Spring
Spring is a time when the weather is warming up and many of us are considering a good spring cleaning inside and outside. Consider these safety tips as you plan and perform your spring cleaning:
Outside
Clean up clutter and yard debris, such as dead leaves and dry weeds. Cut back dead limbs and grasses. Be sure to clean all combustible materials for a 10 foot wide area around structures to reduce the chance of fire. If using mulch, consider a non-combustible mulch such as gravel or decorative stone.
Check the gutters and clean out any debris. Summer will be here before you know it – along with the quick hard rains that often occur at that time. Cleaning your gutters now will prevent overflow when those gutters are filled with summer rains.
Check outdoor electrical outlets and other electrical appliances.
Check and clean grills. If you have a propane grill that hasn’t been used all winter, be sure to check it thoroughly before using it. Be sure the burners and surrounding area are clean and check the hoses to make sure they are in good repair and the connections are all tight. To check for leaks, take soapy water in a spray bottle and spray connections and hoses. Turn on the propane. Bubbles will form anywhere there is a leak. Make sure the connections are tight, if the hose shows a leak, replace it.
Clean up work area by putting tools and other work areas away from children’s reach. Remove all fire hazards, such as rags, newspapers and magazines.
Inside
Reduce clutter inside and outside your home. While clutter does not often start fires, it can become fuel for a fire. Check paints, pesticides, herbicides and other poisons to make sure they are not expired and be sure to store them properly – out of the reach of children and pets.
Store your cleaning products out of the reach of children and pets. Many of them are toxic if swallowed.
Spring cleaning is a good time to clean out the medicine cabinet, removing any medicines that are expired.
Check the dryer and remove any excess lint buildup. Lint is highly combustible and many home fires are caused by a building up lint around and under a dryer. Move the dryer out and clean under it.
Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to make sure they are working. Remember, the time just jumped forward – did you remember to replace the batteries in these alarms?
Summer
Summertime means sunshine and watermellon, swimming and picnics, and spending time outdoors with friends and family. Enjoy summer safely. Remember to be aware of thunderstorms with associated lightning hazards, be aware of the danger of heat related illnesses. Have fun and be safe.
Be aware of the heat, keep hydrated, and read the tips below to identify heat related illness and how to keep yourself protected from the sun.
NOTICE: The purchase and use of fireworks is illegal in Lincoln County. Please refer to Section 5, Chapter 1 of the Lincoln County Code for the description of the code and the penalty for breaking it.
Autumn
Autumn is a time for harvest and hunting, warm days and cool nights, thanksgiving and spending time with family.
Since the weather is getting cooler and the daylight hours are growing shorter, it is becoming necessary once again to heat our homes. There are safety issues with most types of home heating.
Many people in Lincoln County heat with wood or some use other forms of heat, such as electric space heaters, that could cause combustion. With the cooler weather at hand, now is a good time to take a look at your home smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Remember to change the batteries on those when you change your clocks back one hour. For some important information on smoke detectors, please visit our smoke alarm web page.
Below are links to some web sites that provide additional information about safety during the autumn season:
Autumn Safety and Health Tips for your family
Autumn Safety and Health Tips for your pets
Winter
Be Prepared for Winter Weather – Exposure to cold temperatures, whether indoors or outside, can cause other serious or life-threatening health problems. To keep yourself and your family safe, you should know how to prevent cold-related health problems and what to do if a cold-weather emergency arises.
Winter is a beautiful time of year, but the weather can make it a dangerous time of year as well. Keep yourself and your family safe and prepared for winter weather with these winter safety tips.
There are a wide variety of sports to enjoy during the winter months. ATV riding, hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing are possibilities in Lincoln County. There are ski resorts within driving distance for those that enjoy downhill skiing and winter sports in these areas. Whatever you choose to do this winter, practice winter sports safety. Keep warm and be prepared for emergencies. Read more about winter sports safety.
Winter Safety Tips for Senior Citizens – As tough as the cold weather is on everyone, it’s particularly dangerous for senior citizens. Jim Miller, editor of Savvy Senior, a syndicated newspaper column, was invited on the “Today” show to share some steps seniors should take to stay safe as the mercury plunges. Read more…
Exercise and Cold Weather: Tips to stay safe outdoors – Dressing in layers, protecting your hands and feet, and paying attention to the forecast can help you stay safe and warm while exercising outdoors in cold weather.
Cold Weather Tips for Your Pets – Your pets can’t talk to you to tell you they are cold. Watch out for signs such as shivering, lack of activity or appetite, distressed sounds, frost or ice buildup on their fur or hair, etc. The following guidelines will help you protect your pets in cold weather.
Shoveling Snow Safely – Every winter people hurt themselves shoveling snow, ranging from minor aches and pulled muscles to fatal heart attacks. What people often fail to realize is that shoveling is more than just a chore. It puts a lot of stress on the body in a short period of time.
Christmas Season
With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it seems that there’s never enough time to get everything done. It’s important, though, to make sure that safety doesn’t get left off the list: during the holiday season. Fires cause a 34% greater dollar loss and holiday decorating injuries send more than 14,000 to the emergency room. Keep your family safe.
It is easy to think that a home fire would never happen to your family, but there are more potential risks around your home than you may think – especially during the winter months. A recent study showed that within three seconds of ignition, a dry scotch pine is completely ablaze; within 40 seconds, a flashover occurs that engulfs the entire room and releases dense, deadly, toxic smoke. The good news is, it can take less than a minute to help prevent a tragedy. What can you do to help keep your family safe this season? Prepare plan and prevent. Christmas Tree Fire Hazards website.
If you are buying Christmas lights for your home this year, look for energy-efficient LED lights that use 75 percent less energy and last years longer than an incandescent light string, according to ENERGY STAR. The acronym, LED, stands for light-emitting-diode, which is a small light source made of semiconducting materials that allow an electrical current to flow in only one direction. LEDs are reliable and do not produce heat. Look for department or home improvement stores that have a trade-in program for trading incandescent Christmas light strings toward a credit for purchasing LED Christmas light strings.
Whether your holiday decorations are simple or extravagant, there are also important safety tips to remember:
- When you bring your holiday decorations out of storage, inspect lights to make sure there are no cracks, broken sockets or loose connections.
- Replace damaged light strings with energy-efficient LED lights.
- Always use a ladder, not a stool or chair, when hanging lights.
- To avoid falling hazards, keep cords away from high traffic areas of your home.
- Do not overload electrical sockets.
- Turn off holiday lights when you are not at home or going to sleep.
- Consider using a timer to control when your lights go on and off, setting it to turn the lights off at bedtime.
- Make sure you use the proper lights for the location, do not use lights rated for indoor use only on the outside of your home.
- If you are using a cut tree place it in an adequate container and water it every day. A Christmas tree stand with a well that holds at least a gallon of water, or a five gallon bucket of sand that is kept moist are both good options. If you tree is losing needles it probably needs watered. A dry tree is highly flammable and if ignited, can engulf a room in fire in less than one minute.
- Check your fire detectors. If you don’t have them, install one in or near every bedroom.