Camp Safety

First, I want to say that I highly recommend the services of Hughes RV. They are awesome people! A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I discovered that one of the hoses from a propane tank to the regulator has a gouge in it. After turning off that tank and just running from the other tank, things had been fine until a few days ago, when I started detecting an odour of propane the odd time.

I decided that I may as well replace the regulator and the rubber hoses. They are probably original equipment and the hoses are showing signs of old age. The local hardware store did not carry this type of regulator and that’s when I discovered Hughes RV.  C. and I took a run over there and when I described what I needed, Peter Hughes helped me get the hoses and regulator I needed and even went so far as to put goop on the threads before putting it all together for me.

However, when we got back to the trailer, I realized I had described the connection to the metal pipe that feeds the stove and hot water heater incorrectly. The connection they had provided me was a compression thread, whereas I needed a pipe threaded connector. I called them up about half an hour before they closed and explained the problem. “How soon can you get here?” they asked.

“Probably about the time you close,” I told them.

“No problem. Come on over, and we’ll get you straightened up.”

C. and I headed back, and the staff at Hughes RV managed to find a part that would enable me to get the propane running again. And they did stay open late for us too. And because the part was an inexpensive used part, it was given to us at no charge.

So now we have hot water once again and are able to use the stove in the trailer. It’s amazing what you miss when you don’t have it. Although it’s not that much a chore really to fire up the Coleman stove and boil water to wash dishes in. But it is also reassuring to know that the propane leak is fixed.

While at Huges RV, we also picked up some water hose and I learned a little about Pex type hose. Along with the hose, some pex joiners – so tomorrow, I will attack the water leak that I have.

Way way back in the day, about 20 or more years ago, I had a career in law enforcement. Part of our training involved how to properly use a fire extinguisher. Up until that time, I didn’t really know there was a proper way to use a fire extinguisher and fight a fire. For those of us that have camp trailers, we probably know we should have a fire extinguisher in the trailer – actually, we should have a couple of fire extinguishers in our homes too.

But if you had to use it, would you know how? Would you be comfortable getting that fire extinguisher from off the wall and fighting a small kitchen fire with it? Do you check it regularly to see if it still has its charge? A fire extinguisher will be of little use to you if it has lost its charge, or in an emergency you are unsure what to do with it.

In our training, we learned the acronym “PASS.” Let me explain.

First of course, you’ve got the fire extinguisher in your hands.  Now what?

P: Pull the Pin! There is a safety pin located in the handle, usually secured with a plastic ring. The easiest way to break the plastic ring is to give the pin a twist, and then pull it out. The pin prevents the trigger that when pulled or pressed, releases the fire extinguishing agent from being released accidentally.

A: Aim! Aim the fire extinguisher at the BASE of the fire. Don’t aim it at the flames that might be reaching up to the cupboards – that will do nothing to extinguish the fire. If the base of the fire is in a frying pan, that is where you aim the extinguisher. At it’s base, where the fuel source is.

S: Squeeze! Squeeze the trigger of the fire extinguisher which will cause it to begin releasing the extinguishing or fire suppression agent.

S: Sweep: Sweep the extinguisher from side to side to better cover the entire area of the base of the fire.

It’s too bad that fire extinguishers can be expensive as it would be handy for people to be able to practice using one before they actually ever need to use one. Using a fire extinguisher is not difficult, and if you follow the instructions above, you’ll be using it properly. But often people panic, and in such cases, it’s easier to rely on something you’ve done several times instead of doing it the first time when you are unsure.

Do you know what the very first thing is that you should do when you discover a fire? Before or as you are reaching for the fire extinguisher?

Call For Help! Don’t take a chance with fire, even small ones. You may need help to fully extinguish it.  Call 9-1-1, and get the fire department out there.

If your children are old enough to hold a fire extinguisher, you might even want to demonstrate to them how to use it.

Now, go make sure all the fire extinguishers you own are fully charged.  It’s a good idea to take one along even on camping trips and have it handy.

So you’ve remembered the hot dogs. The marshmallows are all ready for campfire roasting. Waterproof matches – check. All the food is packed in the cooler. So what are you forgetting? There’s always something!

Perhaps one of the most common things people forget to take along when they go camping is a good first aid kit. Containing the essentials, a home made or commercially available first aid kit is cheap insurance against those unplanned and unwanted events that just might happen. Those marshmallows you packed that the kids will be roasting tonight? What happens if one of those marshmallows lights on fire and is too vigorously shaken – possibly causing a burn to someone?

What are you going to do if someone scrapes a knee badly? How about the unfortunate incident of one of the kids coming down with a wicked headache at night? A decent first aid, which won’t take up much room, can be of enormous  help should something unexpected occur.

Here’s a list of essentials you’ll want. It’s not comprehensive and you might want to add more to it depending on your own situation:

1. Flashlight and batteries.  Don’t store the batteries in the flashlight though – keep them separate and make sure you have fresh ones.
2. Whistles. You should have enough whistles for everyone in your party. Perhaps the whistles shouldn’t even be in the First Aid Kit, but on the person at all times. There are good reasons for having a whistle handy. If one of the kids gets lost, they can use the whistle to help someone locate them. Whistles are also handy in bear country.
3. Bandaids. Remember the old advertisement back in the 1970′s with the catchy song that included the lyrics, “I am stuck on bandaid, cuz bandaid’s stuck on me.” When that song was popular, we nicknamed the nurse at our youth camp, “Bandaid” and sing the song to her after lunch time. But I digress. You’ll want to have good quality bandages that actually stick, like Bandaids. I’ve seen some cheap first aid kits that have bandages that just don’t stick to the skin for longer than a minute.  Make sure you have various sizes of bandaids too.
4. Gauze of various sizes. For some wounds, guaze is a much better covering than a bandaid.
5. Bandage tape will help secure the gauze if it is needed.
6. Scissors will be helpful to cut the gauze if needed, as well as the bandage tape.
7. Antiseptic creams/ointments.
8. Hydrogen peroxide.  Inexpensive and excellent for washing out wounds to reduce infection.
9. Cotton swabs for cleaning wounds.
10. Tweezers.  Indispensable for removing slivers – and if you have the unfortunate event of coming into contact with them, ticks.
11. Thermometer – if someone is sick and running a fever, you’ll be able to monitor their temperature and make some decisions about whether you might need to cut the trip short and seek medical help.
12. Matches and/or lighter. Even though you likely have these already, it’s a good idea to keep some in your first aid kit.
13. Imodium. Diarrhea is no fun on a camping trip. Make sure you have this or some other anti-diarrhea medicine.
14. Adult Tylenol.
15. Children’s Tylenol
16. Children’s Benadryl
17. First Aid Book – it can be helpful for those emergencies when you don’t know what to do. Consider also taking a First Aid course.
18. Snakebite Kit – if appropriate for where you are camping.
19. A candle.

Of course, there may be other items you want in your First Aid Kit – but the above is a good guide to the basic essentials.

Go camping! Be safe!