A visit to our local hardware stores with fire safety and power outages in mind

Fire season never ends here. Outdoor abatement and indoor safety are year-round duties. Public Safety Power Shutoffs add another type of emergency to prepare for. Both local hardware stores, Village Hardware and Forest Lumber, are well stocked with the essentials.

They have plenty of fire extinguishers, and smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. Both also stock emergency chain escape ladders for second-story windows. Both have fireplace tools, metal cans and shovels for ashes, and brushes for keeping chimneys clean.

Flashlights are necessary for all kinds of emergencies, and you will find a variety, along with single-use and rechargeable batteries at both stores. They also have rechargeable weather radios. An AM radio will allow you to tune into WNKI 1610 for emergency information.

With our recent PSPSs, sales of generators have been brisk, both portable and whole house units. If they don’t have what you need, they can order it and get deliveries every week. The whole-house models require both an electrician and a plumber to install as they have both propane and electrical connections. A transfer switch must be installed, and this can be either manual or automatic. The switch must ensure that generator power and transmission line power never mix. In addition to the danger of applying two sources of power to your home at the same time, an improper hook-up of a generator can send power onto lines that should be de-energized, which can be fatal to a lineman.

Although both stores have small power banks that can charge a phone, neither stocks the larger power banks that store some hundreds of watt-hours, but both can order them. In addition to keeping a few lights on and charging phones and laptops, these can keep a modem and router going, keeping you connected. Before you buy one, check the wattages of things you would like to keep powered: refrigerators need 350-780 watts. Some of these banks come with solar panels for recharging,

SCE is offering $150 rebates on both generators and power banks for people like us who live in high fire-risk zones. Visit www.sce.com/residential/rebates-savings/rebates. You can order the equipment through their “marketplace” and have the rebate applied at check out or buy locally and submit your proof of purchase. Edison also has programs to help customers replace old appliances with more efficient models.

Consumers should note that California regulations for generators are getting tighter, and new models are required to have many safety features. They produce fewer emissions and protect against tipping, fire, and electrocution. Never use a generator indoors, not even in a garage, or near an open window or door. Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, and deadly.