Purchasing a good door and bike lock

How secure is your front door lock? Check out these tips on how to purchase a good door lock.

1. Exterior doors need deadbolts - a good deadbolt is hard to get past
2. Bolt should be at least an inch long - Some bolts are only 5/8" long which are fairly easy to force open.
3. Buy a reinforced strike plate - A lock is useless is the strike plate (the metal part you screw onto the door frame to lock the door) come right off w/a little tampering.
4. Ignore the adjectives on the package - Words like "professional" or "faultless" have nothing to do with quality. Locks are graded from 1 to 3 so look for a grade 1 or 2.
5. You get what you pay for - expect to pay at least $40 for a good deadbolt. You can always take it when you move.

Best type of bike lock

The best type of bike lock is a stubby little U-lock, usually 3.5" wide by 5.5" high. They are difficult to cut and too small to be forced open. Check out the OnGuard Bulldog Mini TC for$21 on Amazon.

Source: Woman's Day Magazine, March 2010

Car Emergency Kit

I need to put together a car emergency kit, so hopefully this posting will give me the motivation to get one in my car. If your car were to break down in a remote area, what would you need to survive? Below are the items I found that are most recommended. These items could fit in a small duffel in the back of your trunk.

• Cell phone (should always have one with you)
• Basic first aid kit
• Blankets/emergency blanket/ski hats (most body heat is lost through your head)
  
• Food (granola bars/energy bars, etc) and water
  
• Map/compass
• Car repair kit/tools (screwdrivers, adjustable wrench, pliers, vise-grip, tire pressure gauge, jack, spare tire)
• Motor oil, anti-freeze/coolant
  
• Jumper cables
  
• Flashlight or chemical light stick
• Emergency candle/waterproof matches
  
• Flares and reflective triangles
• Emergency power source
• Bright red cloth (tie on your antenna)
• Whistle
• Heavy-duty rope
• Fire extinguisher
• Tools to cut through seatbelts or break windows (large pocket knife, Leatherman)
  
• AM/FM radio with various sources of power (e.g. hand crank)
• Pen and paper
• Duct tape
• Rags
• Rain poncho
• Emergency cash ($20 or more)
• Small game to pass time
  
• Collapsible shovel (if you get stuck in the snow)
• If you live/travel in snowy areas: chains for tires, -40 degree windshield wiper fluid, ice scraper)
  

You can also purchase pre-made kits:

Survival Supply - Several options/price varies
AAA - $35.95

Food & Water Storage

For some time now I have wanted to put together a food and water storage for my family. I’ve taken a few baby steps forward but have a long way to go. This post is probably more for me than many of you. I’ve listed the basic steps to start your storage for water, three-month food supply, year supply, and info on how to use your long-term storage items.

Water

You should have at least a three-day supply of water. It is recommended to have one gallon of water per person per day. The easiest way to do this is to buy a bulk box of water in gallon containers. I bought a box of six gallons at my local grocery store for around $5. You can also fill up containers with tap water. If doing this make sure the plastic containers say “PETE” on the bottom. It is suggested you don’t use milk jugs. If your city water has already been chemically treated you don’t need to do anything to the water. If it hasn’t been treated, you can add a tsp of unscented chlorine bleach per quart of water. For more tips click here or here.

Three-month supply

Your three-month supply should consist of food items part of your normal, every day diet. I’ve been trying to buy several cans of food each week at the grocery store just for short term storage. This way it isn’t a huge investment all at once. I buy things such as green beans, corn, variety of beans such as black, pinto, & refried, canned chicken and tuna, pineapple, mandarin oranges, tomatoes, cereal, etc.

Year Supply of Food

To look at how much food and water your family will need for a year, check out this food & water calculator. Even for our little family, the amount of what we need is overwhelming.

The suggested quantities of food items to have per adult for each month are as follows:

• 25 lbs of wheat, rice, corn, and other grains
• 5 lbs of beans

Other good items for long-term food storage:

sugar, nonfat dry milk, salt, baking soda, cooking oil, and bottled fruits and vegetables

Many churches have dry pack canners available for use that you can dry pack your long-term storage items so they will last up to 30 years. If you don’t have access to a dry pack canner you can buy your food items from any of the following sites:

LDS Catalog

Your Food Storage

Shelf Reliance

Emergency Essentials

Food storage recipes

It is important to get your family used to eating the items in your food storage. The best way to do that is to actually use the food you buy. I found this great site called Every Day Food Storage that has lots of recipes that use your food storage.

Additional sites for more detailed information on food storage preparation:

http://www.providentliving.org/channel/0,11677,1706-1,00.html

http://www.survival-center.com/foodfaq/ff1-toc.htm

Emergency Preparedness: CPR & Choking

Recently, my husband's coworker went out to eat with his family and his father-in-law started choking on a piece of meat. Luckily, his daughter has a medical background and knew how respond. The importance of knowing how to handle choking has also been on my mind because of my son. He now feeds himself and he loves to stuff his mouth extremely full of food. I have to remind him to chew and I often worry he will choke.

I believe it is critical that everyone know at least the basics of what to do in situations like these. Classes are offered through the American Red Cross. The classes can be taken in person or online. Also, check with your city as they often also offer these trainings. I recently checked out a video at our local library that taught both infant and child CPR and choking training. It is recommended that you review the steps once each month. Below I have put links to online videos that show basic instructions for CPR and choking.

Infant CPR and choking

Child CPR and choking

Adult CPR

Adult Choking

Emergency Preparedness: Fire Escape Plan

This week I am going to focusing on emergency preparedness. We are going to kick off the week with fire safety. This article is courtesy of Baby Center.

What do we need to be prepared for a fire?

Fire is the number 1 household killer in America, and it's essential to have a working fire extinguisher, smoke detectors, and a well-rehearsed route out of your house in the event of fire.
Fire escape plan

Here's a 12-point fire escape plan checklist:

1. Make sure you formulate both a main and an alternate route. This will help avoid panic if your primary path is too dangerous to follow.

2. Create a simple, efficient route. The idea is to get out of the house as quickly as possible. Don't make provisions for stopping to grab important possessions or papers. Your family is the most important thing. Call the fire department from a neighbor's house, instead of wasting precious escape time placing a call during a fire. It is a good idea to have two plans to get out of each room, such as the door or window.

3. Practice fire drills with both your family and any babysitters or relatives who regularly care for your baby. Sketch your plan and have it in a place in the home everyone can see regularly.

4. If you live in a house that has two or more stories, buy a portable escape ladder that can be lowered out a designated window. Make sure everyone knows where it is and how it works.

5. If you live in an apartment building, don't make elevators part of your plan because they can easily malfunction or get trapped between floors.

6. Have a designated meeting place — a safe spot outside the house where everyone can gather and be accounted for.

7. Remember that smoke and poisonous gas, not flames, are the leading cause of fire-related deaths. To avoid inhaling deadly fumes, crawl low to the ground and securely carry your baby under you with one arm to offer protection.

8. Stop, drop, and roll if your clothing or hair catches on fire. You learned the rule in first grade and it really works, so teach it to your toddlers. If your baby's clothing is on fire, wrap him quickly in a blanket to put the flames out.

9. In an actual fire, test door handles with your fingertips before grasping them firmly. If they're hot, use an alternate route. Windows are excellent exits on first floors and can be used on upper floors to gain temporary refuge on roofs and porches until help arrives.

10. Call your local fire department or volunteer rescue squad to schedule an in-home visit. Most communities offer fire-prevention training as a free service to residents or members. Firefighters can offer suggestions on creating the safest route possible in your home, while also checking your smoke alarms and fire extinguishers, and pointing out any potential fire hazards you hadn't recognized.

11. Teach your children that if trapped in their room they should lie on the floor close to their bed. That is the first place firefighters will look for them.

12. If hallways and exit routes are filled with smoke, get down and crawl. Smoke rises, so the air will be a bit cleaner closer to the floor.

In addition to these tips, I suggest testing your smoke alarm each month. You push the test button until you hear a loud noise. I have also put links below where you can purchase fire escape ladders. It is recommended you have escape ladders if you have a two-story home.

Escape Ladders:
Amazon
Ace Hardware
Fire Escape Systems