SAS Urban Survival Handbook (26 page)

Pick up nails, screws and small fittings WHEN YOU DROP THEM—they could easily go through a shoe. Don’t store reusable wood with nails sticking out of it. Pull them out. If you really haven’t time, it’s better to drive them in.

Clear up shavings soon after work has finished—or during working, if there’s a lot. One spark could start a fire.

WARNING

Don’t let children play with bench-mounted vices. With some kinds, if they are unscrewed too for, the winding gear and half the vice could fall off—possibly onto someone’s toes.

REMEMBER

A first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher are a good idea if you intend to work in the garage/shed.

IF YOU DO CAR REPAIRS

• ■
  NEVER run a car engine in a closed garage. The exhaust fumes may kill you (see Carbon monoxide).
  
• ■
  ALWAYS use axle stands while working on a jacked-up car.
  
• ■
  If there is an inspection pit, take care! Pits often don’t have drainage and could easily become waterlogged.
  
• ■
  NEVER use electrical equipment while standing on wet ground!
  
• ■
  Drain the pit regularly and don’t let debris, spilt fuel and oil accumulate in the bottom.
  
• ■
  Put duckboarding or a wooden pallet in the bottom to stand on.
  
• ■
  Keep the pit covered when the car is not over it, to avoid anyone falling in.
  
• ■
  Oil on the floor could cause someone to slip over. Shake sand or sawdust on the spillage, wait a while and then sweep it up.
  
• ■
  Watch out for fuel leaks from cars in the garage. A very slight leak might get worse. If you smell strong petrol fumes—remember, petrol vapour is heavy and will be denser nearer the floor (especially in a pit)—DON’T SMOKE. DON’T turn light switches on or off—it could cause a spark. Ventilate the area immediately.
  

WARNING

If you keep your freezer in the garage, it may produce a tiny spark when the cooling mechanism switches on and off. There is evidence that this is enough to ignite a spillage of petrol or dense vapour—causing a very serious fire or explosion.

LEAVING THE HOUSE

BEDTIME CHECK LIST

You should make a nightly, room-by-room check, before retiring, to make sure that all is safe and secure:

• ■
  Turn off all gas and oil appliances, except for pilot-lights
  
• ■
  Extinguish all fires, naked flames and cigarettes—DOUBLE CHECK!
  
• ■
  Unplug electrical appliances—especially televisions
  
• ■
  Make sure there are no obstructions on stairs or in passageways
  
• ■
  Check everyone is home before securing entrance door bolts or locks which cannot be opened from outside
  
• ■
  Lock all external doors and secure all windows in unoccupied rooms
  
• ■
  Set any alarms
  

OUT FOR THE DAY

If leaving the home for the day, there are several safety and security considerations, which should become automatic. If necessary, make your own check list.

• ◑ Gas, oil and electrical appliances, such as central heating systems, may be left so long as they are working efficiently on a self-timer programme.
  
• ◑ If you have automatic air-conditioning, follow the instructions regarding leaving the system for any length of time.
  
• ◑ Extinguish portable gas and oil fires.
  
• ◑ Either extinguish open fires, or allow to burn very low if protected by an efficient fireguard.
  
• ◑ If anyone in the house smokes, check there are no cigarettes left burning in ashtrays or waste bins.
  
• ◑ Unplug all electrical appliances—especially televisions.
  
• ◑ Close all internal doors.
  
• ◑ Lock all windows.
  
• ◑ Check you have switched off any appliances you have been using—the oven or iron for instance.
  
• ◑ Set lights on timers to ‘come on’ as if the house is occupied.
  
• ◑ Lock garage and make sure contents are secure.
  
• ◑ Check that no ladders are usable and tools are locked away.
  
• ◑ Set alarms.
  
• ◑ Set telephone answering machine.
  
• ◑ Make provision for pets.
  
• ◑ If car is in driveway, ensure all doors are locked.
  
• ◑ Do not leave a key in ANY hiding place—however ‘clever’ or ‘safe’ you think it is.
  
• ◑ Lock doors as you leave.
  

REMEMBER

When leaving a recorded message on a telephone answering machine, try to invent something which does not say, ‘We are not here at the moment’. Phrases like: ‘We cannot come to the phone at the moment’ leave a certain vagueness as to whether the house is occupied or not.

GOING AWAY

If leaving the house for longer than a day—say, a week or two for a holiday—there are other points to consider.

In warmer weather, central heating/hot water systems should be completely shut down. In colder weather, especially when there is a possibility of water pipes freezing, set the thermostat to a low position. In this way, the central heating will only be activated when room temperatures become very low. Hot water in a lagged cylinder will stay fairly warm, so the boiler will only need to fire up briefly to keep it hot. Turn down the thermostat on the hot water cylinder to be safe. Electric immersion heaters MUST be switched off.

All electrical appliances should be switched off and unplugged—except for those lights activated by timer switches. Try to arrange lights to operate in a realistic pattern at likely times of the day.

In the morning and afternoon the kitchen would normally be occupied. In the evening the living and sleeping areas are normally in use. DON’T just have a hallway light showing. Some timers allow you to programme several on/off periods so that you can vary the sequence. An observant burglar keeping watch over several nights might notice repeating patterns.

If you are in doubt about the safety of your water system, turn off stopcocks and partially drain down large cisterns (indirect systems). Only do so AFTER you have switched off water-filled central heating systems and immersion heaters.

It’s up to you to make adequate provision for pets and plants. A trusted neighbour may be able to help you out and—although you should stop any regular deliveries to your home—they can make sure no unexpected parcels are left on your doorstep.

Tell at least one neighbour you have gone and leave a key with them. It could be an idea to tell the police in case the worst happens. Let them know who has the key. A neighbour should know how to switch your alarm on and off. Lock garages/sheds to prevent access to tools which might be used to gain entry.

PETS

Although much good can come from owning pets, there are serious diseases/disorders which can be transmitted from pets to humans (see HEALTH). There are also major safety considerations, which are outlined below. Remember that you can be legally as well as morally responsible for your pet’s actions. If your dog bites a neighbour’s child or runs in front of a car and causes an accident, you could be sued for compensation.

General hygiene

• ◑ A pet should have its
  own
  bowls, utensils, can-opener, washing and mopping-up equipment.
  
• ◑ Keep the area where the animal is fed, or where it regularly sleeps,
  clean
  . Vacuum and scrub surfaces as necessary.
  
• ◑
  Regularly
  wash or discard bedding.
  
• ◑ Cat litter should be emptied regularly. There are
  health risks
  to humans, with severe health risks to a pregnant woman and her foetus.
  
• ◑ Never allow an animal to lick your face, or the faces of children.
  NEVER!
  
• ◑ If your pet has diarrhoea, be
  scrupulous
  about cleaning up—but wear gloves and wash afterwards. There could be a danger of cross-infection.
  
• ◑
  DON’T
  allow children—especially toddlers—to play on the ground where dogs regularly defecate. There are severe health risks.
  
• ◑ Don’t garden or work with soil without gloves. If you do, wash
  thoroughly
  afterwards.
  
• ◑ Bird keepers should be scrupulous about cleaning out cages. Do it outside or keep people away. Wear breathing protection—to
  avoid
  inhaling dust from feathers or debris. There is a serious health risk.
  

General safety

• ◑ Keep pets
  away
  while you are cooking—both for hygiene and the possibility of nasty accidents.
  
• ◑
  Remember:
  Animals under your feet can cause a serious fall, especially on the stairs. Pets cause a lot of accidents to children and the elderly.
  
• ◑
  Don’t
  allow a child to boisterously handle a pet—especially if the animal belongs to someone else. Even animals have tempers—and may retaliate.
  
• ◑ Make sure your fence/gate is
  secure
  to prevent your dog running free.
  
• ◑ Legally
  you
  may be responsible if your dog causes distress, damage to property, or an accident.
  
• ◑ You may have to consider a muzzle on large dogs, especially guard dogs which are also pets. This may be a legal requirement in some countries.
  
• ◑ If you have an exotic or dangerous pet, especially a snake,
  you
  can be responsible for injuries it may cause.
  
• ◑
  Don’t
  allow your dog to chase pedestrians, cyclists and cars.
  
• ◑
  Take care
  when a bitch has a litter to protect. She may be overly-defensive and snap at strangers and children.
  

AQUARIA

What could be more harmless than a colourful aquarium full of fish? But BEWARE—many of them are carnivores and some have vicious teeth! A moray eel, for instance, may rise out of the water and literally bite the hand that feeds it. Other species may be highly venomous—make sure you KNOW the potential hazards—don’t just guess!

Fish aquaria pose serious electrical risks. If you can use appliances which operate on reduced voltages, do so. Since most tanks have to have heaters and pumps, keep fuses to 3amps. Switch off everything before touching the water, and DON’T touch electrical fittings with wet hands. DON’T bodge wiring jobs—you AND your fish may be fried!

UNUSUAL PETS

It is illegal to keep some animals—often a country’s own indigenous species. Trade in many endangered species is prohibited by international agreement, so they cannot be exported/imported as this often leads to extreme cruelty or infringement of quarantine laws. It is only thanks to such legislation that Britain and other countries have managed to more-or-less eradicate rabies and other serious diseases (see SELF-DEFENCE:
Animal attack
and HEALTH:
Zoonoses
). Ownership of some animals is prohibited because they are poisonous or otherwise dangerous. To obtain a licence to keep them, it is necessary to show that they will be kept securely with no risk to the public.