If You Are On Home Oxygen, Use These Severe Weather Recommendations

SEVERE WEATHER RECOMMENDATIONS

-

Rodney McCarthy, ATS

Pro-Tech Medical

931-388-3766

Severe weather presents residents of Tennessee with special challenges. Whether a thunderstorm in April, or an ice storm in December, electrical power is often interrupted as a result of severe weather. If you have an oxygen concentrator, or any other type of electically powered respiratory equipment, it is important that you read this post.

-

Your oxygen provider can only maintain a small reserve of oxygen cylinders for emergencies. You and your family must develop your own plans for widespread power outages.

-

Major power outages seem to last from several hours to a week or longer, and it is impossible for your provider to maintain enough oxygen cylinders for these conditions. Remember, a small "E" cylinder may only last five hours, if used continuously at 2 liters per minute. Always try to have one full cylinder for emergency portability. Use the E cylinder to evacuate your residence in the event of a power failure or other emergency. Try to have several places in mind that may have electrical power if yours fails.

-

Some suggestions might be:

-

A. Contact your electric company and inform them you are a home patient on electrically

powered medical equipment.

-

B. Place your concentrator in your car and go someplace where there is electricity. Some

examples of places to go are; neighbors, friends, relatives, churches, motels, or anyplace

else that will have electricity.

-

C. If you cannot drive or lift your concentrator, ask neighbors, friends, relatives, firemen, or

police to assist. If you call a taxi, make sure the driver can lift a concentrator when you

call them.

-

D. If all else fails you might call an ambulance and have them transport you and your

concentrator to a place of your choosing that has electricity. Remember, this is a very

expensive alternative, an in times of a disaster there may be a considerable delay.

-

E. Hospitals will also be extremely busy during these times and are not a good choice for

patients requiring only electricity for their well-being.

-

F. If you choose to stay at home, you may wish to purchase a gasoline generator for

emergency use. An oxygen concentrator will require a concenctrator with a power output

of 2000 watts to start. Attempting to use a generator with less than a 2000 watt range

will damage the concentrator, and it will not operate.

-

For questions, call your provider today. For oxygen patients wishing to receive 24 hour emergency service, contact Pro-Tech Medical about service requirements. 931--388-3766