Power Outage Safety
Last month, in July, portions of the
eastern part of the US had lost its power for over a week with record high
temperatures. The following is a list of safety tips combined from Rocky
Mountain Power and Red Cross concerning power outages.
Keep food as safe as possible.
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. First use perishable food from the refrigerator. An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold for about 4 hours.
- Then use food from the freezer. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.
- Use your nonperishable foods and staples after using food from the refrigerator and freezer.
- If it looks like the power outage will continue beyond a day, prepare a cooler with ice for your freezer items.
- Keep food in a dry, cool spot and keep it covered at all times.
Electrical equipment
- Turn off and unplug all unnecessary electrical equipment, including sensitive electronics.
- Turn off or disconnect any appliances (like stoves), equipment or electronics you were using when the power went out. When power comes back on, surges or spikes can damage equipment.
- Leave one light turned on so you’ll know when the power comes back on.
- Eliminate unnecessary travel, especially by car. Traffic lights will be out and roads will be congested.
Downed lines
- Call 911 immediately and then call Rocky Mountain Power, 1-877-508-5088 (toll free) if you see a downed power line. Don't touch it!
- Keep everyone, including pets, out of the area. You cannot look at a downed line and determine if it's "live."
- Do not touch a person if a power line is touching them. Immediately call 911.
- If a power line falls across your vehicle, stay in the car and wait for emergency personnel to cut the power. If your vehicle is on fire and you are in imminent danger and you must get out of the vehicle, JUMP – with both feet together—as far from the car as possible. If a part of your body touches the car and the ground at the same time, you could be electrocuted.
Generator safety
·
If you use a portable electric
generator, please do so with caution since generators can pose serious safety
hazards when improperly used or installed. Remember to follow the
manufacturer's instructions.
- Never plug your generator into an outlet and don't connect a generator directly to your home's main fuse box or circuit panel.
- If you must provide temporary power to your home's wiring system, the generator must be connected through an approved transfer switch that will isolate your house from our system. The switch must comply with the National Electric Code and local building codes. These include permits, inspection and installation by a licensed electrician.
- To temporarily power an appliance, plug it directly into the generator.
- Use properly sized and grounded extension cords and keep cords hidden so they don't present a tripping hazard.
- Always properly ventilate a portable generator. Gasoline-powered generators produce carbon monoxide and the fumes can be deadly.
- Make sure that the total electric load on your generator won't exceed the generator's rating.
In the house
- Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal burning devices inside a home or garage. Never use kerosene or propane heaters or stoves inside without proper ventilation. They create dangerous fumes. Also, don't use charcoal in your house or garage. If you have them outdoors, locate them away from doors, windows and vents that could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors.
- Install carbon monoxide alarms in central locations on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas to provide early warning of accumulating carbon monoxide.
- If the carbon monoxide alarm sounds, move quickly to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door.
- In the winter, preserve body heat by wearing multiple layers of clothing. Add a hat and blankets to stay warm. Blankets and towels around your windows and doors help keep the heat in. Also protect your pipes during freezing weather by wrapping them with insulation. Also, leave faucets dripping so water won't freeze and crack the pipes.
- If someone in your home is on life support, be sure to have a back-up system and a plan of action for an outage.
It's best to be prepared
·
Keep your cars always full of gas.
·
Keep a non-cordless phone in your
home. They can work with the power out.
·
Have at least 2 coolers in your
home. Styrofoam ones can work well.
·
Assemble an outage kit, including:
a)
A flashlight with extra batteries
b)
Battery-operated alarm clock and
radio
c)
Ready-to-eat foods and manual can
opener
d)
Bottled water
e)
Blankets
f)
First aid kit
