Safety

Generator Safety

Link to Generator Safety Document

Power Restoration

Link to Power Restoration Document

Storm Safety

Link to Storm Safety Document

Keep Track of Smoke Detectors

Once a month, test each smoke detector in your home. If you have electric smoke detectors, make sure they have battery backups in case of a power outage, and keep the batteries fresh.

Twice a year, get the family together for a fire drill. Do it on the same days each year, like someone's birthday or anniversary, or on the first days of spring and fall.

Keep your smoke detectors clean. Use your vacuum cleaner's attachment hose to vacuum cobwebs and dust. A dusty detector is less sensitive to smoke.

Once a year, replace the batteries in every smoke detector. Also, replace the batteries if your smoke detector chirps. That's a warning that you've got a low battery.

And once every 10 years, buy new smoke detectors.

Kids and Electricity Don't Mix

Take a safety tour of your house and move anything that's poisonous (bug spray, chemical cleaners), sharp (knives) or lethal (guns) out of harm's way. Store your medicine bottles in a safe place, pick the cat food bowl up off the floor, and take special care with anything that's electric. Curious little fingers and electricity can spell trouble. Here's are some childproofing tips:

• Store cookies and other goodies far away from your electric stove. Unsuspecting children might just walk on a hot burner to retrieve a sugary treat.
  
• Remove knobs from the stove or oven when you're not using it. They pull right off and are easy to replace when you need them.
  
• Buy a stove guard to prevent children from reaching up and touching hot burners or pulling down pots full of boiling food.
  
• Cook on back burners whenever possible; turn pot handles to the center of the stove.
  
• Keep children away from the stove or oven while cooking, and teach them not to touch.
  
• Lock the trash compactor.
  
• Unplug small appliances when you're not using them so a child can't turn them on.
  
• Load and unload the dishwasher when children are not around.
  
• Keep a fire extinguisher and baking soda handy.
  
• Install a night light in the bathroom. Buy one that has an enclosed bulb so a child can't remove it.
  
• Tell children about the dangers of mixing electricity and water.
  
• Lower the temperature on your hot water heater to 120 degrees.
  
• Lock the door to the laundry room; kids love to play hide-and-seek in washers and dryers.
  
• Unplug all power tools when they're not in use. Remove bits and blades before storing them.
  
• If you normally leave your iron and ironing board up, take them down when there are children around.
  
• Place wall-mounted garage door opener switches well out of reach.
  
• Store lawnmowers and snowblowers out of harm's way.
  
• Lock the doors on any unused refrigerators and freezers.

Is Your Wiring Safe?

In fact, some estimates indicate that nine out of 10 American homes are inadequately wired. And inadequate wiring causes one out of eight home fires.

How do you know if your home is properly wired? If you answer yes to three of the following questions, chances are that your electrical system needs upgrading.

• Is your home more than 10 years old?
  
• Do you have problems with circuit breakers tripping frequently?
  
• Are your lights dimming or electric motors running more slowly than they should?
  
• Is the picture on your television constantly shrinking or fading?

Rewiring a home can be an expensive proposition, but it's almost certainly cheaper than a fire. Have a licensed electrician review your electrical system and advise you of the measures needed to minimize the risk of an electrical fire. For more information, contact your electric co-op.

Watch Out for Overhead and Underground Lines

• Don't trim or cut down trees that are growing near or underneath power lines. Have a qualified contractor take care of the job.
  
• When planting new trees, be careful about placing them beneath overhead lines. The tree might be small now, but in a few years it could grow into the line.
  
• Before you dig anywhere on your property, be sure you know where your underground utility services are -- not only electric lines but also gas, water and cable television, as well. Cutting into these service connections could cause serious injury as well as a lot of inconvenience.
  
• Be careful installing or removing television antennas or satellite dishes. Check your clearance overhead to the power lines. If you aren't sure that you're well clear of those lines, don't take any chances. Have a professional relocate, install or remove the device.
  
• Take the same caution when using tall ladders, pool skimmers or other long tools or equipment. A single careless motion could cause contact with the overhead line. If you can, use wooden instead of aluminum ladders, and always carry ladders horizontally when moving them.
  
• Supervise your children when they're flying kites and make sure they know to stay clear of power lines. Use only nonmetallic string on the kite, and if it should get entangled with a power line, drop the cord and call your cooperative for assistance.
  
• Never build a structure or pool beneath the lines that connect your home to power facilities.
  
• Keep yourself, your children and your pets away from substations and other utility equipment. If a toy rolls or bounces inside, call your cooperative. Don't try to retrieve it!