Fire Safety Tips for Fall

Fire Safety Tips for Fall

When the weather turns cold most people spend more time inside their homes using fireplaces, furnaces, and heaters to keep warm. There's nothing quite as cozy as a fire, but it presents some safety hazards. Keep these tips in mind.

Service Your Furnace

Before the cold autumn and winter weather sets in, be sure to call your heating and cooling company to service your furnace. A specialist should inspect the furnace to make sure everything is in working order and that there are no leaks.

Use Fireplaces Safely

Use Caution with Space Heaters

Keep that fire in its proper place by using a fireplace screen to keep sparks from flying out of the fireplace. Never leave a burning fire unattended, and make sure a fire in a fireplace is completely out before going to bed.

A space heater can be an effective way to warm up a chilly room, but it's essential that you read the instructions on the unit before you use it. If your space heater requires venting, make sure you have vented it to the outdoors. Never use your stove or oven to heat your home; only use space heaters that are approved for this purpose. Always allow at least three feet of empty area around space heaters.

Reconsider Leaf Burning

The Air Defenders reports that burning leaves produces dangerous and cancer-causing chemicals and urges homeowners to avoid disposing of leaves this way. If you decide to burn leaves, wear a protective mask. Burning leaves should only be attempted far away from a house or other structures on a homeowner's property. Always check the weather forecast before starting to burn leaves. This activity should not be attempted in windy conditions.

Fall Yard Work Safety Tips

Yard Chore Safety Tips

The following safety precautions and tips will help keep you safe and injury free while you are working in your yard.

• Take 5 to 10 minutes to warm up your muscles by doing light exercises orstretching before starting your yard work.
• Dress properly for working outside in the yard by wearing long pants, a long sleeved shirt and sturdy comfortable shoes.
• Keep children and pets away from the area when you are doing yard work.
• Have the right tools for the job you are doing.
• Rakes should be comfortable and the right size for your height and strength.
• Wear gloves while you are doing any type of yard work to help prevent your hands from blistering.
• Yard work such as raking involves repetitive motions. Changing your position often helps to prevent muscle pains and cramps from occurring.
• Always watch for low branches, large rocks and tree stumps.
• Be aware of uneven ground surfaces and slopes.
• When you pick up leaves, do not bend over from the waist. Bend from the knees.
• Do not overfill leaf bags.
• Do not carry full bags of leaves over your shoulder.
• When you are weeding, a half kneeling position is safer than bending forward.
• Wet leaves are very slippery. Make sure to wear boots or shoes with soles that are slip resistant
• When you are using a ladder make certain it is firmly on the ground. Never climb to the top of a ladder.
• When you are pruning hedges, hold the pruning shears close to your body.

Power Equipment Safety Tips

• Be careful when pouring the gas into the lawn mower and power equipment.
• Always make sure all of your power yard work equipment such as lawn mowers, edgers and trimmers are in good working order. Make sure to review and follow the recommended instructions for lawn mowers and power lawn and garden equipment.
• Wear protective goggles when you are mowing the lawn or working with other power outdoor equipment.
• Wear hearing protection when operating loud equipment.
• Never use your feet or hands to clear anything from underneath a lawnmower.
• If you must leave the lawn mower for any reason, turn it off. Never leave a lawn mower running unattended.
• Do not mow the lawn in sandals or with bare feet.
• Never drink any alcoholic beverages when you are mowing the lawn or working with any other power yard equipment.
• Never run a lawn mower or gas powered lawn or garden equipment indoors.

September is National Preparedness Month

If an emergency occurred tomorrow, would you be ready?

September is National Preparedness Month. Sponsored by FEMA, National Preparedness Month aims to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to all types of emergencies, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks.

National Preparedness Month is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for emergencies and disasters, both large scale and smaller local events. We know that emergencies can happen unexpectedly in communities just like yours, to people like you. We’ve seen tornado outbreaks, river floods and flash floods, historic earthquakes, tsunamis, and even water main breaks and power outages that impact communities for days at a time.

As commendable as they may be in their profession of assisting those in need, police, fire and rescue may not always be able to reach you quickly in an emergency or disaster. The most important step you can take in helping your local responders is being able to take care of yourself and those in your care for at least a short period of time following an incident; the more people who are prepared, the quicker the community will recover.

You are not helpless in the face of an emergency. With just a few simple steps, you can Be a Force of Nature by knowing your risk, taking action and being an example in your community.

Know your risk 

Emergencies can happen anywhere, at any time. It is important to understand potential risks where you live.

What you can do:

1. Bookmark weather.gov to stay informed on severe weather.
2. Learn about Wireless Emergency Alerts, messages that will be sent to your phone during an emergency.
3. Get practical tips on preparing for disaster at ready.gov.

Take action 

Make sure that you and your family are prepared for an emergency. Ensure that you can go for at least three days without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket, or other local services.
What you can do:

1. Prepare a disaster supply kit with at least three days of food and water.
2. Create a Family Emergency Plan, so that your family knows how to communicate during an emergency.
3. Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio.

Be an example 

Be a positive influence on your community by sharing your preparedness story. Let your friends and family know that you’re prepared for an emergency – and that they should be prepared too. Research has shown that many people won’t prepare until they see others doing so.
What you can do:

1. Share your preparedness story on Facebook so that friends and family will know what you’ll do in case of disaster.
2. Tell the world you’re prepared on Twitter using hashtag #NATLPREP.
3. Get involved with your local American Red Cross Chapter or train with a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

You don’t know when an emergency might occur. These simple steps will help you be prepared for the worst.

FEMA’s Ready.gov website provides detailed information on what may be most important to you and your family.  You can find specific information tailored to specifics needs such as people with disabilities, seniors, assisting children, business readiness, and even information for you pets. For more information, see Ready.gov

NOAA is working with FEMA and other agencies to help improve disaster readiness through campaigns such as National Preparedness Month. Through efforts such as the Weather-Ready Nation initiative, NOAA seeks to build community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather events.

September is Food Safety Education Month - School Lunches

September is Food Safety Education Month. This is a great reminder that it’s important to prepare and store those school lunches safely. Food safety may not be on the radar for most kids (they’ve already got schoolwork and growing up to worry about), but simply practicing safe cooking and food preparation can go a long way in helping your kids avoid foodborne illness. Busy parents will be glad to know that practicing proper food safety is as easy as “clean, separate, cook and chill”:

Clean

• Be sure to thoroughly wash all fruits and vegetables under running tap water, then blot dry with a paper towel before adding them to the lunch bag. Don’t forget to also wash any produce with an inedible peel or rind such as bananas and avocados. Sly bacteria from the outer peel can be transferred to your child’s hands and then onto the edible part of the fruit.
• Remind your kids to throw out all perishable leftovers and disposable food packaging.

Separate

• To avoid cross-contamination, never reuse food packaging.

Cook

• Use insulated bottles to keep hot food out of the temperature “danger zone.” Carefully pour boiling water into an insulated bottle, then empty the bottle and fill it with hot food. Leave the lid on the bottle until it’s time for lunch.
• When making lunches using cooked meats (such as chicken salad), be sure to thoroughly cook all poultry, eggs and meat. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat.

Chill

• If you prepare lunch the night before, keep it cool in the fridge overnight.
• Choose an insulated lunch bag and use freezable gel packs to keep food cool until lunchtime. These products are usually quite inexpensive, and this small investment can go a long way in helping to prevent foodborne illness.
• Encourage your child to store his/her lunch in a refrigerator (if available).

Print out these tips so that both you and your kids have a reminder to clean, separate, cook and chill. You can also visit the “Fight BAC!” website for more free educational materials on food safety. Follow these simple steps, and your school year will be off to a healthy and safe start!

For additional resources or information, check out foodinsight.org.

Back to School Bullying

What is bullying? 
Every adult plays an important role in addressing bullying and making schools a safe, caring, respectful place for children.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines bullying as an aggressive behavior that is intended to cause harm or distress, occurs repeatedly over time and involves an imbalance of power or strength.
Bullying can take many forms, such as hitting or punching (physical bullying); teasing or name-calling (verbal bullying); intimidation using gestures or social exclusion (nonverbal bullying or emotional bullying); unwanted sexual contact (sexual bullying); and sending insulting messages by e-mail or social media sites (cyberbullying).

Warning signs of bullying 
 Dislikes or has lost interest in school work
 Has few, if any, friends
 Appears sad, anxious or moody when talking about school
 Complains of headaches, stomach aches
 Has unexplained cuts, bruises and/or scratches
 Appears afraid of going back to school
 Returns from school with torn, damaged or missing articles of clothing, books or belongings
 Has trouble sleeping and/or has frequent nightmares

The dangers of bullying 
Bullying among children has been happening for hundreds of years, but only recently has it been brought to the forefront of our society’s consciousness. Tragedies in schools across the country have led to increased public awareness and scientific research into the psychological damage caused by bullying.
Bully victimization has been found to be related to lower self-esteem, higher rates of depression, loneliness and anxiety. Victims have higher school absenteeism rates, report experiencing poorer general health and are more likely to have suicidal thoughts than their non-bullied peers.
Specifically, those who reported being bullied at least once a week were twice as likely as their peers to “wish they were dead” or admit to having a recurring idea of taking their own life.
Bullying also can have long-term psychological effects, as a study of males in their 20s found that those who had been bullied in school were more depressed and had lower self-esteem than their non-bullied peers.

Responding to bullying 
Never think of bullying as just a matter of “kids being kids.” It is a serious problem and should be treated as such. Your child deserves to grow up and attend schools in a safe, comfortable environment. Take the following steps if you feel that your child might be a victim of bullying.
Empower your child. Children are often reluctant to tell adults about bullying because they are ashamed, embarrassed or fearful of retaliation, so it is important to praise them for being brave enough to speak up. Practice with your child what he or she can say if being bullied or how to report a situation to a bus
driver or teacher.
Ask questions. By asking questions, you can find out who was involved, what occurred and where and when it happened. Comforting the child and offering support by nodding and verbally encouraging him or her to go on will help to fully understand the situation.
Assess the situation. Is the bullying still happening? Has the bullying extended into the classroom, bus, lunchroom, etc.? Do they fear what will happen if they report the bullying? Talk with the child about what he or she needs to feel and be safe. Explore possible actions your child may take to be safer such as
eating lunch with another child.
Inform your child’s school. Your child should never be fearful of another child or going to school, so you need to take the proper actions to prevent any further harm. Work with the school authorities or your child’s teacher to address the bullying. School authorities need to know about the problem to properly
address it and create a solution. You also may want to consult with a counselor on how to move forward with your child.

Back to School Backpack Safety

Tips for safe backpack use
Lighten the load 
A heavy backpack forces the wearer to bend forward. Choose to carry only those items that are required for the day. Each night remove articles that can be left at home. When organizing the contents of the backpack, distribute the weight evenly. Place the heaviest items on the bottom to keep the weight off of the shoulders and maintain better posture.
Wear both straps 
Use of one strap shifts the weight to one side, causing muscle spasms and lower back pain. This is true even with one-strap backpacks that cross the body. By wearing two shoulder straps, the weight of the backpack is better distributed and it will help a child’s posture.
Use proper lifting techniques 
Bend at the knees and use your legs to lift the backpack, placing one shoulder strap on at a time.
Wear the backpack over the strongest mid-back muscles
The size of the backpack should match the size of the child. It is also important to pay close attention to the way the backpack is positioned on the back. The backpack should rest evenly in the middle of the
back. Shoulder straps should be adjusted to allow the child to put on and take off the backpack without difficulty and allow free movement of the arms. Make sure that the straps are not too loose and that the
backpack does not extend below the low back.

Tips for selecting a backpack 
 Choose ergonomically designed features that enhance safety and comfort.
 A padded back reduces pressure on the back, shoulders and under arm regions, and enhance comfort.
 Hip and chest belts transfer some of the backpack weight from the back and shoulders to the hips and torso.
 Multiple compartments better distribute the weight in the backpack, keep items secure, and ease access to the contents.
 Look for compression straps on the sides or bottom of the backpack. Tighten side straps to stabilize the articles and compress the contents so that the items are as close to the back as possible.
 Reflective material enhances visibility of the child to drivers at night.

Warning signs a backpack is too heavy 
 Change in posture when wearing the backpack
 Struggling when putting on or taking off the backpack
 Pain when wearing the backpack
 Tingling or numbness
 Red marks

Back to School Playground Safety

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates more than 200,000 children annually visit hospital emergency rooms because of playground injuries. Many playground injuries can be prevented. Use this guide to ensure your children can safely run, jump, swing and slide to their heart's content.
Soft surface
Because nearly 80 percent of playground injuries are caused by falls to the ground, improper surfacing is the first thing parents should watch for when inspecting a playground. Wood chips, mulch, wood fibers, sand, pea gravel, shredded tires and rubber mats cushion falls well. Avoid playgrounds with concrete, grass and dirt surfaces, as they are too hard. The surface material should be at least 12 inches in depth and 6 feet around each piece of playground equipment.
Swings
Swings are the pieces of moving equipment that are most likely to cause injuries to children. Animal swings have caused several deaths and should not be used. Metal or wooden seats should be replaced with soft seats. Swings should be set far enough away from other equipment so that children won't be hit by a moving swing. Only two swings should be in each supporting framework, and they should be at least 24 inches apart. Full-bucket seats are recommended for younger children. Half-bucket seats are dangerous because babies and toddlers can slide out of them.
Smooth sliding
Slides should be well-anchored, have firm handrails and good traction on the steps. There should be no gaps between the slide and the platform, and there should be a bar at the top of the slide so that children have to sit before going down. A great danger with slides occurs when drawstrings on children's clothes get caught at the top of the slide. Although most children's clothing manufacturers have quit making drawstrings, many children have older clothes.
Safe seesaws and merry-go-rounds
Spring-loaded seesaws are best for young children. Avoid adjustable seesaws with chains because children can crush their hands under the chains. A traditional seesaw should have a tire or some other object under the seat to keep it from hitting the ground. Merry-go-rounds, or "whirls" or "roundabouts," are best for school-age children. They should have hand grips, and the rotating platform should be level, free of sharp edges and have adequate clearance to prevent crushing or severing limbs.
Climb carefully
More children are injured falling off climbing equipment or horizontal ladders than anything else on the playground. Children under 4 shouldn't play on this equipment. Watch older children when they're climbing, check that steps and handrails are in good condition and make sure a guardrail or barrier surrounds raised platforms. Any climbing ropes should be secured at the top and bottom. The number of injuries caused by monkey bars is so significant that many experts recommend that they be removed from all playgrounds.
Improve your playground
If your child's playground is unsafe, report problems to the owner or operator. There are no national mandatory standards for playground equipment, but Texas, California, New Jersey, Michigan and North Carolina have laws that require playgrounds to follow standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials. Some states require playgrounds to follow standards set in the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) Handbook for Public Playground Safety.