|
|
 |
|
Here are some tips to keep your winter safe
and enjoyable:
- Have your heating systems inspected by a qualified service professional at least once a year. This inspection should include lubrication and cleaning, replacing filters, a check of belts and thermostats and having vents cleared of obstructions,
 as necessary.
- Make sure window air conditioners do not allow cold air to sneak through or around sides, top and bottom, putting an extra strain on heating systems and adding cost for homeowners. Local hardware stores can provide covers and other easy, low-cost ways to keep that cold air out.
- Caulking around windows and other openings can stop the cold air invasion dead in its tracks. Caulking and a caulking gun from your local hardware are inexpensive and easy to use. A warmer home and lower utility bills can result.
- Use products only for their intended purposes. Hair dryers aren't intended to thaw frozen pipes, dry clothing or warm bedding.
- When using a portable electric heater, keep flammable materials - bedding, clothing, draperies, rugs and furniture - at last three feet away even if it has safety features such as cut-off switches or heating element guards.
- If you use an electric blanket to keep warm on a cold night, follow the manufacturers instructions and make sure you turn it off and unplug it when it's not in use. Never tuck an electrical blanket in.
Provided by the The Electrical Safety Foundation International. For more tips, visit
FEMA.
Vehicle choice is particularly important for young drivers.
If your teenager has just gotten a driver's license, chances are he or she is looking forward to driving to school this fall. It may be hard to imagine handing them keys to your brand new car, but that may be the smartest vehicle to choose.
Teenagers should drive vehicles that reduce their chances of a crash and offer state-of-the-art protection in case they do crash. The first years teenagers spend as drivers are very risky. In fact, teen drivers have the highest death rates of any age group. In 1997 alone, more than 5,700 teenagers died in motor vehicle crashes, and many more were left severely and permanently injured by crashes.
Teen drivers not only lack experience, for many of them immature behavior, such as speeding and reckless driving, is common. They may drive cautiously when mom or dad is in the car, but when they're  on their own or with other teens, bad driving is often the norm. Keep this in mind when you decide which vehicle your teen will drive and avoid vehicles that encourage reckless driving.
Avoid choosing vehicles with a performance image. Sports cars and other vehicles with performance features, such as turbocharging, are likely to encourage speeding. Choosing a vehicle with a more sedate image reduces the chances your teen will be in a speed-related crash.
Don't let your teen drive an unstable vehicle. Sport utility vehicles, especially the smaller ones, are inherently less stable than cars because of their higher centers of gravity. Abrupt steering maneuvers - the kind that can occur when teens are fooling around or over-correcting a driver error - can cause rollovers in these less stable vehicles. A more stable car would, at worst, skid or spin out.
Even if your teenager drives a car with a sedate image, chances are still high that sooner or later he or she will be in a wreck. This is why it's also important to pick a vehicle that offers good crash protection.
Don't let your teen drive a small vehicle. Small vehicles offer much less protection in crashes than larger ones. However, this doesn't mean you should put your child in the largest vehicle you can find. Many mid- and full-size cars offer more than adequate crash protection. Check out the safety ratings for mid-size and larger cars.
Most of today's cars are better designed for crash protection than cars of 6 to 10 years ago. So avoid older vehicles. For example, a newer mid-size car with airbags would be a better choice than an older, larger car without airbags. Before you make a final choice on the car your teenager will drive, take advantage of the wealth of consumer information available on car safety from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and Insurance Information Institute. Check it out - it just may save your teen's life.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is an independent, nonprofit research and communications organization dedicated to reducing highway crash deaths, injuries, and property damage. The Institute is wholly supported by auto insurance companies.
The Insurance Information Institute is a nonprofit communications organization supported by the property-casualty insurance industry. Its central function is to provide accurate and timely information on insurance subjects.
For further information, consult the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety or the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Both excellent resources for automotive safety.
- Invest in solid doors and good quality locks on doors and windows. This includes on all sliding glass doors as well. Make it not only difficult but also time consuming for a burglar to gain entry.
- Whenever you go outside, lock the door and take the key with you, even if you are just stepping next door or out mowing the back yard.
- Don't put valuables where they can be seen from the window, especially items that can be easily carried.
- Be sure your garage door can be secured. Do not leave it open when you are away; an empty garage broadcasts your absence.
- When you aren't home, use a timer set to turn interior lights on and off at varying intervals as though your home was still occupied.
- Don't keep large amounts of cash or really valuable jewelry around the house.
- If someone comes to your door asking to use the telephone, make the call yourself. Don't invite them in.
- Don't hide a spare key under the door mat or under a flower pot. Thieves know all the good hiding places.
- Plant thorny bushes under all windows. Trim back any trees or shrubs near doors and windows to eliminate hiding places for would-be thieves.
- Invest in a good security system along with motion sensor lights installed out of reach
- Don't leave ladders outside. Keep any tools that could be used to break in your home safely locked away in a garage or shed.
- Get a barking dog or "beware of dog" signs. If you own a dog and go out of town, have someone come in and care for your dog in your home.
- Always double check doors at night and lock all windows.
- Engrave all valuables such as stereos, microwaves, video cameras, with your driver's license number. (Engraving tools are usually available through your local law enforcement agency.) Videotape the contents of your home. Keep the video and the list of all valuables in a safe place, such as a safety deposit box.
IT CAN BE AS EASY AS A- B- C:
Place victim flat on his/her back on a hard surface.
- Shake victim at the shoulders and shout "are you okay?"
- If no response, call emergency medical system -911 then,
- Head-tilt/chin-lift - open victims' airway by tilting their head back with one hand while lifting up their chin with your other hand.
- Position your cheek close to victims' nose and mouth, look toward victims' chest, and
- Look, listen, and feel for breathing (5-10 seconds)
- If not breathing, pinch victim's nose closed and give 2 full breaths into victim's mouth (use micro shield).
- If breaths won't go in, reposition head and try again to give breaths. If still blocked, perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver)
- Check for carotid pulse by feeling for 5-10 seconds at side of victims' neck.
- If there is a pulse but victim is not breathing, give Rescue breathing at rate of 1 breath every 5 seconds Or 12 breaths per minute
- If there is no pulse, begin chest compressions as follows:
- Place heel of one hand on lower part of victim's sternum. With your other hand directly on top of first hand, Depress sternum 1.5 to 2 inches.
- Perform 15 compressions to every 2 breaths. (rate: 80-100 per minute)
- Check for return of pulse every minute.
CONTINUE UNINTERRUPTED UNTIL ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE.
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A GUIDE ONLY, INSTRUCTION SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR.
|
|
