Daylight Saving Time Checklist

With Spring – and Daylight Saving Time – upon us, now is the perfect time to check and update any emergency preparedness plans. Emergency Preparedness Kits and plans are something every family should have and be familiar with. The start - and indeed end – of Daylight Saving Time, therefore, provides the perfect reminder to review and update those plans.

 

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms

While it is easy to take smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for granted, the onset of Daylight Saving Time should prompt you to check each alarm in your house.

Tragically, the statistics when it comes to smoke alarms are startling. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) found that in one quarter of house fire deaths an alarm was present but didn’t sound and in half of those cases, the alarm did not sound due to missing or disconnected batteries. It is clear to see, then, that checking your alarms regularly is a necessity.

Ideally, you should be habitually checking your alarms monthly but, granted, it can be easy to forget. This is why checking at the beginning and conclusion of Daylight Saving Time is so important and, hopefully, more easily remembered. Ensure that batteries are replaced biannually to coincide with the changing of your clocks and you’ll never forget again!

 

Emergency Preparedness kits

They don’t call it spring cleaning for nothing and so the changing of the seasons - and the clocks – should signal a tidy-up of your Emergency Preparedness kits. Twice yearly, the expiration dates on both food and medications should be reviewed with any expired items replaced.

The changing of the climate, too, will have an influence on your preparedness kits. First Aid kits should be updated with warm-weather specific items such as sunscreen lotions and bug repellents whilst your emergency clothing should also be reconsidered, with heavier, warmer clothing replaced with lighter options.

If the allure of fun in the sun is too much, you may be somewhat lax in your preparation of an Emergency Preparedness kit. Handily, the team at FirstMyFamily.com have foreseen and solved this problem by assembling a range of Emergency Preparedness Kits, each compiled by emergency and disaster preparedness professionals.

Perfect for families, the four-person Premium Disaster Preparedness Survival Kit provides 72 hours of survival and first aid supplies, including emergency food and water rations and an 85-piece first aid kit.

 

Emergency plans

With recent disasters such as the San Jose floods fresh in the mind and blizzards becoming more and more common, disasters can strike at the most unexpected of times. Emergency plans, hence, are crucial and should be updated regularly. With the arrival of spring – and warmer weather – your emergency plan should be reassessed to include potential new dangers such as forest fires. Phone numbers, addresses and contact information should all be reviewed also.

As a family, you hope you will never have to utilize any of this but, if the worst does happen, you will be eternally grateful that you had the foresight to prepare in advance.

 

 

---

---