Jayco 2009 Octane ZX, Owner'S Manual

Page: 19 / 102

SECTION 2
OCCUPANT SAFETY
15
C
amping is a great way to enjoy the outdoors
with your family and friends. By following the
proper precautions and planning, you can
help insure a safe, enjoyable and trouble-free
trip. We encourage you to develop a family
safety plan in case of an emergency or
severe weather condition, and practice it with
your entire family, especially children.
□ Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to
serve as the "family contact." Make sure
everyone knows the name, address,
phone number and email of the contact
person.
□ Draw a floor plan of your RV and find two
ways to exit. There should be one way to
get out of your RV without opening the
door.
□ Teach everyone what the RV safety alarm
signals mean and how to be prepared to
leave the RV by themselves if necessary.
□ Teach how to check doors and not to
open the them if the doors are hot. Also
teach everyone to stay low to try to avoid
breathing smoke, fumes or gases.
□ In case family members are separated
from one another, have a plan for getting
back together. Decide on a meeting place
a safe distance from your RV and make
sure everyone understands to wait there.
□ Make sure everyone knows where to go to
call the fire department or 911 from
outside the RV.
□ Conduct safety drills at least every six
months to make sure everyone, including
guests, knows what to do to escape
safely. Practice evacuating the RV
blindfolded; in a real fire situation, the
amount of smoke generated may make it
impossible to see.
□ Consult your local fire department for
additional safety precautions.
Pets may not be allowed into shelters for
health and space reasons. Prepare an
emergency plan for pets that includes at least
a 3-day supply of dry food and a large
container of water. The survival of a beloved
pet or valuable livestock will often depend on
the plans that its owner has made in advance.
E
MERGENCY
W
EATHER
P
LANNING
One of the more serious conditions you need
to take into account when camping is that of
the weather, which is subject to change with
little or no warning. Earthquakes, hail,
flooding, hurricanes, wintry weather,
tornadoes — these and other extreme
weather conditions can threaten your safety
and damage your tow vehicle or RV.
Local radio and TV stations normally
broadcast weather conditions and warnings
as they occur. Research other methods of
learning about severe weather conditions and
how to deal with them. You may want to
consider investing in a weather radio.
Weather radios offer 24 hour-a-day VHF
broadcasts of weather observations and
forecasts directly from the US National
Weather Service. The frequencies used by
the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) weather radio stations
are 162.400, 162.425, 162.450, 162.475,
162.500, 162.525 or 162.550 megahertz or
visit their website at www.noaa.gov.
Repairing severe weather damage
If your tow vehicle or RV becomes an unlucky
victim of severe weather damage, you will
most likely need repair work. Call your
insurance company as soon as you can to
report your claim.
Familiarize yourself with the following
weather terms:
Warning - Indicates that a particular
weather hazard is either imminent or has
been reported. A warning indicates the
need to take action to protect life and
property. Move to a safe location
immediately. The type of hazard is
reflected in the type of warning (i.e.,
tornado warning, blizzard warning, etc.).
Watch - Indicates a particular hazard is
possible and that conditions are more
favorable than usual for its occurrence. A
watch is a recommendation for planning,
preparation and increased awareness (i.e.,
to be alert for changing weather, listen for
further information and think about what to
do if the danger materializes).