Preparedness for when

hunters

Please be wary of writing down passwords and especially pin numbers I work in fraud and should a notebook fall into the wrong hands then you have little chance of getting your money back from a bank

I love the idea of a shelter full of spam :-) just as I love the idea of underground groups with a hot line to the EU and a pulley of para cord to get my mum out of the bath made me smile on sunnny Saturday, have a great day everyone

Sunshine4

2Tonsils Hope you had a lovely evening.
Please dont let a few people put you off posting.
I wish you all the best

mardatha

One scenario I didn't post and it's a very handy one -
One night when the house is dark and quiet, you and hubby if you've got one (if not then if you really really want, you can borrow next doors but it's optional)
Turn on the oven timer or something that will beep - make it ten mins, as that's all you'd have in a fire .
Now in the dark, find your clothes, get dressed for outdoors, grab essential documents and meds and get to the door.Stop the timer when you touch the front or back door. See how long that takes you... and imagine how much longer if you had to get kids out too.
Use this as an exersize in locating stuff and doing things in total darkness. See if you can get faster.

2tonsils

Have yet to catch up on this thread....You must all be super fast typists and thinkers... but will do that later during my second cup of tea.

I went out to celebrate my birthday Greek style . Went to my favourite little spit grill where they use their own products and cook on the charcoal. It was perfect and I brought half the steak home to eat cold today with salad. Gorgeous!

I have just been to town on my scooter as the weather is lovely during the day, it has turned cold at night though. My OH put on his fleecy pyjamas last night because I refused to put the other quilt back on yet. I went to the huge warehouse that sells everything and it was heaving in there with families with baskets full of stuff. After having a quick eyeball at what they were buying I realised they are getting their homes comfy for a difficult winter so they can settle down and relax in them.

They had lots of things like cushions, throws and things to keep the warmth level up in houses that may have no central heating, no electric supply due to the cuts and no insulation as nobody insulates houses here. They also had loads of colourful things like candle holders and silk flours to make the houses colourful and cheery. The children were obviously choosing their favourite colours for thick curtains and quilt covers. I noticed the shop had a huge range of furry leg warmers,thermals, hats and coats.

I got what I wanted and a few other preppy bits as well. Once you are out the check out there is a sales area for end of stock stuff.....you just have to carry it back in and stand in the queue again to pay for it. I hit the jackpot with four neck roll type pillows for only 1.45 euro each...I grabbed them and headed back into the queue only to have the ladies saying they wanted some and where did I get them. Unfortunately, I had taken them all. Have some fabric in the house so can cover them all . I fold my pillow under my neck to support it when I sleep and they are great for my husband to support his lower back with. He is on board with my prepping as he realises how quickly things could go wrong here. Being ex Navy he comes up with some really good ideas.

Someone asked earlier about water storage containers. We have to use them all the time. The ones that collapse seemed a good idea but we found they split and leaked very quickly. We like the solid ones with coloured tops (so we can use them in order of filling) that look like a milky white colour. I like the 15 litre ones as any bigger than that is difficult to lift when they are full. The solid ones goes nicely on the foot plate on my scooter but the collapsible ones move around when the liquid swishes around in them.

Off to read all your posts then I will add more updates, things are happening here all the time...

D&DD

MAR I'd probably fall a over t and rupture something :rotfl: good idea though will have to try it out..I have insurance :D


Hunters thankyou I decided to make use of the norton safe thingy I have and my son is now aware of my password etc on that instead.I love spam too!

I've also added some notes in to my file about 'stuff' I usually sort for the boys (hospital details etc) so its to hand.

2tonsils hope you're just nursing the mother of all hangovers lol just crossposted with you glad to see you back X

Today I am mostly chopping up fabric stuff still and am in the process of trying to make some snuggly wellie warmers from DS3's old fleeces will add the link on later

link here just scroll down to pdf http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2011/04/fleece-boot-socks-free-pdf-pattern-from-studio-cherie/

Have a great day all XX

2tonsils

No hangover at all...I am a non drinker although I tried a sip of my OH glass of local red wine...it was lurvly....LOL . Quite happy with my soda water with a slice of lemon, thank you very much.

I got a nice pair of pyjamas at the store today, just 4.99 euros which I thought was good. I don't usually wear anything but last winter it got positively Siberian up in the mountains where I live! We soon learned to close the shutters and curtains before the sun went down to retain the heat in the house. Have just been to price olive wood for the fire but it had gone up 15 euros a ton...so I complained about it and pointed out that the petrol is currently cheaper for delivery at the moment than it was in March when the firewood was cheaper. I have left him to ponder on losing a good customer till I go back next week......its negotiating Greek style ha ha.

At the moment its 32 during the day in the lovely sunshine but it drops down to ten degrees at night, which is hell of a difference. You have to learn to dress in layers so they can come on and off as needed.

Right, off to iron my winter curtains and rehang them, put the winter quilt on the bed instead of the summer one, and find out the material for my new neck pillows. That will keep me quiet for a few hours..then I am off power walking on the mountain to see what I can forage....

hunters

Sorry to pop in twice in one day with a serious post but please don't think in the horrible event of fire that you have ten minutes to do anything get yourself out and the family and phone the fire brigade. By all means practice this in the dark but don't think that you will have time to grab anything.
While it can be fun to play at going underground as sleuths and building outside first fire in the home can kill.

jeanniefaethecarse

For anyone prepping for a fire, I'd highly recommend asking for a visit from the local fire officer. (It's free in our area, not sure about anywhere else) We signed up for one at an event we attended, although you can phone the brigade's office and request one. The fire officer came round, checked our smoke/co2 alarms, advised (and fitted for free) another one, did a checklist of plugs and advised, then went round the rooms and suggested which room was safest to use as a refuge room while waiting for the fire brigade, and how to seal off the doors. His advice TO US was not necessarily to try to leave our flat (your circumstances may be different, and we are in a tall old-fashioned building where the stairwell and inside stairs can act as a chimney), for instance, if the fire is downstairs, and you are upstairs and in no position to assess it, go to the safe room. He also put together an evacuation plan for us should we be able to evacuate the building safely. Then told us to make sure we practised it, and everyone knew what they were supposed to do. The information he collected on the positioning of rooms etc goes onto a central database, so that if there is a fire, they know the layout inside and out, parking etc. and what to expect. It was food for thought from people who tackle this type of thing all the time. x Jeannie

jeanniefaethecarse

From Tayside Fire Prevention Squad with apologies for the long post.....

Fire Action Plan - Plan your escape route now

Every 5 days, someone in Scotland is killed in a house fire. Most are overcome by smoke. Some die from burns. And every single day of the year, 5 people are injured in house fires. Making an escape plan for your home could save lives.

If you do have a fire in your home, remember:

• fire is fast - you have no time
• fire is dark - you can't see
• fire is hot - you can't breathe

You don't need to be an expert. Just think it through. How would you get everyone out at night? How would you get the kids out? How would granny cope? Then tell everyone what the plan is. Practise what you'd do. You could live to regret it if you don't.

When your escape route is clear:

Get everyone out as quickly as you can. A life is worth more than the most valuable thing you own.
Don't look for the fire. If you can, close the door of the room where the fire is to give you more time to get out.

REMEMBER: GET OUT- CALL THE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE OUT -STAY OUT

If your escape route is blocked:

Get everyone into one room. If possible, make it a room with a phone. This is your 'safe' room. But never open the door to a room if it's warm to touch.

• When everyone's in the room, pack clothes, cushions, pillows or towels around the door to keep smoke out
• Open a window and shout until someone calls the fire brigade. Stay at the open window
• If you're on the first floor, you might be able to drop some pillows or cushions and then lower yourself from the windowsill. But only ever attempt this as a last resort
• If there are two adults, one should go first to catch children. Pass them slowly and stretch full length before you let them go
• No-one should ever jump
• If you're on a higher floor, lean out of the window for fresh air until the fire-fighters arrive

Plan your escape route now:

• Practise with your family if fire starts, shout to warn everyone in the house
• Get out quickly don't stop for valuables
• Keep low down air is cleaner and cooler nearer the floor
• Don't look for the fire - keep doors closed if you can't escape, get everyone in a safe room never jump out of a window.
• If you can, lower yourself onto cushions.
• But only ever attempt this as a last resort.

REMEMBER: GET OUT- CALL THE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE OUT -STAY OUT

10 Commandments to Fire Safety

1. Make your ESCAPE plan now
2. PRACTISE your escape route with your family
3. DON'T STOP for valuables
4. SHOUT to alert your family
5. KEEP LOW - air is clearer and cooler near the floor
6. DON'T INVESTIGATE - keep doors closed
7. If there's no safe way out, get everyone into a SAFE ROOM
8. Never junp out of a window. You may be able to LOWER yourself onto pilows and cushions. But only ever attempt this as a last resort
9. If you BREAK a window, cover jagged edges before climbing out
10. WHEN YOU'RE OUT - STAY OUT - DIAL 999

VJsmum

Really useful, Jennie

I always keep a torch in my bedside table draw as I was told that smoke and fire disorientate you and affect the electrics. Everyone knows what it is for and it is never removed and is checked periodically to ensure batteries and bulbs are ok. We sorted our escape route years ago when the kids were tinies - down and out the front door if we can (we always leave the keys in it) or out of DS bedroom window onto a flat roofed extension if we can't get downstairs. We never lock his window.

I realise we might be more prone to burglary but better that than frying.

The one time our smoke alarm went off in the middle of the night, the kids were out of their rooms in a flash - we never did find out why it went off but it was a good drill.