Prepare Northwest

Woodinville Safety Fair

2010-11-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of you who showed up to the Woodinville Safety Fair on November 6th. It was great to get a chance to meet with you and answer your preparedness questions. For those of you that missed it, here is a little of what you missed.

http://www.wflsd.org/winter10.pdf

A late Halloween

2010-11-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a Safe and Happy Halloween!!!

Canned Food

2010-07-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

One of the questions I get most often is how long does canned food last?

I would love a simple answer like, 6 years, 3 months, 1 week, 2 days, and 17 hours, but it isn't that straight forward I'm afraid. "Best by" dates or "use-by" are often stamped on cans but honestly there is little relevance to those numbers. Canned food will last for dozens of years if stored in moderate temperatures (around 70° F or below). Be sure to inspect the cans looking for bulging or denting and if the can is malformed DO NOT EAT IT! Otherwise you can expect that the quality of the product will change over time such as color or texture but the food should be safe to eat long beyond the "Best by" date.

Many canned food manufacturers have a unique coding system they use to mark their product. Some manufacturers list day, month and year of production, while other companies reference only the year. These codes are usually imprinted on the top or bottom of the can. Other numbers may appear and reference the specific plant manufacturing or product information and are not very useful to consumers. If you are interested or want to understand the "secret can codes" I have included some tips.

Some products are coded with a one digit year and then the day of that year such as 0201 would represent July 20, 2010. 0 = 2010 and the 210th day is July 20th.

Others use one digit for year and then a number or letter for the month. Numbers 1 through 9 represent January through September, and letters O for October, N for November and D for December. Or, just using letters, A=Jan. and L=Dec.

Now that you are truly confused, let me simply say, when in doubt, call the phone number on the product and ask.
For long term storage, I like to use my trusty Sharpie pen and write on the top of the can when I bought it.

"Triangle of Life" - not so much

2010-02-11T17:52:00.000-08:00

It seems as if after every major earthquake this "Triangle of Life" misinformation makes its way around the internet again, and after the Haitian earthquake it has popped up again. The "Triangle of Life" is an alternative safety concept that is inappropriate for earthquakes in the United States and dangerous to follow.

This comes around the emergency management community every few years, and we do our best to de-bunk it. Because building codes here in the United States are among the best in the world, most injuries and death in the U.S. from earthquakes occur from non-structural threat (stuff inside the building), not from structural threat (the building itself). You are far more likely to be injured by breaking glass and falling objects rather then the massive collapse of a structure.

The best way to react to an earthquake is to “Drop” – get under a table, desk or counter top, “Cover” – protect your head and neck, and “Hold on” – to a table leg or to that cover, until 30 seconds after the shaking stops. We encourage you to disregard the Triangle of Life message – it is dangerous misinformation.

For correct information for the U.S., go to: http://www.earthquakecountry.info/dropcoverholdon/
There, you’ll find links and statements from the Washington State Emergency Management Division, King County Emergency Management, as well as other pertinent news stories.

CERT Continuing Education

2010-01-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

We will be doing a class for CERT graduates at Northshore Fire Department titled Preparing “To Go” on January 21st from 7:00 PM -8:30. For all of you that have graduated from CERT training and are looking to refresh you skills, or get more involved this is a great class of you. To register contact Terri Jones at tjones@northshorefire.com or 425-486-2784

5 Minutes of Fame

2009-11-11T14:35:00.001-08:00

A brief little segment aired on Kong 6/16. A lot of fun to do, just a little nerve racking when we changed topics right before going on air!

http://www.king5.com/video?id=69794212&sec=549122

New Report, Old News

2009-11-05T21:50:00.000-08:00

Breaking News – The Alaskan Way Viaduct may collapse during a large earthquake.
So it may not be actual new information but the simulation that was released last week does show something that has not caught the public’s attention like the crumbling Viaduct. That is the devastating impact of an Alaskan Way seawall failure. The rotting seawall which was completed in 1930 holds the soil in place along the Seattle waterfront. A failure of this seawall would send the Alaskan Way surface street into Puget Sound, rupture utility lines, and destabilizing the foundations for the Alaskan Way Viaduct. (Most likely ending in collapse.)

During the Nisqually earthquake portions of the Alaskan Way surface street shifted and settled due to liquefaction of the soil underneath it and further inspections revealed the failing condition of the seawall. While the Viaduct and the proposed tunnel replacement get all the news coverage, the seawall the supports it all continues to rot away.

Who knows, if the debate and political war continues much longer, the failing seawall may take care of the demolition portion of the project.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010140232_webviaduct26m.html

Evergreen Hospital Emergency Fair

2009-09-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

For anyone in the greater NE Lake Washington area Evergreen Hospital in Totem Lake is hosting an Emergency Preparedness Fair this Saturday September 26th. I have been to this fair the previous two years and it is a quality event. Here is a link to their news release.

http://www.evergreenhealthcare.org/top_nav/about/news/newsrelease/2009/disaster.htm

A Hippocratic Oath

2009-08-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

The other night at a chaplains meeting we were discussing the importance of clear communication when talking to people who had experienced a death of a family member. Specifically it had been the practice of our group to mail out cards on the first anniversary of a family death. There is no need to explain how this practice makes sense, however, it appears that at least one chaplain had frequently mailed out sympathy cards without writing anything in the cards to explain why the recipients were getting them. As you can imagine, this practice has caused a few people some level of distress.
"What does this chaplain know that I don’t?"
"I thought Uncle Joes surgery was a simple out patient procedure."
"I wonder if they mailed this to the wrong Obadiah Maiefski?"

The conversation completely fell apart when my wife shared that she too had received a sympathy card about a week after the one year anniversary of her father’s death. She explained that at first she assumed it was a mistake and then looked through the church directory to see if there was someone with a similar name. When that search didn’t provide any clue, she then checked the post mark date to see if it had been lost in the mail for a year!

The lesson to be shared with everyone is no matter what you do, it should be a goal to Make No New Victims!

What's new with the Flu

2009-08-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

So today I watched the live webcast from the Department of Public Health and Human Services. The topic of the moment is still the H1N1 virus and what is currently being done at the federal level. HHS Secretary Sebelius, DHS Secretary Napolitano and Education Secretary Duncan joined the panel to say…….absolutely nothing new at all. As questions poured in from viewers the canned response of “that will be determined on a case by case basis” could have been written on a white board and after every question the camera could have cut away to the whiteboard.
“What recommendations will the Federal Government make on when to close schools?”…..cut to whiteboard.
“Who will have top priority to receive a vaccine?”…..Mr. Whiteboard answers that one too.
“What will be the process used to make the determination to cancel public events?” …and again pan over to the white board.

I can understand that it is a difficult task to predict the severity of a pandemic months in advance, but that being the case why not just come right out and say that Public Health is monitoring the situation and until something new is know our best advice is wash your hands, don’t touch your face, & cough/sneeze into your elbow, not your hand?

Over the top hype.

2009-07-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

“The world as we know it is coming to an end. Plague and pestilence are sweeping the planet. Click here and purchase our emergency food rations….before the world runs out of food.”
I understand that the economy stinks, and current events both here at home and abroad have us all concerned for the future, but within the past few months my email is overflowing with doom and gloom dire predictions put out by companies with “the solution” to sell. Food supplies, underground bunkers, and the ultimate guide to living off the grid are just a sample of the products being pushed. The last time I saw this many predictions of world wide destruction was during the run up to the year 2000. These types of campaigns do a disservice to all of us in the real world of emergency preparedness. After a thousand emails, so called news stories, and a whole host of fly by night internet sites spreading hype and questionable science, it makes the real need for preparedness seem trivial. Our messages get lost in the “noise”. I did find it a little ironic that as I sat down to delete a dozen of just such emails that the news scroll announced the passing of well known pitch man Billy Mays. Now I can’t help but hear his voice in my head every time I read one of these over exaggerated predictions of our demise. “Hi, Billy Mays here, the world is coming to an end!” (May he rest in peace.)
With any luck as the economy gets better, we will hear fewer and fewer predictions of chaos consuming the world. As we all witnessed in the year 2000 we can only hope that the producers of this garbage disappear and take their overhyped campaigns with them.

More on Pandemic Flu

2009-06-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

Just in case you have not turned on the TV, radio, read the paper or had internet access....... here is the latest.

The WHO (World Health Organization)’s announcement of a global pandemic confirms what we anticipated: H1N1 flu, commonly known as swine flu, continues to spread widely around the world. For weeks, State, County and Local officials have been intensively planning and preparing for the anticipated return of the virus in the fall and continue on that path.

H1N1 flu is still circulating in our community, but the level of illness appears to be decreasing, with fewer reports of flu-like illness from hospitals and schools. H1N1 virus has caused a disproportionate number of cases and hospitalizations in younger people, with 57% of the cases nationally among people aged 5-25 years of age. 41% of the hospitalizations are also among this age group.

The severity of the H1N1 virus has not changed here in King County or anywhere around the world. The WHO’s declaration of a pandemic (phase 6) is based on geographic spread of the influenza virus, not on the severity of the illness.

It’s important to note that although H1N1 activity is decreasing in King County as we enter the summer, we anticipate significantly more widespread outbreaks this fall and winter. This may include the potential for an increased number of illnesses and deaths in younger persons than during a typical flu season. Since this is a new virus strain, we know that many people will not have immunity to H1N1 flu.

This is a critical time to prepare for whatever the flu might bring in the fall.
Public Health is collaborating with health care, schools and other community partners to be ready.
Individuals and families must also prepare, including taking steps now to plan for possible school closures (such as setting up alternative child care and finding ways to work from home) and absences from work.
Businesses and organizations must also be ready to cope with a reduced work force if many become ill or need to stay at home.

Influenza can be serious for many people, regardless of whether it's this new strain of swine flu or the seasonal flu we see annually.

Be safe and have a great weekend,
Carl

Traffic Control Flagging Class

2009-05-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

Tuesday June 2nd I will be teaching a Traffic Control Flagging class over at Woodinville so if you know anyone that needs or wants to be a certified flagger there is still room in the class. This Memorial Day weekend I will be posting an ad on Craigslist as well. Have a great weekend and Be Safe!

The past couple of weeks have been crazy busy so the posting has slowed down, but the good news is that I have lots of content just waiting for me to put down. Stay tuned.

2009-04-29T20:29:00.001-07:00

The origin of Swine Flu!

Wilbur has been watching way to much news coverage!

Swine Flu

2009-04-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Oops, sorry about that pork producers of America, I intended to type H1N1. (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N28343516.htm)
At this point I think it is time for a reminder that 36,000 people die every year during a “regular” flu outbreak in the US. While my heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones in Mexico we all need to relax a little and not let the news coverage whip us up into a frenzy. This is however a great time to review our pandemic plans. Can you business survive a loss of 30 to 40% of your staff? Who in your family will stay home to take care of your kids when the schools are closed? Does your church have a plan how to minister to the community without services? When disaster strikes the time to prepare has passed!

To retail or not to retail?

2009-04-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

Ok not quite Shakespeare but a challenging question none the less. Up until this point I have placed orders based on customer needs and done my best to avoid carrying any inventory at all. The launch of a full function online retail site sends a number of dominos falling; inventory, shipping & receiving, credit card processing, and so forth. Do I really want to cross this bridge? My expensive hobby would instantly become a whole heck of a lot more costly both in time and money. As much as it would be nice to just step into this slowly, it is an all or nothing move. What to do? What to do?

Edmonds Emergency Event

2009-04-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday April 15th from 6:30 – 8:30 PM I will be participating in a panel discussion of preparing for emergencies hosted by Westgate Chapel in Edmonds. Brad Bowen and his family will be sharing their amazing story of living through the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Chengdu, China last year. I will be attempting to take their real life events and translate that into how we here in the earthquake prone Pacific Northwest should prepare. Cindi Bowen, the Congregational Care Pastor, will be covering the mental, emotional, and spiritual effects of what was happening to Brad and his family. The event should be very entertaining and I am hoping enlightening for the attendees.

And so it begins

2009-03-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

With a full time job, a part time (ha) side business, a wife, a two year old, a 6 month old, a house, & blah blah blah, why not start up a blog to devote all of my "free" time to? My plan for this cheesy little blog is to keep my throngs of loyal fans (That means you mom & dad!) up to speed with what is going on in my little world of emergency preparedness & safety training. I figure I will through in a few random thoughts and given the ease of posting, this may become a great way to post articles and such for others to use.