Gas - A Cautionary Tale

Gas piped into homes, offices, hospitals and schools is practically as common as bringing in electricity.  While an ill-placed live wire can hurt or even kill you under the right circumstances, or a short in a wire can cause a spark and potential fire, the potential harm from gas has a much greater reach – it can explode with tremendous power and violence.

Several incidents have happened recently this year that has heightened the public’s concern over gas safety:

On October 12, a home that had experienced “a gas smell for days” exploded, injuring five and destroying four homes.  On November 10^th, nearly 100 homes were damaged (33 completely destroyed) and two people were killed with gas caused an extremely violent explosion in an Indianapolis suburb.  On November 23^rd, a gas-caused explosion damaged 42 buildings, injured 20 people and surprisingly killed no one.  Tragedy struck again on November 27 when a fire and explosion from a gas heater killed 14 and injured 9 in a workshop in Berlin, Germany.

The incident that heightened the awareness of gas violent nature was the gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, California, on September 9, 2010.  The explosion in this Bay-area residential neighborhood killed 8 people and injured 58, some hospitalized for months with severe burns.  Thirty-eight homes were completely destroyed and dozens of others sustained damage.

The San Bruno explosion was certainly a wake-up call, especially for cities, universities and utility companies.  The location of gas pipelines were mapped and distributed to the community.  Emergency plans had to contain elements of awareness and mitigation of any gas pipeline hazards.  Pressure was placed on utility companies to examine gas pipeline infrastructure for signs of decay or weakening, as was suspected in the San Bruno explosion.

Many of us welcomed the new emphasis on gas safety.  Natural gas, though ubiquitous in the United States for heating and cooking, can be quite dangerous so spreading the word on how to prevent gas accidents is great and potentially life-saving.

By following a few basic tips*, you can prepare yourself and those you love to hopefully avoid any run-ins with gas’s explosive side…

DO!

·        Use your nose. If you ever detect even a small amount of the odor of natural gas in the air, don’t stay—get away. Then, contact your natural gas provider. If you don’t know that number, dial emergency services, 9-1-1.

·        Have all gas appliances, furnaces, vents, flues, chimneys and gas lines in your home or business inspected every year or two by qualified industry professionals.

·        Keep the areas around all appliances and equipment clean and unblocked to allow for proper air flow.

·        Follow manufacturer instructions for the care and use of gas appliances and equipment.

·        Make sure there is at least one multipurpose fire extinguisher in your home or place of business.

·        Review these natural gas safety tips regularly with ALL family members and coworkers.

DON’T!

·        Don’t ever let small children play with or near natural gas appliances or pipes, even the knobs on the oven or cooktop.

·        Don’t use your stove or oven for anything other than cooking (for instance, to heat your home, under any circumstances.

·        Don’t move or install a gas appliance or change the connector in any way without professional assistance.

·        Don’t use a space heater UNTIL you are sure it has been vented properly. If using a vent-free heater, make sure the automatic cut-off switch is operational.

·        Don’t install a gas appliance yourself, unless you are a qualified contractor. Instead, you should always seek professional assistance.

·        Don’t ever store household chemicals or combustible materials near gas appliances.

·        Above all, don’t forget to learn what to do if you ever smell natural gas in the air: SMELL GAS? ACT FAST!

IT’S BEST TO BE SAFE: If you smell gas RIGHT NOW—don't touch or turn off your computer—leave the area! After you go someplace away from the odor, call your natural gas provider. If you don't know that number, dial emergency services, 9-1-1.

*Resource:  http://www.safegas.org/tips/tips.html

November 27, 2012

Be Thankful

Here are some lovely thoughts about being thankful.  In the business of trying to remind others that bad things do happen and that we need to be prepared, this is a welcome gift.  Enjoy!

Be Thankful
~ Author Unknown ~

Thanks for not having
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Thanks for lacking knowledge
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Thanks for difficult times
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Thanks for limitations
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Thanks for challenges
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Thanks for mistakes made
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Thanks for exhaustion
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made the effort.

Thanks for setbacks
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.

Thanks for troubles
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

Yet another thing for your Emergency Kit: Resilience

Watching Hurricane Sandy and the storm’s effects even from afar was horrifying and tragic.  Whether you had friends and family there, or just hated to see suffering and destruction, it seems to leave one with a feeling of dread.  Are storms of this type the new norm?  Is this complete disruption of normal life what it will look like after the “big one” hits, albeit drier?

Maybe it is just us Emergency Manager types that look at these disasters and wonder, “What would I do in this situation?” but I suspect that a lot of people are wondering that same thing.  How does one prepare for, survive then get back to normal after that?  Or does one?

Sustainability has been the buzz word for some time now.  And it is a good idea.  We want to do those things that will sustain us by doing things today that will allow us to continue into the future, in approximately the same comfort, or better, than we have now.

An article in the November 3, 2012 New York Times, has raised its hand in this discussion, however, that made me stop and consider where our focus should perhaps lie…

“… [a] new dialogue is emerging around a new idea, resilience: how to help vulnerable people, organizations and systems persist, perhaps even thrive, amid unforeseeable disruptions. Where sustainability aims to put the world back into balance, resilience looks for ways to manage in an imbalanced world.” (1)

This is not an ad for the New York Times, nor a soapbox lecture on climate change (not that I haven’t addressed that issue), but I wanted to stress how important the concept of resilience is.  Resilience is not simply being tough when needed --  it is being tough before it is needed because you’ve understood how important it was to prepare for disasters in the first place.

We can pretend that future advancement will help us avoid or diminish disasters such as this, but that is probably much more wish than reality.  One must simply look at the weather patterns over the past couple decades and see that our weather has changed and that we better figure out how to deal with it.   One only has to look at the devastation from earthquakes in Japan, Chile and New Zealand and realize that it could just as likely be us on the news one of these days.

This is not the “be scared” tirade.  It is the awareness that things DO happen, regardless of where you live.  Whether a fire, terrorism, floods or earthquakes – things simply do happen.  And to not only survive, but survive well, resilience may well trump sustainability.  Sustainability is a good idea and a great goal, but we need the tools and will power to be resilient and ready.

(1)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/03/opinion/forget-sustainability-its-about-resilience.html

Trick or Treat?

The concept of trick or treating probably originated with the Celts more than 2,000 years ago.  On the evening of October 31^st every year, Celtic people would provide offerings around a bonfire for their dearly departed who would return that night for an earthly visit.  To drive away the unwanted spirits who inevitably would want to crash the party, the clever Celts would dress in costume to scare the nasty rascals away.  Several versions of this have changed throughout the centuries, but the basic idea of a disguise and offerings of food remain today.  Costumes of aliens, superheroes and French maids are certainly a spin on the original animal skin disguise – and have improved the odor substantially – they all allow the wearer to be someone else, if only for a night, ward off an evil spirit or two, and get a couple candy bars to boot!

Depending on your age (and some would note, gender) one could spend a lot of time in a costume selection.  Youngsters start imagining themselves in a variety of popular garbs almost the minute that multi-colored maple leaves start appearing on school bulletin boards.  The concept of costume pre-planning drops significantly, however, as children age and turn into young adults.  As I have witnessed the male members of my family, pre-planning really means, “What can you (wife/mom) put together for me as a costume?  Oh, and I need it in an hour…”

Pre-planning for anything seems to improve with age, perhaps because we are more aware of our mortality, or because we have more experience with times when a lack of pre-planning created its own disaster.  The irony is that we can and will plan for things that we have experienced or gives us a good feeling.  Planning for a birthday or anniversary may be work, but you see the results and in a positive way.  Planning for something you have either not experienced or just can’t imagine is often something people put off indefinitely.

Disaster planning (or more correctly emergency preparedness!), however, is really not difficult, but it is hard because it reminds us that bad things can and do happen.  Maybe we should just think of it as a choice between the comfort of being ready for a disaster or crisis, or the chaos and harm that comes with the bad stuff when we don’t. 

 So, when we think of it, it comes down to the same thing – “Trick or treat?”