Home Emergencies: How Prepared Are You?

It’s not a nice thing to talk about, is it? Emergencies are something we would all rather avoid if we could. Particularly ones that affect the people that we love. Unfortunately, we can’t control everything that happens to us. What we can do is be prepared for most of the emergencies that come our way. 

Our homes are important, aren’t they? Yet we often take them for granted. There are so many aspects of the house that we don’t understand, and we assume it will always function and then when it fails everything crumbles. This is especially true when it comes to our boilers. Heating and hot water can make a house a home. If you have ever tried to live in your house without them, you will understand what a difference to your life it creates. When your house is cold, nothing feels the same. You don’t feel cosy when you sit in your living room. Your toes are like ice in the bedroom. Without hot water, you can’t have a shower in the morning, the washing piles up on the sink and you can feel dirty. It is one of the most horrible experiences, and if you don’t have a plan, you could end up stuck like this for weeks waiting for a repair or replacement.

It’s imperative when you have your boiler installed, or when you move into your new home that you speak to a boiler engineer and ask them to run through your system. If you have vital knowledge such as how to restart the system or how to bleed air from the lines, this could help you solve simple issues. Speak to your specialist about how to avoid frozen pipes, which is a common reason for the heating system to break down.

Servicing your boiler is as important as servicing your car, so you should make sure you have this done once a year. A regularly maintained heating system will run more efficiently, and you will be able to identify any wear and tear before something goes wrong. 

In the event of a breakdown, make sure you have the details of an excellent local heating expert to hand. You could also keep some electric heaters and a few electric blankets on standby in your shed or your loft. This will ensure you can keep the family warm while you wait for repairs and parts. 

The plumbing of your home is essential too. With water coming into your house via the mains, you need to ensure you know where your stopcock is. If anything goes wrong and you spring a leak then learning how to switch off the mains water supply will save you a fortune in flood damage and it will also save you a major headache when it comes to cleaning. It’s essential to know a good plumber and to find someone who can offer a fast turnaround. Companies like AJ Alberts: Plumber also provide financing, which could be really handy if you have an emergency that you weren’t prepared for. 

You don’t have to be an expert to get to know all the vital plumbing components in your home. Where are your pipes laid? Where do they feed? Information like this can help you locate the source of a leak quickly so you can help your plumber before he gets to the job. If you can describe where the issue is and see where the water is coming from, he may be able to help you diagnose this over the phone, and that could speed up any parts he needs to order. 

Personal emergencies in your home are the worst. Whether it’s your children bashing their knees in the garden or something more severe like cutting your finger in the kitchen, you need to make sure you are prepared for a number of scenarios. 

It’s always sensible, especially when you have children, to take a first aid course and update yourself regularly on any advice. Would you know what to do if your partner started to choke? What if you burnt yourself badly, how would you react? 

Reaction times in an emergency are crucial. So you must have a comprehensive first aid kit at home. It can help to have a couple: one upstairs and one downstairs. You’d be surprised how many secondary injuries occur when someone is running downstairs in a panic to find the first aid kit. If you know you have everything you need and how to access it, you can save precious time and will be able to keep a level head. 

In any major emergency, you need to contact 911 as soon as you can. You should ensure that the person you are caring for is stable or in the recovery position. If they have cut a major artery, then understanding how to stop or slow the bleed will buy them crucial time. Applying pressure to a wound is correct in some cases but not all. If you can, dial 911 and put your phone next to you on the loudspeaker. If there are other people in your home, then ask them to unlock the door so that the paramedics can walk straight in.

Stay calm and use your head. If you have learnt first aid, then take a breath and run through the basics. The most important thing is to ensure the patient is in the right position and to try to keep them awake. 

Making sure you are prepared will help ease any emergency. The key to getting through life’s sudden crises is to be calm and collected and have a plan already in your mind. If you have already run through what you would do in every scenario, then you can recall the information and deal with it step by step. Don’t panic; make sure you have a list of people you can call when things go wrong and know the basics of every aspect of your home. 

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