ARS Homeowners Tip: How to Shut Off a Main Water Valve

We all hope that disasterous things will never happen to us our, family or our home.  As a reality, disasters are sometimes unpreventable, but the damage can be minimal if you know what to do in the situation.  In the upcoming weeks we will be posting safety & prevention tips on our website, radio and newspapers to help homeowners know what they can do to be safe & prevent further damage to their home.    

When my husband and I bought our first home, we were excited to move into a brand new home.  During the walk through, I started envisioning how I would decorate and where I would put the couch, TV and the rest of our furniture.  When I came back to reality, I realized that this was our chance to get to know as much about the house as we could, because this was going to be ours & we would be responsible for maintaining the home.  I was very grateful that the seller made it a point to show us where all the main valves were and any other

Be Fire Smart!

The web has a wealth of useful information available to us 24/7.  The newest fire safety website I have discovered was created by Liberty Mutual.  For people who don't like to read a lot, but are more visual and like interactive sites, this website is perfect.  Liberty Mutual has created videos and interactive quizes that relay pertinent information on how to keep a family safe.  One of my favorite pages on the site is the interactive quiz that takes you through each room of the home to see if you are fire smart.  There are also interactive games that I think most kids would enjoy.  To go to the Be Fire Smart website, click here.

How to Prepare for and Prevent Storm Drain Flooding

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article about thunderstorm preparedness, and it probably could not have been better timing.  In Smithfield, Utah ARS responded to over a dozen flood calls after a severe hail and thunderstorm that hit on Tuesday June 2nd. Many of the phone calls came from leaks in window wells, but we also recieved a few calls from overflowing storm drains and canals.  Here are a few things that homeowners can do to help ensure proper planning and operation of local storm drain and flood control systems in your neighborhood.

• Be observant !!! As you travel around your neighborhood, take note of the conditionsof the drainage devices (gutters, storm drain grates, channel grates, andchannel bottoms);
• If flooding occurs in your neighborhood, take note of anything unusual that may be contributing to the flooding.