As we head back into the deep freeze this week, here’s 15
safety tips that we’ve compiled from the American Red Cross and the CDC that
you can use to stay safe and warm during the cold weather.
1. Layer up! Wear layers of lightweight clothing to
stay warm. Gloves and a hat will help prevent losing your body heat.
2. Don’t forget your furry friends. Bring pets indoors.
If they can’t come inside, make sure they have enough shelter to keep them warm
and that they can get to unfrozen water.
3. Take a buddy and an emergency kit when you are
participating in outdoor recreation.
4. Work slowly when doing outside chores.
5. Sprinkle cat litter or sand on icy patches.
6. Remember the three feet rule. If you are using a
space heater, place it on a level, hard surface and keep anything flammable at
least three feet away – things such as paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or
rugs.
7. Leave your home immediately if the CO detector sounds,
and call 911.
8. Keep grills, camp stoves, and generators out of the
house, basement and garage.
9. Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace
embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed.
10. Don’t catch fire! If you are using a fireplace, use
a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.
11. Protect your pipes. Run water, even at a trickle,
to help prevent your pipes from freezing. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet
doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any
harmful cleaners and household chemicals out of the reach of children. Keep the
garage doors closed if there are water lines in the garage.
12. Better safe than sorry. Keep the thermostat at the
same temperature day and night. Your heating bill may be a little higher, but
you could avoid a more costly repair job if your pipes freeze and burst.
13. The kitchen is for cooking. Never use a stove or
oven to heat your home.
14. Use generators outside. Never operate a generator
inside the home, including in the basement or garage and keep generators 20
feet from the house.
15. Knowledge is power. Don’t hook a generator up to
the home’s wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment you want
to power directly to the outlets on the generator.
Hope these tips help you, please share them with family and
friends and stay warm!
