How to prepare children for emergencies and disasters

If the unexpected should happen, how can you prepare children for emergencies and disasters? 

You can’t assume that they know what to do, but you can help your children to feel safer and more secure with a little advice and support. Here are some tips on what to do to prepare children for emergencies and disasters.

Talk it through

If the worst should happen, it’s important for a child to understand what will happen next and what the potential outcomes may be, the kind of help that will be sought and reassurance that everything is okay.

Share a plan 

Knowing what to do in these situations is of high importance for your children. A good way to share what is expected of them throughout is to make and share a plan. The plan can be broken down in to steps, highlighting key information such as where to meet, contact details and medical information.

Review and remind 

Things change and it’s a good idea to review the plan and remind children of their part in implementing it. Contact details or medical information may have changed so it’s a good idea to do this every so often, not too much that it becomes an immediate concern.

Throughout all of the points above it’s important to remain factual when sharing the importance of emergencies and disasters. This way children can learn from facts rather than myths and understand how their actions can impact the outcome.

There’s a great government website set up to help children to understand disasters whether it’s through learning as a family or as a child. It’s called Ready.gov and we’d highly recommend that you take a look!

If you’re unfortunate enough to require help to resolve the destruction of a disaster in your home, you can call us for our expert help on 0845 762 6929 or visit www.servicemasterrestore.co.uk for non-urgent help

Outdoor heating safety

Outdoor heating safety is an important consideration all year round!

Thinking about dining al fresco or spending more evenings outdoors after sunset? You might find the evenings aren’t quite as warm as you’d like and a patio heater is a great way to heat outdoor space for these occasions. But how can you ensure you operate them safely?

Read our tips below on outdoor heating safety;

  • Storage – When not in use, store the patio heater safely in a cool and try area. Ensure that it is protected in a way to ensure that dirt, debris and insects cannot make their way in to it to hinder it’s future use
  • Cleaning – If it’s dirty, you can clean the outside parts with a mixture of soap and water, ensuring it is completely dry before use
  • Weather – Use only in dry weather and avoid using in windy conditions unless it is secured to the ground with brackets or weights
  • Set up –  When moving the patio heater to the desired location, never do this whilst the flame is lit. Always ensure that there is a clear path for movement
  • Usage – Position the patio heater away from fire risks, such as flammable materials and don’t place anything above or below the heater that could reduce the natural air flow

Enjoy your time outdoors safely by following the above tips on outdoor heating safety.

If however, you’ve been unfortunate enough to experience fire damage, give our fire restoration experts a call on 0845 762 6828 or visit www.servicemasterrestore.co.uk/

Summer electronics safety

As we’ve been experiencing some hot weather recently, it’s important to ensure that electronics you practise summer electronics safety

Here’s some great tips on keeping your electrical equipment cool, whilst your home or business is warm!

  1. Ventilation – Ensure there is sufficient ventilation in the room/rooms where equipment is kept. If there’s not access to breeze from an open window or vents, it may be worth investing in a fan or air conditioning unit
  2. Storage away from sunlight/heat – Even when not in use, store your electrical items out of direct heat and sunlight as damage can occur internally whilst not in use and may cause malfunction the next time you come to use your equipment
  3. Maintenance – Proper maintenance of your equipment, particularly of any internal cooling/ventilation functions will ensure it is more likely to work safely
  4. Don’t stack – Do not stack electrical items on top of each other. Stacking can increase the temperature of equipment to much higher temperatures
  5. Keep it clean – Dirt and dust can become trapped, particularly in air vents and other mechanical parts that need to be kept cool. Blockages can prevent effective cooling, so it’s important to keep your equipment clean

In case of emergency, shut the equipment down and remove from the power supply safely.

We hope the above tips on summer electronics safety are helpful in keeping you safe this summer whilst using electronics.

If you’ve been the victim of fire damage due to your equipment overheating, we can help to restore your property.

Contact us today on 0845 762 6828 or at www.servicemasterrestore.co.uk

Technology and experience

Technology and experience are important to us here at ServiceMaster Restore, we invest heavily in the most innovative technology to restore properties back to their previous state as quickly, effectively and as safely as possible.

This means that we keep up to date with the latest innovations in technology, products and training to ensure that we’re able to offer the most appropriate restoration service to our clients and customers in their time of need.

We offer a wide range of restoration services responding to floods, fires and trauma, so we have a wide range of kit too!

From leak detection, temperature gauging, drying, cleaning and disinfecting, we’ve got the tools, products and equipment to do it all. We have access to many units and can get to an urgent claim within 2 for 4 hours across the UK. Our technology and experience is what sets us apart from the rest.

All of our technicians are specially trained in using the tools, products and equipment through our intense training programme, and many technicians have BDMA or senior BDMA qualifications (British Damage Management Association).

With over 61 years experience in the UK, you and your clients are in great hands.

Speak to our team today to report an emergency or register your interest in becoming a commercial client.

0845 762 6828 / www.servicemasterrestore.co.uk