October 2012

Storing Gasoline?

I have always wanted a generator for emergency power needs but I've been discouraged with the fact that most generators use gas and gasoline is difficult to keep and dangerous to store.  The following is my research on effectively and safely storing gasoline for generators as well as vehicle use and other gas-using equipment. Here are 5 rules of storing gas taken from  http://www.efoodsdirect.com/Blog/storing-gasoline/

First rule of gasoline storage: The very best thing you can do to store gasoline is to be sure that you keep your car’s fuel tank full. Don’t let your gauge get down to a quarter tank, or anywhere near empty; instead, try to keep your tank as full as possible.  Try to gas up every time you get below ¾ of a tank.

Second rule of gasoline storage is that you will need to check with your local government to determine legal limits for what you are able to store, and how you are required to store it.  Also check with your home insurance, because they often have limits to what they will cover.

If you store more gasoline than you are legally able to, it can become a massive liability. Syracuse City has a limit of 10 gal stored safely in an attached garage or up to 25 gal if stored safely in an unattached garage or shed according to the Syracuse Fire Dept.

(See Syracuse City Emergency Home Fuel Storage Limits and Guidelines in the article section of http://syracuse1st.blogspot.com/).

Third rule of gasoline storage is that you need to keep your gasoline in containers made for storing gas.  It is really easy to find appropriate plastic containers—they are available at gas stations, home improvement stores, and supercenters.  The most common size is the 5 gallon jug, although you can get smaller gas containers (which are usually used for lawnmowers and so forth). If you use any other plastic containers, the gasoline will gradually disintegrate the plastic, and it can seep out.  This is actually pretty dangerous, so stick to plastic containers made for storing gas. There are also metal containers for gasoline. If you do have metal gas containers, be sure that you keep the containers “grounded” because otherwise you could have problems with static electricity igniting fumes from your gas. Never, NEVER store gas in glass containers!  Gas naturally expands and contracts, and it could burst the glass, creating a big hazard. On a related note, when you’re filling the containers, remember to fill them while they’re on the ground (not on the back of a truck).

Fourth rule of gasoline storage is that you will need to add stabilizer to your gas.  Gasoline simply does not last very long.  Within a couple months, your gasoline can become basically a shellac (or varnish) if you don’t add stabilizer to it, and if it does, you can cause serious damage to your gas engine if you try to use it.  Stabilizer is inexpensive and readily available.  Two popular brands are STA-BIL and PRI-G.  They have been said to extend the usability of the gas for a year with STA-BIL or two years with PRI-G. Even with stabilizers added to gasoline, it is recommended to rotate your supply periodically.

Fifth rule of gasoline storage is to store your gasoline in a safe place.  Keep it out of the sun.  Don’t store it near something that ignites (don’t keep it near anything with a pilot light).  Keep the gasoline in a place separate from your house, like a garage or shed. This is important because the containers sometimes emit vapors, and you don’t want to breathe them.  Plus, if you were to have a fire, gasoline that is not stored in your house will lead to much less damage.  In a lot of places, storing gasoline underground is illegal, so don’t plan to bury your gas unless you’ve really researched it and obtained permits. 

That is a basic summary of gasoline storage.  If you want to store gasoline, start with keeping your car tank full.  If you decide to store more, stick to the legal limits and guidelines here in Syracuse.  Use approved containers, and add a stabilizer.  Then, just keep the gas in a safe place. Hope this information helps.

September 2012

Vinegar in Food Storage

Info taken from: http://www.versatilevinegar.org/index.html

Vinegar - why should I store it?

From the kitchen to the bathroom and beyond, vinegar is the most flexible of products sure to have a daily use in your home and life. Vinegar is commonly used in food preparation, particularly in pickling processes, vinaigrettes, and other salad dressings. It is an ingredient in sauces such as mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise. Vinegar is sometimes used while making chutneys. It is often used as a condiment. Marinades often contain vinegar. Many remedies and treatments have been ascribed to vinegar over millennia and in many different cultures, however, few have been verifiable using controlled medical trials and many that are effective to some degree have significant side effects and carry the possibility of serious health risks.

Kinds of Vinegar:

Specialty vinegars make up a category of vinegar products that are formulated or flavored to provide a special or unusual taste when added to foods. Specialty vinegars are favorites in the gourmet market.

• Herbal vinegars: Wine or white distilled vinegars are sometimes flavored with the addition of herbs, spices or other seasonings. Popular flavorings are garlic, basil and tarragon - but cinnamon, clove and nutmeg flavored vinegars can be a tasty and aromatic addition to dressings.
• Fruit vinegars: Fruit or fruit juice can also be infused with wine or white vinegar. Raspberry flavored vinegars, for example, create a sweetened vinegar with a sweet-sour taste.

Storage:

The Vinegar Institute conducted studies to find out and confirmed that vinegar’s shelf life is almost indefinite. Because of its acid nature, vinegar is self-preserving and does not need refrigeration. White distilled vinegar will remain virtually unchanged over an extended period of time. And, while some changes can be observed in other types of vinegars, such as color changes or the development of a haze or sediment, this is only an aesthetic change. The product can still be used and enjoyed with confidence.

 Vinegar Hints in Food Preparation

Getting the last drops:
When you can’t get the last bit of mayonnaise or salad dressing out of the jar, try dribbling a little of your favorite vinegar into it, put the cap on tightly and shake well. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ve been wasting.

Cooking fish:
Try soaking fish in vinegar and water before cooking it. It will be sweeter, more tender and hold its shape better. When boiling or poaching fish, a tablespoon of vinegar added to the water will keep it from crumbling so easily.

Cake icing:
Cake icing can be prevented from becoming sugary if a little vinegar is added to the ingredients before cooking. The same is true when making homemade candy.

Boiling eggs:
When boiling an egg and it’s cracked, a little vinegar in the water will keep the white from running out.

Keeping potatoes white:
A teaspoon of white distilled or cider vinegar added to the water in which you boil potatoes will keep them nice and white. You can keep peeled potatoes from turning dark by covering them with water and adding 2 teaspoons of vinegar.

Freshen vegetables:
Freshen up slightly wilted vegetables by soaking them in cold water and vinegar.

Fruit and vegetable wash:
Add 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar to 1 pint water and use to wash fresh fruits and vegetables, then rinse thoroughly.  Research has shown that vinegar helps kill bacteria on fruits and vegetables.

Frying doughnuts:
Before frying doughnuts, add ½ teaspoon of vinegar to hot oil to prevent doughnuts soaking up extra grease.  Use caution when adding the vinegar to the hot oil. 

Flavor booster:
Perk up a can of soup, gravy or sauce with a teaspoon of your favorite specialty vinegar. It adds flavor and taster fresher.

Meat tenderizer:
As a tenderizer for tough meat or game, make a marinade in the proportion of half a cup of your favorite vinegar to a cup of heated liquid, such as bouillon; or for steak, you may prefer to a mix of vinegar and oil, rubbed in well and allowed to stand for two hours.

Fruit stains:
Remove fruit or berry stains from your hands by cleaning them with vinegar.

Fresh lunch box:
It is easy to take out the heavy stale smell often found in lunch boxes. Dampen a piece of fresh bread with white distilled vinegar and leave it in the lunch box overnight.

Get rid of cooking smells:
Let simmer a small pot of vinegar and water solution.

Fluffy Egg Whites
Soak a paper towel with 1-2 Tablespoons of white distilled vinegar.  Wipe mixing bowl and beaters or whisk with the vinegar-soaked paper towel, then dry with a cloth or paper towel prior to whipping egg whites. 

Fluffier Rice
For fluffier and great tasting rice, add a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar to the boiling water before adding rice.  Rice will be easier to spoon and less sticky. 

The Vinegar Institute has many recipes to use vinegar. Check them out at:   http://www.versatilevinegar.org/recipes.html . Other helpful uses of Vinegar are also found at http://www.versatilevinegar.org/index.html.  You'll be surprised at what vinegar can do for you!

August 2012

Power Outage Safety

Last month, in July, portions of the eastern part of the US had lost its power for over a week with record high temperatures. The following is a list of safety tips combined from Rocky Mountain Power and Red Cross concerning power outages.

Keep food as safe as possible.

• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. First use perishable food from the refrigerator. An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold for about 4 hours.
• Then use food from the freezer. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.
• Use your non­perishable foods and staples after using food from the refrigerator and freezer.
• If it looks like the power outage will continue beyond a day, prepare a cooler with ice for your freezer items.
• Keep food in a dry, cool spot and keep it covered at all times.

 Electrical equipment

• Turn off and unplug all unnecessary electrical equipment, including sensitive electronics.
• Turn off or disconnect any appliances (like stoves), equipment or electronics you were using when the power went out. When power comes back on, surges or spikes can damage equipment.
• Leave one light turned on so you’ll know when the power comes back on.
• Eliminate unnecessary travel, especially by car. Traffic lights will be out and roads will be congested.

 Downed lines

• Call 911 immediately and then call Rocky Mountain Power, 1-877-508-5088 (toll free) if you see a downed power line. Don't touch it!
• Keep everyone, including pets, out of the area. You cannot look at a downed line and determine if it's "live."
• Do not touch a person if a power line is touching them. Immediately call 911.
• If a power line falls across your vehicle, stay in the car and wait for emergency personnel to cut the power. If your vehicle is on fire and you are in imminent danger and you must get out of the vehicle, JUMP – with both feet together—as far from the car as possible. If a part of your body touches the car and the ground at the same time, you could be electrocuted.

 Generator safety

·         If you use a portable electric generator, please do so with caution since generators can pose serious safety hazards when improperly used or installed. Remember to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

• Never plug your generator into an outlet and don't connect a generator directly to your home's main fuse box or circuit panel.
• If you must provide temporary power to your home's wiring system, the generator must be connected through an approved transfer switch that will isolate your house from our system. The switch must comply with the National Electric Code and local building codes. These include permits, inspection and installation by a licensed electrician.
• To temporarily power an appliance, plug it directly into the generator.
• Use properly sized and grounded extension cords and keep cords hidden so they don't present a tripping hazard.
• Always properly ventilate a portable generator. Gasoline-powered generators produce carbon monoxide and the fumes can be deadly.
• Make sure that the total electric load on your generator won't exceed the generator's rating.

In the house

• Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal ­burning devices inside a home or garage. Never use kerosene or propane heaters or stoves inside without proper ventilation. They create dangerous fumes. Also, don't use charcoal in your house or garage. If you have them outdoors, locate them away from doors, windows and vents that could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors.
• Install carbon monoxide alarms in central locations on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas to provide early warning of accumulating carbon monoxide.
• If the carbon monoxide alarm sounds, move quickly to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door.
• In the winter, preserve body heat by wearing multiple layers of clothing. Add a hat and blankets to stay warm. Blankets and towels around your windows and doors help keep the heat in. Also protect your pipes during freezing weather by wrapping them with insulation. Also, leave faucets dripping so water won't freeze and crack the pipes.
• If someone in your home is on life support, be sure to have a back-up system and a plan of action for an outage.

It's best to be prepared

·         Keep your cars always full of gas.

·         Keep a non-cordless phone in your home. They can work with the power out.

·         Have at least 2 coolers in your home. Styrofoam ones can work well.

·         Assemble an outage kit, including:

a)      A flashlight with extra batteries

b)      Battery-operated alarm clock and radio

c)      Ready-to-eat foods and manual can opener

d)      Bottled water

e)      Blankets

f)       First aid kit

July 2012

Fire Extinguishers

TYPES OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

When selecting a fire extinguisher, it is important to think about the type of fire you will most likely have and the extinguishing agents available. Each class of fire is best fought by a specific extinguishing agent. You will find a color-coded box on your fire extinguisher identifying which classes of fire it can be used for, and the type of fire extinguishing agent it contains.

The following is a list of the types or classes of fire:

• Class A extinguishers are for ordinary combustible materials such as paper, wood, cardboard, and most plastics. The numerical rating on these types of extinguishers indicates the amount of water it holds and the amount of fire it can extinguish.
• Class B fires involve flammable or combustible liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, grease and oil. The numerical rating for class B extinguishers indicates the approximate number of square feet of fire it can extinguish.
• Class C fires involve electrical equipment, such as appliances, wiring, circuit breakers and outlets. Never use water to extinguish class C fires - the risk of electrical shock is far too great! Class C extinguishers do not have a numerical rating. The C classification means the extinguishing agent is non-conductive.
• Class D fire extinguishers are commonly found in a chemical laboratory. They are usually items not found in a typical home.

The most common and universal fire extinguisher is the Multi-Purpose Dry Chemical (covers all A, B & C fires).  It has a dry chemical agent called mono ammonium phosphate. The chemical is non-conductive and can be mildly corrosive if moisture is present. In order to avoid corrosion, it is necessary to scrub and thoroughly cleanup the contacted area once the fire is out.

LOCATION

Location, location, location! Having a fire extinguisher is one thing, having it handy in case of an emergency, is another. It is recommended to have at least one fire extinguisher on each floor of your home. Also, keep them in plain sight and no more than five feet above the floor. The most important places to have a fire extinguisher are in areas that are more susceptible to fire. These areas are the kitchen and the garage. Also beware of heating and electrical equipment.

Kitchen: According to U.S. Fire Administration statistics, the kitchen is the place where fires most often start. If you have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, most grease fires can be contained. Do not put the fire extinguisher near the stove as it will be out of your reach if the fire is on the stovetop. You should not have to risk burns just to reach your extinguisher. Therefore, the best place to put the fire extinguisher is by the door of the kitchen so you have easy access to it.

Garage: It is a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher here because in most homes, this is the place we use as storage. Often, leftover paints, solvents, and building materials will be piled up without a second thought. Again, the best location to mount the fire extinguisher is by the door.

Heating Equipment: Heating equipment is the leading cause of home fires during the winter months of December, January and February, and is the second-leading cause of home fires year-round.

Electrical Equipment:Wiring, outlets, switches, circuit breakers and other electrical devices are the third leading cause of home fires and the second leading cause of fire deaths.

HOW TO USE AN EXTINGUISHER

When using a fire extinguisher, use the PASS method. Use this acronym as a quick reference (it is a good idea to print this reference and pin it next to your fire extinguisher):

Pull the Pin at the top of the extinguisher. The pin releases a locking mechanism and will allow you to discharge the extinguisher.

Aim at the base of the fire, not the flames. This is important - in order to put out the fire, you must extinguish the fuel.

Squeeze the lever slowly. This will release the extinguishing agent in the extinguisher. If the handle is released, the discharge will stop.

Sweep from side to side. Using a sweeping motion, move the fire extinguisher back and forth until the fire is completely out. Operate the extinguisher from a safe distance, several feet away, and then move towards the fire once it starts to diminish. Be sure to read the instructions on your fire extinguisher - different fire extinguishers recommend operating them from different distances. Remember: Aim at the base of the fire, not at the flames!!!!

See the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCSms-jyOao for an actual demonstration.

Before deciding to fight a fire, be certain that:

• The fire is small and not spreading. A fire can double in size within two or three minutes.
• You have the proper fire extinguisher for what is burning.
• The fire won't block your exit if you can't control it. A good way to ensure this is to keep the exit at your back.
• You know your fire extinguisher works. Inspect extinguishers once a month for dents, leaks or other signs of damage. Assure the pressure is at the recommended level. On extinguishers equipped with a gauge, the needle should be in the green zone - not too high and not too low.
• You know how to use your fire extinguisher. There's not enough time to read instructions when a fire occurs.

How to Fight a Fire Safely:

• Always stand with an exit at your back.
• Stand several feet away from the fire, moving closer once the fire starts to diminish.
• Use a sweeping motion and aim at the base of the fire.
• If possible, use a "buddy system" to have someone back you up or call for help if something goes wrong.
• Be sure to watch the area for awhile to ensure it doesn't re-ignite.

Never Fight a Fire If:

·         You don't know what is burning.

·         You don't have the proper fire extinguisher.

·         There is too much smoke or you are at risk of inhaling smoke.

This information is a summary taken from http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com/ For more in depth information, please go to their website.

June 2012

 Church Resources on Preparedness  

Last April in our 5th Sunday lesson,  Bishop Costley spoke of the many resources on the web that the church has for us, to help us as families and as individuals. I was impressed by the many heart touching messages that bring the spirit of the Lord into our home.  In addition to those  resources,  the church has assembled  many lesson ideas  for our Family Home Evenings  with a preparedness theme. My favorite is "Coping with a Blackout". The following is a list of the topics we can turn to, found at: http://classic.lds.org/hf/display/0,16783,4284-1,00.html

Family Preparedness Activities

	Emergency Supplies This activity will help your family gather and organize the emergency supplies that can make your family more secure.
	Emergency Telephone Numbers In this activity, your family will post all emergency numbers and learn how to use them.
	Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation may well be a gift of life to one of your own family members. All family members should know how to perform this life-saving technique.
	Treating Choking A series of simple techniques could save the life of someone who is choking on food or other objects. This activity will teach your family how to use these techniques.
	Treating Shock This activity will help your family learn to recognize and treat shock.
	Treating Bleeding This activity will teach your family how to handle bleeding.
	Protecting Your Home Against Fire This activity teaches your family basic steps to prevent and deal with fires.
	Coping with a Blackout This activity will help your family be prepared to deal with power failures that result in loss of light and heat.
	Making Your Home a Tough Target for Thieves This activity will teach your family security measures that will help to make your home a more difficult target for thieves by making it as difficult and time-consuming to steal from as possible.
	Earthquake Preparation There is no plan that can eliminate all earthquake danger. But you can greatly reduce damage and injury by following several basic guidelines.
	Making a Survival Kit This activity will teach family members to make a lightweight survival kit that they can easily carry with them. All of these activities come from the Family Home Evening Resource Book, under Family Activities. Also if you haven't visited Provident Living lately, please check out all of the resources there. The address is:  http://www.lds.org/pages/provident-living?lang=eng