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Past Seasonal Safety Tips
Spring and summer can often bring sudden showers that can overwhelm the drainage capabilities of your home or office. To prevent unnecessary damage, here are a few tips to consider.
• Install check valves and sewer traps to prevent backups;
• Install main breaker/fuse box and utility meters above the flood protection level;
• Raise machinery, equipment and other contents from basement level, or elevate above floor level;
• Landscape with native plants and vegetation which resist soil erosion;
• Maintain or have access to a supply of sand and sandbags and materials for building dikes, such as plywood, lumber and plastic sheathing.
In the event your home does have a water problem, a great resource for how to cleanup the mess is provided by the American Red Cross. This booklet is called Repairing Your Flooded Home.
Winter weather is here, but a few simple steps can help you stay cozy indoors and save on heating costs as well.
- Insulate open spaces - insulation is one of the most efficient and economical ways to reduce home heating costs.
- Check doors and windows - precious heat can be lost through doors and windows. Storm windows and doors can cut heat loss in these areas by almost half.
- Seal up air leaks - you can also reduce air leaks by using inexpensive caulking around windows, doors and electrical outlets.
With the cost of gas forecasted to increase this winter, a little planning can save you a great deal of money.
The National Weather Service reminds us to "get ready!, get set!, and go!" when severe weather threatens.
GET READY! Don't wait. Identify your shelter today. The best place is in a basement, hiding under a heavy work table or under the stairs. Blankets and mattresses will protect against airborne debris. If you do not have a basement, identify a windowless interior room like a closet or bathroom. Most tornado deaths occur in cars and mobile homes. Find out if your mobile home park has a designated shelter and use it. If you are in a car, get out and lie down in a ditch or get under a bridge overpass. You can't outrun a tornado.
GET SET! When a sickly greenish or black sky color develops and the weather begins to look stormy, turn to your local radio or TV station or the Weather Channel for weather information. Assist elderly or mentally challenged neighbors when a weather watch is issued. Be ready to move to a place of shelter the moment a tornado warning is issued.
GO! If a tornado warning is issued, it means that a tornado has been spotted or is strongly indicated on radar, and it is time to seek shelter immediately! The Sioux Falls warning sirens are sounded too. Listen to the radio in your shelter to stay informed of the weather situation. Stay aware and you will stay alive!
For more information, visit the National Weather Service web site for interesting weather facts, figures and safety information.
There is nothing cozier than a fire in the fireplace when the weather is cold outside. With the popularity of wood stoves and fireplaces soaring, increased hazards do exist. If you use a fireplace or wood stove regularly in your home, consider the following:
- Make sure pipes and chimneys are clean and in good condition.
- Burn only seasoned wood to minimize creosote build-up.
- Check stove hinges, doors, latches and gaskets for safety.
- Don't load fireplaces and wood stoves with too much wood.
- Don't burn garbage or materials other than wood.
- Keep Flammable materials well away from heating units.
Source: Safety Sense Enterprises, Inc., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Have you replaced the battery in your smoke detector recently? Now is the perfect time to do so.
As we begin the new school year, many of our children will be on the road traveling from home to school and back. Surveys find that an estimated 60 percent of all passenger vehicles in North America have seriously under inflated tires. Under inflation greatly increases the risk of tire damage, ruptures, blowouts and tread separation. These are especially dangerous situations for a less experienced driver. Under inflation also increases tire wear and gas consumption. To avoid these problems, consider the following:
- Your Owner's Manual should be consulted to find the exact tire pressure necessary for the tires of your car.
- An accurate gauge should be kept in the glove compartment -don't trust the one at the service station
- Air pressure should be checked once a month at least, and always before starting a long trip.
- Air pressure should be checked only when the tires are cool. Test it when the vehicle has been standing still for not less than three hours, if possible.
- Radial-ply tires look under inflated when they are, in fact, at the recommended pressure. Take care not to over inflate them.
Proper vehicle maintenance is necessary for the safe operation of your vehicle. Take care of your car, and take care of your family.
Source: Safety Sense Enterprises, Inc., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Now that the weather is nice, we see more cars on the road and the potential for accidents increase. Here are some tips on what you can do to avoid becoming a fraud victim while driving.
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Be especially careful when turning into a lane that allows for two vehicles to turn left simultaneously. People who intentionally cause collisions prey on cars that cross into the centerline by sideswiping the victims car.
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Be careful of vehicles that pull in front of you and stop suddenly. This type of fraud is exceptionally dangerous as the criminal hopes to cause a rear end collision. These type of collisions can lead to serious injury.
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If you are in a collision, count the number of passengers in the other car. If possible, get their names, telephone numbers and driver's license numbers. Often more people will file claims than were actually in a car.
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Call the police to the accident scene and get a police report with the officer's name, even if the damage is minor. If the report describes damage to the claimant's car as a nick, it is harder for the criminal to damage the car later and try to collect a larger claim.
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Carry a disposable camera in your glove compartment. Take as many pictures as possible of the other car and its passengers.
One way or the other, we all pay for insurance fraud, which is a crime. Keep watching for more information on insurance fraud and how to fight it. It could make a big difference to you.
Source: National Crime Bureau (NICB)
The Red Cross recommends the following list for general disaster preparedness:
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First-aid kit and essential medications
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Canned food and can opener
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At least three gallons of water per person
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Protective clothing, rainwear, and bedding or sleeping bags
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Battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries
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Special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members
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Written instructions on how to turn off gas, electricity and water if authorities advise you to do so (Remember, you'll need a professional to turn natural-gas service back on.)
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Essentials, such as a flashlight and sturdy shoes, by your bedside
For more information on protecting your family, visit the American Red Cross web site at:
www.redcross.org
Alarming figures from the National Safe Kids Campaign:
As of December 1, 1998, 68 children have been killed by passenger air bags. More than 20 percent of these deaths were among infants in rear-facing child safety seats in front of a passenger air bag. An additional 70 percent were either unrestrained or improperly restrained at the time of the crash.
In 1997, more than 282,000 children ages 14 and under were injured as occupants in motor vehicle-related crashes. Children ages 4 and under accounted for nearly 30 percent of these childhood motor vehicle occupant injuries.
Seventy-five percent of motor vehicle crashes occur within 25 miles of home. In addition, 60 percent of crashes occur on roads with posted speed limits of 40 mph or less.
The back seat is the safest place for children to ride. It is estimated that children ages 12 and under are 36 percent less likely to die in a crash if seated in the rear seat of a passenger vehicle.
Thanks to the National SAFE KIDS Website for these statistics. Please visit them for more information.
When can I move my child into a booster seat?
Not until he has completely outgrown his regular safety seat -- when he weighs more than 40 pounds or is too tall for it. He is too tall if his shoulders are higher than the top set of harness slots or if the tips of her ears are above the back of the safety seat. If he is too tall for his convertible seat but still weighs less than 40 pounds, switch to a child-seat/booster. These seats are slightly taller and can be used with the built-in harness for children up to 40 pounds and later as a belt positioning booster, with lap AND shoulder belt, for children up to 60-100 pounds. For more information, please click on the following logo.
When you’re drinking it or washing with it, water seems so harmless. However, it’s a different story when it invades your home and treasured possessions. Flooding can destroy everything, leaving you to soak up losses that are both sentimental and financial.
In a situation like this, your first instinct is probably to turn to your homeowners policy for help. Unfortunately, homeowners insurance does not provide coverage for rising water and surface water accumulation. Also, you can’t always count on federal disaster relief, since it is available in less than half of flooding incidents, and seldom enough to cover all your damages.
To protect yourself from flood damage, you need separate flood insurance. Both commercial and residential flood coverage's are offered by our agency. These policies are underwritten by the government, but are serviced by private insurance companies.
Past flooding incidents have left behind thousands of victims in widespread areas, including many locations that weren’t considered to be especially risky. Sadly, too many flood victims don’t think about insurance until the damage is already done.
As the summer vacation season approaches and more Americans are on the road, safety becomes an even bigger issue than ever. One of the simplest and most basic of road safety rules is to "buckle up" (and when traveling with children under age 13, always have them in the back seat, and buckled in a car seat, or seat belt).
The message is clear, safety belt use can save lives, and it's something we can all afford to do. Buckle up NOW - your family, too - for safety's sake.
Frozen pipes are one of the biggest threats to a homeowner during the cold, icy weather conditions that winter brings. Burst pipes can cause inconvenience and water damage to a homes walls and floors. To protect your home, we offer the following tips to homeowners:
What to do if pipes freeze:
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Shut off the main water valve.
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Open all faucets to relieve pressure in the pipes.
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Wrap warm rags around cold sections of pipe or pour hot water on pipes
How to thaw a frozen pipe:
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An inside faucet or pipe can also be thawed with a good hair dryer, but do not use around standing water.
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When thawing a pipe, start thawing nearest to the faucet. Make sure faucet is turned on.
What to do if your pipes burst:
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Immediately shut off the main water valve.
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If the break is in a hot water pipe, close the valve on top of the water heater.
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Call a plumber. Keep an emergency number nearby for quick access.
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Call your insurance agent.
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