Autumn
Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the mild days and cool nights, the beautiful patchwork of the flame colored hills, the crisp crunch of apples plucked from the trees, the leaves underfoot and the smells of holiday baking with cinnamon and vanilla. Autumn is also the time I think about my family’s safety, more than any other time of the year. October is fire safety month, we light up the furnace and wood or pellet stove and we have family and friends visiting at Thanksgiving. So this would be a good time to share some safety tips.
3 Fire Safety Tips:
1. Install Smoke Detectors: Every year about 3000 Americans lose their lives in residential fires. And it isn’t a result of burns, rather inhalation of smoke and toxic gases. Most of these deaths occur when the family is asleep. A smoke alarm allows precious time to escape.
2. Maintain Smoke Detectors: More than a third of those deaths occur in homes that have smoke detectors that weren’t working. Test the unit once a month and vacuum the dust that may collect on it. Chose a time to replace the unit’s batteries every year. Many people change the batteries when they change the clocks the first Sunday in November.
3. Plan and Practice Your Escape: With your family, plan two ways out of every room. Place safety ladders in second story bedroom if possible.
3 Tips to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning:
Furnaces, Gas-Fired Appliances, Wood/ Pellet Stoves and Motor
Vehicles are just some of the sources of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.
1. Install Carbon Monoxide Alarms: Install at least one alarm in the bedroom area of your home.
2. Check your Appliances: Have a qualified professional check all fuel burning appliances, furnaces, venting and chimney systems annually.
3. Never Keep Your Car Running in the Garage: Even with the doors open there may not be enough fresh air to reliably prevent a buildup of CO
7 Tips for a Safer Holiday:
Thanksgiving is the leading day for Kitchen Fires, three times the average.
1. Fires: Keep potholders and food wrappers away from heat sources while cooking. Wear shorter, tighter sleeves when cooking. When the cooking is done and the party is over, double check that the oven and stovetop are off. Also check ashtrays and trashcans for smoldering smoking materials.
2. Burns and First Aid: Print a list of First Aid tips from the Red Cross or other website and post it inside a cabinet or on the refrigerator.
3. Children in the Kitchen: Keep sharp knives, hot foods and dishes away from edges of counters and tables where small explorers can reach. Have a proper step stool so little helpers don’t have to stand on chairs.
Entertaining Safety
4. Clean up immediately after a party: Toddlers and pets can come in contact with alcohol or tobacco; both are poison to little bodies.
5. Use Care with Candles: Be aware where you place your candles and make sure all candles are extinguished before leaving a room unoccupied, even for a moment, a stray draft can cause a candle to flare up and light nearby combustibles.
6. Be Sure Runners and Area Rugs Are Secure: Older family members can be severely injured by a minor fall.
The Most Important Tip for Autumn:
7. Enjoy and Have Fun!
