Foresthill2023

EMERGENCY & SAFETY GUIDE

Telephone Use in Emergencies Make Only Emergency Calls

Following a disaster, especially earthquakes, there usually is a high volume of phone calls. It is important that phone calls be limited to emergencies only. Do not call 9-1-1 or the police for general information about an earthquake or other disaster. Listen to your local radio or television station for information. What To Do To Make Sure You Have Phone Service In The Event Of A Power Outage: There are several actions to consider to ensure that you have phone service in the event that your location loses its commercial power. • First, if you use cordless phones in your house, you should purchase a traditional wired phone for emergencies. Wired phones will work over copper lines, even with commercial power outages. Wired phones receive their power from batteries at the telephone company. • Second, you could purchase and keep a charged UPS battery backup to operate the phone in the event that power is lost. This is only useful if you routinely charge this backup. • Third, if you have fiber optic service to your home (ask the phone company if you are unsure), there will be a battery backup in your system as it enters the home. This battery backup will need to be maintained, as batteries lose power over time. Maintenance of this battery system must be kept up by either the home owner or the phone company in order for the phone to work when power is out. Again, check with your phone company on who is responsible for this maintenance. • Remember, when you are operating on any kind of alternative power, keep non-emergency calls to a minimum. Your ability to make calls will be limited by the type of backup power you are using. Typically, any type of battery power will only last for four hours or less under constant use. • Also, power outages may indicate other emergency issues. Emergency agencies may need to be communicating and have need of these facilities. Many customers may be calling family, friends and business associates to determine if they need help. Limit your calls only to essential ones. • Keep your power backup charged. Without power, cordless phones will not work during a power outage, rendering the cordless phone useless until power is reestablished – an inconvenience at best, or the difference between life and death in a crisis. Public Safety Power Shutoff For preparation tips to keep you safe and your life as normal as possible during a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), visit https://www pge com/en_US/residential/outages/public-safety-power-shuttoff/prepare-for-psps page . Blocking The Network If call volume causes extreme congestion of the telephone network, Verizon and/or long distance carriers may implement blocking. Blocking prevents overloading of the telephone network by diverting some calls to recordings, allowing other calls to complete. If You Need To Place An Emergency Call: • Check to make sure all extension phone receivers are on the “switchhook.” • You may not hear a dial tone right away, so stay on the line. Dial tone delay could be as long as a minute or so. • Do not repeatedly push the “switchhook” down. This will further delay your call. • If you get a “fast busy” or “all circuits busy” recording, hang up and try your call again. • If there is damage to our equipment or facilities, or to your wiring, it may not be possible for you to complete your call. Establish An Out-Of-Area Contact Ask a relative or friend who lives outside your immediate area to act as a clearinghouse for information about you and your family. It will probably be easier to place a call out of a disaster area, so all family members should know to call this contact person to report their location and condition. Once contact is made, have this person relay messages to your other friends and relatives outside the disaster area. This will help reduce calling into and out of the affected area.

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