Getting a letter from the FBI is a little like having a police car come up behind you on the highway. Even when you aren’t doing anything wrong, haven’t done anything wrong and don’t plan to do anything wrong… it makes you nervous. We received one of those letters today from the FBI talking about potential terrorist activity as we approach the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The letter included a flyer with a list of potential indicators and best practices concerning construction sites. Most of them are common sense, but the reminders are good. I’ve scanned the flyer and included it to the right.
It is best we don’t forget, lest it happen again.
Congratulations to Russell Voss for successfully completing OSHA 10 Hour Safety Training through Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana (ABC). Easterday Construction is committed to safety and we appreciate Russell stepping up to take this training. We look forward to his help in keeping our job sites safe.
Will Pearson (certificate above) and Russell Voss completed at OSHA 10-Hour Construction Industry Safety Training Class through Safety Management Group and Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana. Will serves as the Safety Officer for Easterday Construction Co., Inc. We appreciate his dedication to the position. Russell stepped up with a desire to learn and promote safety in the company as well. His participation is also appreciated.
Easterday Construction Co., Inc. received a Silver Level STEP (Safety Training and Evaluation Process) achievement award from Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC) for our ongoing efforts to advance our safety program. Thanks to our Safety Officer, Will Pearson, for both administering our safety program and for completing the award application. Thanks to our superintendents and entire crew for realizing the value of safety to our company and every individual employee of Easterday Construction.
Anyone that knows me is aware of my disdain for Daylight Savings Time (DST). I humbly request that you take my grumblings with a grain of salt the next few weeks as I adjust. I am generally a fan of Benjamin Franklin and like to carry his likeness with me at all times, but when I found out that it was his writing of An Economical Project in 1784 that fostered DST, my respect for him dropped considerably! Honestly though, he would probably be quite amused that his tongue-in-cheek treatise based on his desire to stay up late and sleep until noon was adopted as international policy!
So, can we make lemonade from lemons here? The time change is a good time to check your smoke detectors. This is promoted by fire departments across the United States. First, minimally, go around and press the test button to be sure they’re working. Best would be to go ahead and change the batteries. Even the hardwired detectors often have battery back-ups. If the battery died while you were on vacation, you might not have heard that annoying chirp. Also, someone may have robbed the detector of its battery for a use they considered more of an emergency at that time. This is ALWAYS a bad idea! Drag your lazy butt to the store if the TV remote needs a new battery!
Second, review your smoke detector locations. If you have an older home, you may not have smoke detectors located to meet current codes and recommended standards. Check with your local building inspector for code requirements in your area. Check with your insurance company for their minimum standards which could be different. If you are adding smoke detectors, be sure and review the types available. Ionization smoke detectors are the most popular, mainly due to price. These economical units are reliable, but may not detect a slow, smoldering fire quickly. A photoelectic smoke detector uses a beam of light that is refracted when smoke is present. This is generally considered a better detector, but is also more expensive. You can find a well written comparison of the two here.
Third, consider adding carbon monoxide detectors. These devices give you another form of protection against unsafe air conditions.
Fourth, review your escape plan. The lives of you and your family may depend on it. Cool heads are rare in a fire, so make up for this by having an easy to follow plan that everyone in the family knows and understands. There is a good template on developing a fire escape plan here.
Lest you think I’m softening my position on DST, it is recommended that you check your smoke detectors once a year. It would be much better to do this on a once a year holiday such as Valentine’s Day (to protect your lover) or the 4th of July (because fireworks are fire hazards) or Christmas (you have the ladder out to put the star on the tree anyway). DST causes you to change the clocks twice a year, which will undoubtedly lead to confusion for some. But since the firemen have chosen the Spring DST clock change for this, there’s no sense bucking city hall… You’re already late! Check your smoke detectors now.
Ed. Note: Fire Chief Andrew made a good point in the comments: One additional item to mention comes from the NFPA website. “Having a smoke alarm cuts your risk of dying in a fire NEARLY IN HALF. Test yours today”