lightning while boating, swimming, golfing, bike riding, standing under a tree, riding on a lawnmower, talking on the telephone, loading a truck, playing soccer, fishing in a boat, and mountain climbing.
  
  

Lightening Myths & Facts

MYTH: If it is not raining, then there is no danger from lightning.
FACT: Lightning often strikes outside of heavy rain and may occur as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall.
MYTH: The rubber soles of shoes or rubber tires on a car will protect you from being struck by lightning.
FACT: Rubber-soled shoes and rubber tires provide NO protection from lightning. However, the steel frame of a hard-topped vehicle provides increased protection if you are not touching metal. Although you may be injured if lightning strikes your car, you are much safer inside a vehicle than outside.
MYTH: People struck by lightning carry an electrical charge and should not be touched.
FACT: Lightning-strike victims carry no electrical charge and should be attended to immediately. Contact your local American Red Cross chapter for information on CPR and first aid classes.

MYTH: “Heat lightning” occurs after very hot summer days and poses no threat.
FACT: What is referred to as “heat lightning” is actually lightning from a thunderstorm too far away for thunder to be heard. However, the storm may be moving in your direction!

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