The Building Blocks of Preparedness Are as Simple as 1, 2, 3 & A, B, C

KISS Your Family Everyday

By: Jayson A. Johnson-Firefighter/Paramedic

One of the best ways to remember a list of things to do is to keep it simple. (K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple w/ Safety) Nothing is as simple as 1, 2, 3 and A, B, C. When is come to the basic protection of your home and the safety of your family, knowing how to turn off your utilities is the cornerstone to your household preparedness plan. The components of 1, 2, and 3 are:

1.) Water- Know the location of your main water service pipe. This is often located near the front of your property, often close to the garden hose. The shut off may be a “gate” valve or “globe” valve. Before you shut off your utilities, check for leaks. (smell, visual, sound) You do not want to waste your water after a disaster. If your water pipes are cracked, it may contaminate your good water. Remember, water is one of the most important resources you can have.

Survival Tip: By having your hot water heater properly strapped and bracketed and knowing how to shut off your main water valve, you may be able to capture 30 to 50 gallons of potable water from a traditional hot water heater.

2.) Electrical- Locate the main electrical panel of your home. (If you live in an apartment, condominium or townhouse, your panel may be in a common area) Once you locate your panel, check to see if you have circuit breakers or fuses. If you have fuses, you will find a knife switch handle or pullout fuse that is marked “MAIN”. When shutting off the utility, be sure to shut off in the proper order. Shut down small fuses or breakers first and turn on the opposite way…large to small. Be aware that there may be sub-panels; these sub-panels need to be shut down too. Be safe, be aware, because in time of an emergency it is important to minimize damage, don’t become a victim and make good decisions. Don’t FEAR how to shut down your utilities FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. What kills FEAR is Knowledge. By knowing these simple steps and by teaching all responsible family members, you increase your families’ disaster preparedness IQ. 

3.) Natural Gas- Natural gas leaks and explosions are responsible for a great number of fires and injuries after disasters. It is vital that all responsible household members know how to shut off natural gas at the meter. One of the best tools you can have for this is an automatic seismic shut off, but having a basic shut off tool is preparedness must.

Please note the bottom/left of the above picture shows the “service shut-off valve”. To shut off the valve manually, turn the valve ¼ turn to the off position. To test your valve, only turn 1/8 turn, but if you shut your gas off, please be sure to check and relight any pilot lights. If you do not relight all pilot lights, this may result in gas leaks.

An additional layer of protection that is highly advisable is an automatic/seismic gas shutoff. This is a check and balance for your home so that if you are not able to turn off your gas manually, you can still have the benefit of having your gas shut off. A natural gas seismic shut-off valve automatically shuts off your gas service when an earthquake of a sufficient magnitude occurs at your home's location. An excess flow valve automatically shuts off your gas service when a significant gas leak or overpressure surge occurs at a pipe or appliance located beyond the point where the valve is installed.

If an earthquake or other significant event causes your seismic shut-off or excess flow valve to close, you may follow the manufacturer's instructions for resetting the valve so that gas flows again. However, The Gas Company recommends that you contact a licensed, qualified professional or The Gas Company to reset the valve, and to verify that no gas leaks exist, to ensure that all of your gas appliances are safe before being placed back in operation and to re-light your pilot lights. Remember that following a major emergency it may take many days or even weeks before someone can come to your location. (The Gas Company charges a fee to reset valves and re-light pilot lights.)

NOTE: When you hire a licensed, qualified professional to install your seismic or excess flow valve, you must ensure that the valve is installed on your houseline, not on The Gas Company’s facilities. The Gas Company’s facilities include all of the pipe fittings installed and maintained by The Gas Company, up to and including the last elbow or tee connecting to your houseline. All unauthorized valve installations found on The Gas Company’s facilities will be removed. In addition, Seismic or excess flow valves are not permitted in utility curb meter vaults.

If you have any questions about your insurance company requirements, contact your insurance company or agent.

Now That You Have The 1, 2, 3’s…Let’s Talk About The A, B, C’s

The A, B, C’s is having at least two class A, B, C extinguishers in your home. (If you live in a communal environment: apartment, condominium, townhouse, college dorm, etc… know where your closest two extinguishers or hose cabinets are. Check the tags to make sure they have been serviced recently.)
By having at least two class A, B, C extinguishers in your home you greatly increase your survivability as well as those around you. Most fires start small and grow large. If we are able to mitigate a fire when it’s in the incipient, smoldering or flame stages, we greatly reduce the super heated gases that are the true killers as well as heat stage where temperatures can heat exposures, destroy property and cause catastrophic damage.

To better understand what a class A, B, C extinguisher is, we must know the meanings of class A, B and C fires.

• Class A- Ordinary Combustibles
• Class B- Flammable Liquids
• Class C- Energized Electrical

The class A, B, C extinguisher is also known as a dry chemical extinguisher. The product inside the dry chemical extinguisher has similar properties as baking soda (The same baking soda you might find in your kitchen!) and is called Ammonium Phosphate. While the product inside the dry chemical extinguisher is nontoxic and not known to be a carcinogen, it is not recommended to breath in copious amounts. If you have a preexisting respiratory history, try not to breathe in any of the powder because it might trigger a reaction. Fire extinguishers come in many sizes and the age old question is “what size is best?” Only you can decide what is best for your family, but to better understand the sizes and the range they cover, take a look at the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) label and read what that specific extinguisher is rated for. (ie.2-A: 10-B: C is also known as a 5 lb. extinguisher.)

The instructions on how to use the class A, B, C / dry chemical extinguisher is fairly simple, but if you have never used one, don’t confuse simple for easy. In the face of an emergency, often the stress of a fire combined with an adrenalin surge can cause simple to become overwhelming. For this reason, it is highly recommended that remembering the word P.A.S.S. can save your life. P.A.S.S. stands for:

• PULL/pull the pin
• ACQUIRE THE HOSE (hold at the nozzle) & AIM at the base
• SQUEEZE/squeeze the handle
• SWEEP/sweep…not too fast, in control and with confidence

Adjust your position if safe to enter with any smoke blowing away from you and enter into the fire zone (8’-12’ away) in a ready and balanced position. If you do not feel safe, back out and remove yourself from the area and any danger. Make sure someone has called 9-1-1 and supply any additional information for the incoming first responders.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Based on significant research and real-life experience, MySafe:LA and the HOME SAFETY COUNCIL want you to know that fire extinguishers should only be used by adults (over the age of 18). Do NOT let children use a fire extinguisher. The reason? While there's no doubt anyone over the age of six can physically handle a typical fire extinguisher, a child has only one job during a fire: Exit and get to the pre-determined "safe meeting spot." Asking a child to size up a fire and to determine if a fire extinguisher is the right suppression tool is inappropriate and can lead to injury or death.

Ed Note: Firefighter Jayson Johnson is an experienced firefighter and EMT with the Los Angeles Fire Department. His current assignment with the Disaster Preparedness Unit puts him and his colleagues in front of seniors, children, and those at-risk on a daily basis. MySafe:LA is pleased with our collaborative relationship with Jayson and his team, including his partner Jeff Hudson and their skipper, Captain I Carlos Avina. Read Jayson's blog entries here and remember: Be safe out there.