You may have a propane cooking stove, a barbecue grill or a generator in your home to prepare your family for the chance of losing electricity. Once you have acquired these items you will need to make sure that you have the proper fuel on hand to operate these items. You may need to store propane tanks, gasoline, and other types of fuel to make sure that they run properly. You most likely should have enough fuel on hand to last you 72-hours after the emergency. You may want to store more, if you think the response time will take longer.
Here are some basic safety tips for storing fuel safely:
1) Never store any type of flammable fuel inside of your home. If you store it in your garage make sure that you do not have any appliances in your garage, which can spark and set the fumes on fire. The best place to store fuel is in a shed located away from the house. That way if something happens, it is only your shed and not your house. An attached garage doesn’t allow you the same amount of safety.
2) Store your fuel in the proper containers. Propane comes in its own containers. Gasoline should be stored in red plastic containers, and kerosene should be stored in blue plastic containers. You do not want to mix your different types of fuel because it can result in severe accidents. It is imperative that you use a good labeling system and stick with it. You should also make sure that your containers are free from leaks and check for leaks on a regular basis.
3) Check with your city and county on any ordinances and laws that they may have regarding the storage of fuel. Many cities limit the amount of fuel that you can legally store on your property. If this is the case you will need to plan for ways to replenish your fuel supply during an emergency.
Storing the right fuel to operate the tools you have to keep your family safe is important. It is also important to make sure that you are storing those fuels correctly. It would be awful to have a home burn down because you did not store the fuels in the correct manner.