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Run a room-by-room blackout walk-through each year

Once a year, walk every room as if the grid, phones and shops were gone, and check that each room still does its job.

How

1. Kitchen and pantry: check stock rotation, labels, freezer thermometer and that cooking backup works (living-9, thermal-24).
2. Water and battery rooms: check signage, spares and clear working space (water-23, power-16).
3. Bedrooms and family room: test smoke alarms, tug-test furniture anchors and check window coverings are still cordless (safety-9, rooms-21).
4. Workshop, medical and secure stores: check spares, expiry dates and inventories (continuity-16, medical-27, secure-17).
5. Lighting: check emergency lights hold their charge and replace failed LEDs.
6. Record what changed in the household (new baby, older relative, new equipment) and update the room schedule (rooms-1) and the logbook (living-18).

Do these first

• living-16

Sources

1. Smoke Alarms. US Fire Administration (FEMA), accessed 2026-11
2. Anchor It! Anchoring to prevent TV and furniture tip-overs. US Consumer Product Safety Commission (AnchorIt.gov), accessed 2026-11

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