As the weather improves, many people find themselves wanting to spend more time outdoors. Fire pits and outdoor fireplaces offer an excellent way to extend the amount of time that can be comfortably spent outdoors with family and friends.
When planning for your outdoor fireplace or fire pit, comfort and ease of access seem to top the list-but the safety of your family, home or business, and guests should be the top priority. By following a few simple suggestions, you can avoid having your latest home or business improvement project become a nightmare.
Here are a few things to consider when protecting your home and family from a fire:
Proximity to combustible materials. It is recommended that you keep any combustible materials a minimum of 10 feet away from your fireplace.
The type of fuel. Wood, gas, or charcoal are the most popular and safest fuels to use in a fire pit or outdoor fireplace. Don’t use chemicals or combustibles, like lighter fluid or gasoline, to get the flames going.
Placement. Never place your fireplace on a wooden deck as hot embers can quickly ruin an evening.
Supervisionand prevention. Always supervise children and pets when a fire pit or outdoor fireplace is in use. Children easily fall and pets sometimes miscalculate their jumps. Many fire pits and fireplaces come with metal grates or curtains that can be placed on top of them–use them.
Proper disposal. Never dispose of hot ashes in a plastic waste receptacle. Instead, wait until the ashes have cooled and place them in a trash can made out of metal
Be ready. Make sure to have a garden hose, bucket of water, and/or a fire extinguisher close by when using your fireplace or fire pit.
Don’t break the law. Before installing a fire pit or outdoor fireplace, check with your local fire department see if these items are legal to use in your area. Some cities allow outdoor fireplaces only for ascetic purposes, but not for use as a heat source.
Local natural and manmade disasters can cause great devastation when they happen. You can help reduce the affect of these disasters by getting involved in your city’s or county’s disaster planning efforts. Some states, like California and New York, have websites where communities can get involved in planning for a variety of local disasters. Check out your city or counties website to see how you can get involved, or call your local city hall or Red Cross. These places will be able to give you information on how your city or county will need help during a local disaster.
When there is a disaster, a community typically needs assistance with the following:
Redirecting Traffic. If there is loss of power to a city or there has been a natural disaster, the roads are often the first to suffer. Directing traffic can help relieve congestion and redirect people to alternate routes.
Phone tree. Operating a phone tree in a disaster helps get vital information to those who need it.
Disaster command center. The coordination of agencies involved in providing aid to a distraught area can be strenuous for just a few people to do; that’s why volunteering to help at a command center can help relieve stress and as you provide another brain that knows what’s going on. Assistance can take on the form of helping run an information booth to helping with emergency shelter services, and more.
CPR & First Aid. Learning CPR and first aid techniques can help you know how to provide immediate life-saving acts until more help arrives.
Volunteer Coordination and Preparation. Volunteer coordinators help recruit able bodies to assist in areas such as outreach to the community about preparedness, clean-up, to helping hand out essential items to those in need. Volunteers help speed the recovery effort.
After a week of heavy rains left California wet and muddy, residents are bracing for yet another storm. The National Weather Service reports a smaller storm is expected to make landfall on Tuesday and should last a couple of days.
This comes as bad news as people took advantage of the drier weather and began the restoration process this weekend. The week of stormy weather affected the hills to the beaches: recently wildfire-devastated areas experienced mud slides and the coast had dirty beaches as the San Gabriel River sent trash to line the ocean shores. Stranger yet, cities across the state witnessed the fall of hail, and the sighting of a funnel cloud prompted a tornado warning near Brentwood. Work crews and residents in California are now scrambling to clean up what they can before the next wave of rain hits.
It is vital that water damage caused by the recent storms is cleaned up as mold damage will soon follow if items are left damp. A company that specialized in disaster recovery services can assist in this effort and help businesses and homeowners get back on their feet by drying wet documents and other items.
The weekend rain continues to pour down on Southern California as four storms are predicted to blow through the area this week . Rain is expected to continue through Tuesday morning and turn into a stronger storm with lightening and thunder. Hail, tornadoes, and up to 1.5 inches of rain are expected to make an appearance this afternoon and last through the night.
Authorities are advising commuters to exercise caution this evening on their way home. They also ask that people stay inside when there is lightening and thunder.
The coastal areas have a high-surf advisory in effect through the end of the week. A flood watchhas also been issued through Wednesday.
The strongest in this series of storms is expected to affect Southern California on Wednesday and Thursday. Experts predict that as much as 8 inches of rain could fall in the area.
Extreme winter weather can make conditions more than just cold and slippery. When snow and ice accumulate, it can become heavy and cause building damage or water damage.
Snow and ice can collapse roofs, especially on older buildings. Older buildings have a greater risk of corrosion, which can weaken its structural integrity. Newer buildings that have roofs made of light-weight metal, roofs that are flat, or roofs that do not have a lot of supports are more likely to give-in under the pressure of excess snow and ice. Snow drifts on a flat roof that have projections, a lower roof, or other equipment can accumulate snow that has drifted with the wind. This can cause vulnerability unless additional strengthening supports are added. One should contact a professional about safely removing excess snow and ice from a roof.
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To help keep ice of roofs that are sloped, make sure attics are well ventilated so the snow on the roof does not melt and turn to ice. Melted snow and ice can enter a roof via the eaves and flat roofs can experience water damage if ice dams form and prevent water from flowing into drains on a roof.
Snow that builds up on walls and windows can cause water damage if it melts and leaks in through improperly sealed windows or into the basement. Basement drains, window wells, outside walls, and gutters need to be clear of any object that could cause them to clog.
10-12 inches of fresh snow or 3-5 inches of old or packed snow equal 1 inch of water and 5 lbs. of pressure for every square foot on a roof. Preventative building maintenance is crucial during the winter months to help avoid costly repairs. Learn more about winter weather preparedness and building maintenance.
