It’s that time of year again. Time to change your clocks from Day Light Savings Time to Standard Day Light Time.

The official time is 2 am Sunday November 4, 2007. You turn your clocks back one hour. Remember; “fall back - spring forward”

This is the best time to put new batteries in all of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. This way you don’t have to remember when was the last time you changed them out.

Even though your detectors might be powered by the electrical circuits in your home they may also have a “back-up” battery in them as well. So check to see if your detectors have a back-up battery in them.

There are almost 200,000 reported accidents from ladder use in America every year. The people of the American Ladder Institute, are becoming more concerned at this rate because we Americans are becoming more and more over-weight.

The “old trusty” ladder you’ve had for years might not be adequate anymore. All ladders are rated according to the maximum weight they are suppose to carry. The 250lb. person now may be climbing up a ladder with a tool belt and materials that will push the weight restrictions over the limit.

Ladders come in different sizes and shapes. I have step ladders, extension ladders and also a Werner Ladder that can be configured in all three shapes: step ladder, scaffolding, and extension ladder. Again my ladders are made of all three materials, wood, aluminum, and fiberglass. Each ladder has a specific use for what the ladder is made of and the configuration of the ladder. Aluminum ladders generally are lighter but may not carry the needed weight. The fiberglass and wood ladders can be much heavier but they can be used in electrical projects or when the ladder may come in contact with electrical wires since they do not transmit electrical current.

The proper way to carry a ladder is parallel to the ground. This way you don’t come in contact with over-head obstructions or wires that may cause electrical shock or injury to you.

No matter what the project is that you are using a laddder for NEVER stand on the top rung or platform of the ladder. Be sure it’s safely stabilized and climb the ladder facing it. Use both hands and center your body in the ladder. Position the ladder so you can adequately reach the area you are going to work in. It’s always good to have a second person at the bottom of a ladder when using a taller extension ladder to keep it more stabilized.

So the next time you get you ladder out think safety and use the correct ladder for the job.

THINK ABOUT IT !

It’s amazing how we can all fall into a sense of complacency about our security. It always happens to the “other guy” until some major event or happening comes close to us. Point in fact; We are relocating to another state and my wife asked me about some of the simple things we take for granted now: ambulance service, police or sheriff’s protection, all the utility shut-off locations, fire protection, hospitals & medical facilities, etc.

It made me realize I had to make out an entirely new plan of action for all of these and write them down. In case of an emergancy we could act in an orderly manner…..sometimes….seconds count. I recommend everyone up-date their emergency plans periodically and go over them with all the family members. Have a exit plan to leave the house for all locations and have a specific place to meet away from the home. You will know all the family members have cleared the home. Too often,people have gone back into the house looking for a family member or pet and have lost their lives unnecessarily.

Now the tip of the day: We had an electrical circuit malfunctioning in our newly purchased home. The home was built back in the eighties. Back then, installing wall outlets by pushing the wires into the back of the outlet was permissable. One of the outlets like this in our home had a poor connection using this method of installation which could have started a fire by arking inside the outlet. Hiring an electrician to re-wire your outlets using the wire screws to attach the wires to the outlet will make your home safer. According to safety laws, this method of wiring is the only way allowed when installing wall outlets today. THINK ABOUT IT.

The first special device I want to talk about is a Carbon Monoxide Detector. They are sold at many retail stores for homes, but they are not usually recomended for RV’s. RV’s take a special type of detector.

There are different laws & regulations from state to state and communities. I recommend before purchasing a carbon monoxide detector, to call your local fire department or building codes enforcement office.

The minimum detectors I recommend is having at least one detector on each level of your home. Do not place them near any furnaces, gas fired stoves or heaters, kitchens, areas under 40 or over 100 degrees, high steam or vapor levels, or near automobile exhaust areas. If a carbon monoxide detector is placed is inside your kitchen cabinets it may not be safte from the heat, and it might be slow to pick up the Carbon Monoxide due to poor ventilation.

Learn the symptoms of “the silent killer”; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, oderless gas and is deadly. The most common source is usually from a furnace or heater that have been improperly installed or developed a “cracked” heat exchanger or flu. Improper use of space heater can also be dangerous. They should only be used where there is ample ventilation. Also incomplete combustion of fuel in furnaces and heaters can cause carbon monoxide to form. Many people store items in close proximity of the furnaces and heaters, limiting proper air flow. Be sure all gas fired appliances have good airflow for proper operation. These can be natural gas, propane heaters, oil, kerosene, coal, charcoal or wood appliances.

One or more of the first signs of carbon monoxide poisoning may be a headache, dizziness, sleepiness, mental confusion, tightness in the chest, and breathing difficulties blurred vision. These syptoms are often confused as flu-like syptoms.

It can happen to anyone at any age, however, infants and small children are at a higher risk because they are known to sleep more and appear to be normal.

The first signs of any of these symptoms or if your carbon monoxide detector sounds exit the house immediately. This includes all pets. Don’t try to find the source, leave the home.

If you have an alarm system it will have already contacted the alarm monitoring center. They probably have contacted the fire department. It is best to wait until they arrive and search your home for the cause before re-entering the home.

If you purchase a CO Device, be sure it has a UL Seal of Approval. If it is battery powered change the batteries every time you change the daylight times. Check them on a regular basis. They will have a button you can press to see if they are working or not. If it is powered by household electricity buy one that has a back-up battery in case you lose power. Again, keep this battery fresh as well.

A good website to learn more is:
smokesign

Remember: There are two key conditions for the operation of any fuel burning appliance: Proper ventilation & complete combustion.

It is important to have all exterior openings protected by some detection device. Both the first floor as well as the basement and second stories.

Windows and doors should have “contacts” on them. There are two types, hard-wired or wireless. As it a sounds a hard-wired contact is connected to the master control panel by a wire. The wireless contact sends a signal to the master control panel by radio waves. They cause the system to go into alarm if they are violated. When the alarm sounds it makes a loud noise which most of the time scares the robber away and alerts your neighbors and your monitoring center of a possible intrusion into your home. The center will then contact your home and if they get no response or the wrong pass word they contact the police.

Basement windows can be secured by “Barglar Bars”. It is a bar stretched across the window and if it gets dislogged it will cause an alarm. Don’t forget these windows.

Casement windows sometimes are best protected by “glass-break detectors. The best kind are the ones it takes three (3) signals to activate before it sets off the alarm. When a window is broken there are three phases that occur. First the vibration of the breaking window, then the breaking window puts off a certain frequency that is detected, and some glass-breaks also have a motion sensor built into them as well. Having a multiple action glassbreak helps to keep the false alarms to a minimum.

Don’t be a penny wise and a pound foolish when getting an alarm system installed. Don’t cut corners because the device you omit might be the exact spot of entry into your home. Think as if you were the burglar and how YOU would gain entry into your home.