holiday safety

The spirit of any holiday brings much fun and excitement especially for children, however the festivities can give you a false sense of security. It is important that you take extra precaution around the holidays with regards to personal as well as home safety.

Keeping Safe at Winter holidays:
We hope everyone will enjoy happy holidays and a wonderful winter season this year. Often one of the busiest times of year, December is also a good time to remember all of the little ways you can keep yourself and your family safe.

• Put fresh batteries in the smoke detector, install a carbon monoxide detector and make sure your home and car fire extinguishers are adequately charged.
• Be careful with lighting. Candles should never be left burning unattended and outlets should be checked to ensure they aren't overloaded with the multitude of plug-ins that go with all of the holidays lights that decorate your home.
• Take as many precautions with your winter sports as you do with summer sports. Skiers should consider wearing helmets, ice skaters should wear padding, and bikers/walkers/joggers should wear reflective vests and take extra care to be seen by drivers in the early evening as it is often dark by 4pm at this time of year.
• Keep your decks, porches, driveways and walkways clear of ice and snow. Just stepping outside of your house or out of your car in a parking lot could lead to a nasty fall due to the rain, ice and snow that is so common in our area.
• Check on elderly family members and neighbors. Making sure they have adequate heat in their homes, dress appropriately when they go out and can have groceries delivered if needed is important for their safety and well being.
• Make sure your car is ready for winter. The basics such as changing the oil and radiator fluid, topping off the windshield washer fluid, having an ice scraper handy, carrying chains or installing snow tires and making sure your car's emergency bag has extra food, water and warm clothing in it are all important steps to take to insure that you either won't get stranded on an icy winter day or you can survive if that does happen.
• Be careful on the roads. It's a good idea to leave a lot of space for you and other drivers to maneuver on wet or slick roads. Pay attention to everything that is going on around as you drive...we live in an area with a perma-grey cast during this time of year which can obscure things that are not immediately in front of us. Watch out for walkers and bicycle riders-they often bundle up against the cold and rain and this can limit their vision.
• Falls from ladders when hanging holiday lights, Christmas trees toppling over on people and great banks of snow falling on someone makes great footage for America's Funniest Home Videos but it's not fun if you end up injured and unable to enjoy the holidays. Take care when participating in activities you only do once a year such as hanging lights, cutting down trees and shoveling snow.
  

Holiday Safety Keeping Safe at Halloween:

Halloween-related injuries can be prevented if parents closely supervise school-aged children during trick-or-treat activities.

Here are a few tips to keeping safe at Halloween:

Costumes:

• Should be flame-resistant fabric.
• Should be light, bright and clearly visible to motorist.
• Should be well fitted.
• Make sure mask fits securely, has adequate ventilation
  with large eye hole.
  

Decorations:

• Keep candles & Jack-o-lanterns away from flammable items.
• Keep pathways clear for trick or treaters.
• Keep home inside and out well lighted
  

Pedestrians:

• Children should walk with an adult.
• Children should be cautious about walking thru lawns and between parked cars.
• Children should carry flashlights.
• Add reflective tape to their costumes.

fireworks:
Fireworks displays have always entertained audiences for centuries. The spectacular burst of colors, sparks and explosions that light up the skies is a mesmerizing experience at any event. However, the beauty of such a show can bring dangerous consequences if left at the hands of private individuals.

According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control:

• A person actively participating in fireworks-related activities are more frequently injured and sustain more severe injuries than bystanders.
• 50% of persons injured from fireworks are children ages 14 and younger, with children ages 10 – 14 having the highest injury rate.
• 75% of all people injured are male.

According to the state’s Fire Marshall’s Office in 2002, $118,000 in damages was attributed to fireworks-related fires coupled with the medical cost directly and indirectly attributable to fireworks injuries.

The safest way to prevent fireworks-related injuries is to leave fireworks displays to trained professionals however, if you choose to participate in fireworks activities please follow the suggested tips from local and national agencies to prevent injury and damage from fireworks:

• Only adults should light fireworks
• Buy only the amount of fireworks you plan to use.
• Keep a water bucket, water hose or fire extinguisher nearby.
• Use eye protection.
• Never point or throw fireworks at other people, cars, or homes.
• Light one at a time and away from flammable materials and other people.
• Do not try to relight improperly working fireworks.
• Keep pets indoors in a safe place leaving TV or radio on for distraction. In case they escape make sure pets are wearing a tag. Consult a veterinarian for more information.