According to
national statistics, every year there are nearly 5 million
household accidents which require medical attention.
Organizing your
home can prevent accidents. When you start your seasonal cleaning
this year, keep in mind that many accidents can be prevented by
organizing your storage areas. Making better use of space in
your home or apartment can free more room and help prevent falls
and other accidents. The National Safety Council offers the
following tips for safer, more efficient organization of your
home:
Donate
usable, unneeded items to a charity or a flea market, or recycle
them. If you cannot find a "second life" for unwanted
items, it is time to throw them out.
Keep
frequently-used items in handy places. Store seasonal and
special use items out of the way of daily activities.
Use high and
low shelves and cabinets according to size, weight and frequency
of needed items. Put lightweight items on higher shelves and
heavier items on lower shelves.
Do all your
household reaching and climbing on a sturdy step stool or
utility ladder with treaded steps.
Keep knives
and sharp objects in designated places known to all family
members. Compact, plastic boxes with clear tops make safe
containers for such small, sharp objects as pins and thumbtacks.
Keep minimal
amounts of all flammable liquids on hand. Store them in a garage
or an unattached shed, away from all heat sources.
Examine the
area under the sink (and on low cabinet shelves) for chemical
products that could be hazardous to young children. Store these
products in a locked-up drawer or cabinet out of sight and reach
of children.
Also, keep
cutting instruments and flammables out of the reach of children.
Please make
sure that your children's bicycles are in good riding condition
and that they understand the rules of the road. Also, please
make sure they always wear a helmet when riding!
Drivers:
please pull safely to the side of the road when you hear or see
an emergency vehicle responding to an emergency. Also, please
note that it is a violation to drive over any fire hose while it
is being used at the scene of an emergency. Fire hose is very
expensive (100 feet of 5-inch diameter hose costs nearly $1,000;
each engine carries 1,000 feet of such hose). Driving over fire
hose may damage it and jeopardize the safety of the crew
attacking the fire; violators who drive over our fire hose will
be cited.
Plan Your
Escape Now---Sit down with your family and make sure that
everyone knows what to do in the event of a fire. If possible,
make sure you
have two ways out of every room and that you have a meeting
place outside the house for the whole family. Practice the plan.
Even the best plan is no good if you don't practice it! You can
do a lot to protect yourself, your family and your property. In
fact, you are the key to your safety. We are here to help you!
Please call us and we will show you more ways that you can
protect yourself all year long.
Do you have a
pool or a spa? Remember that curious children and pets are
attracted to these and could accidentally fall into an
unsupervised pool or spa. Secure the area around the pool and
spa and watch your children closely when they are around any
water.
Close those
doors! For years, the fire service has advocated closing bedroom
doors when going to bed at night to provide an added measure of
fire safety to occupants as they sleep. In reviewing fire
losses and flame and spread patterns, we are thoroughly
convinced that fire losses in dwellings could be reduced from 20
to 30 percent by carrying the closed-door concept a step
further. Any time you leave your home, take a few minutes to
close all interior doors. Foolish, time consuming, or
unnecessary, you may say. But the fact remains that a large
portion of damage occurring as a result of house fires can be
attributed to heat and smoke spreading uninterrupted throughout
the entire structure. Without a doubt, a simple matter of
closing doors could have a significant effect on the total loss
from a fire.
