Conference Checkup

There are several items on the to-do list for preparedness that are best taken care of every 6 months. Sometimes it's hard to remember how long it's been since you've completed one of these tasks unless you are super organized - which I am not. For this reason, the weekend of General Conference is the perfect time to get these jobs done. This weekend can serve not only to nourish our spiritual self reliance, but our temporal self reliance as well.

*Smoke detectors should be tested and batteries replaced every 6 months. Even though the batteries aren't getting much use and may still have some power in them, the smoke detectors will be at their peak sensitivity with fresh batteries. If you hate to throw the old batteries out, they can often still be used in toys and things.

*Test flashlight batteries and make sure the flashlights (or other emergency lighting) are located in an easily accessible location. We keep several oil lamps handy as well that we practice with when it's actually light outside. This came in handy the other day when we had a short power outage. The kids were a little worried, so we decided to light a few up. This was easy to do in the dark after having practiced in the light. After the outage, I also decided it was time to make sure all the lamps were full and the wicks were trimmed so that I wouldn't need to fumble with them in the dark. Having a ready supply of lighting can be a huge comfort, even in a pint-sized emergency. The trick is keeping any matches out of little ones' reach but still easy for adults to get to quickly!

*Bang the bottom of your fire extinguishers with a rubber mallet. Several years ago, we learned from our friends, the Rices, that the ingredients in fire extinguishers will settle at the bottom over time, rendering them useless in an emergency. By banging the bottom every 6 months, you re-mix the ingredients, extending the life of this valuable tool.

*Empty and refill your emergency water supply. Adequate fresh water is vital in an emergency. Many of us work hard to keep plenty of water on hand, but over time water will go stale and even rancid if not properly rotated and cared for. (That's one of the big reasons pirates drank so much rum! Their fresh water supplies would go bad over time, making it undrinkable. Not so with rum. Fresh lemons were also kept in the supplies for as long as possible by ocean voyagers to fight off that nasty flavor and prevent scurvy.) This situation is easily remedied by simply rotating your water supply every 6 months. The water you dump can be used for houseplants, gardens, flushing toilets, etc., if you feel guilty about letting it go to waste.

*Restock first aid kits. If your family is like mine, we go through a LOT of first aid supplies. Then, suddenly we really need a bandage and there are none to be found! Conference is a good reminder time to stock back up. Although I usually stock a pretty large kit, some of the basic supplies that I like to be sure to have on hand are bandaids, gauze, antibiotic ointment, wound wash, sting relief (found in the outdoors section at Wal-Mart), burn ointment, aloe gel, and pain relievers.

*Refresh 72 hour kits. Especially in households with children and teens, it's important to check clothing contained in these kits. The kids outgrow things quickly. Our current 72 hour kit clothing situation would be a sad joke if an emergency happened today. Food can also spoil or get invaded by bugs, and should be checked and replaced as needed.

*Check and verify emergency paperwork and contacts. It's great to have an emergency plan - someplace to go if an evacuation is needed, an out-of-state contact to coordinate with family members, etc. But if phone numbers are expired or personal situations have changed, you could have a problem on your hands. Conference time is a great opportunity to touch bases and make sure your plans are still valid. It's also important to make sure paperwork like birth certificates, social security cards, mortgage papers, etc. are in order and accessible. I recently went to grab my son's social security card and realized that I didn't even have a physical copy! I also once found out the hard way that the old, credit card sized birth certificates are no longer valid and must be replaced by the larger, paper copies. It's just best and easier to take care of these things now, while there's no pressure.

These simple, regular, and relatively inexpensive updates will do a lot to give your family comfort and speed if an emergency should arise. They are a great teaching time for children, and are great family activities to do between sessions, or even for Family Home Evening the Monday following General Conference.