VashonBePrepared: Utility safety and AEDs

Learn how to manage your utilities in an emergency.

September 13, 2024 12:30 pm
VashonBePrepared photo One of the three Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) has already been installed at the high school football field in time for the start of school. This unit is mounted on the bleachers (left) and also shown in close-up (right). Two other AEDs will be installed where they can be quickly accessed from the soccer and baseball fields, plus the McMurray and Chautauqua playfields. The three units are lighted at night and available 24 hours a day. If you use the school fields, it’s a good idea to locate the AEDs in advance, before an emergency.
VashonBePrepared photo One of the three Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) has already been installed at the high school football field in time for the start of school. This unit is mounted on the bleachers (left) and also shown in close-up (right). Two other AEDs will be installed where they can be quickly accessed from the soccer and baseball fields, plus the McMurray and Chautauqua playfields. The three units are lighted at night and available 24 hours a day. If you use the school fields, it’s a good idea to locate the AEDs in advance, before an emergency.

Warmth. Light. Water.

These essentials make our daily lives work. We would be much less comfortable following an emergency without our gas, electric, and water systems. This issue is the first of two editions of VashonBePrepared designed to help you understand how to stay safe around these powerful community amenities.

It’s part of our Prepare-in-a-Year campaign, which encourages you to complete just a few preparedness steps each month.

It’s the perfect time to get started on Prepare-in-a-Year if you haven’t already done so. It’s National Preparedness Month, which you can learn more about at tinyurl.com/NatlPrepMonth.

The theme this year is “Start a Conversation.” Get your peeps together and make a household commitment to preparedness.

Turning off your natural gas

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) says that even after an earthquake, it’s essential to be sure you have a leak before turning off your natural gas at the meter. If you shut off your gas, you’ll need PSE to come to your home to restore service. That could take a long time after a disaster.

PSE advises you to turn off your natural gas only if you smell, see, hear, or suspect that gas is escaping. Learn more by visiting this PSE web page that explains the process in detail: tinyurl.com/TurnOffNaturalGas.

If you need to turn off your gas service at the meter, follow these steps:

• Find your gas service shutoff valve. It should be at your gas meter.

• Use a wrench to turn the valve either right or left; either one will do.

• Your supply is shut off when the wrench is perpendicular to the pipe.

• Be sure to call PSE to report your leak at 888-225-5773.

Turning Off Your Propane

In an emergency, you may need to turn off the propane supply to your house.

• Locate your propane tank turn-off valve under the lid on top of the tank.

• Lift the lid and turn the main valve to shut off the propane supply to the house.

• Remember this traditional memory aid: “Lefty loosey, righty tighty.” Turning it to the left (counter-clockwise) opens the valve by loosening it. Turning it to the right (clockwise) closes the valve by tightening it.

Turning Off Your Electricity

Here are simple steps to take if you need to turn off the electricity supply to your house.

• Find your main electrical panel. It’s usually on an interior wall, and there will be a number of switches, usually behind a door. The switches are called circuit breakers.

• Start at the bottom of the rows of circuit breakers. Turn off all the circuits in your house one by one, room-by-room, service-by-service.

• When all the circuits have been turned off, turn off the main switch. The main switch is larger than the circuit breakers and is usually located at the top of the electrical panel.

• When you are ready to turn the electric supply back on, turn on the main switch first and then turn on each of the individual circuits one by one. That will help prevent a surge that could damage electrical appliances and other equipment.

If all that is a little daunting, you can check out a video that shows the procedure in pictures by visiting tinyurl.com/ElectricityOff.

Next week: Advice about downed wires (which you should always assume are energized), plus other utility pro tips.

Yates Foundation: Lifesaving AEDs at School Fields

The Sam Yates Community Foundation announced that three Automated External Defibrillator (AED) devices are being installed at the school district sports fields. Even untrained people can utilize the devices to restart the heart of a stricken person.

The units are unlocked and ready for everyone to use — not only for those at sports events.

The Foundation’s Jill Yates pointed out: “The intense physical demands of youth sports can elevate the risk of sudden cardiac arrest, especially for those with undiagnosed heart conditions. So immediate access to AEDs and early defibrillation can significantly improve survival rates. That’s why these three AEDs are designed to be outdoors at the school fields.”

The Foundation thanked the Vashon LaCrosse Club for donating one of the AEDs, and the other two were funded by the Foundation. Yates also thanked the Vashon Island School District for help with the installations.

The Foundation was established by Sam’s family following his tragic sudden death from a cardiac arrhythmia. Second Lieutenant Sam Yates was in the United States Marine Corps, completing training at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia at the time of his death.