Winter storms create a higher risk of car accidents, hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning, and heart attacks from overexertion. Winter storms and blizzards can bring extreme cold, freezing rain, snow, ice, and high winds. A winter storm can:
- Last a few hours or several days;
- Knock out heat, power, and communication services; and
- Place older adults, young children, and sick individuals at greater risk.
IF YOU ARE UNDER A WINTER STORM / BLIZZARD WARNING, FIND SHELTER RIGHT AWAY
- Stay off roads.
- Stay indoors and dress warmly.
- Prepare for power outages which may last for several days.
- Use generators outside only and away from windows.
- Listen for emergency information and alerts from the media and local officials.
- Look for signs of hypothermia and frostbite.
- Check on neighbors.
HOW TO STAY SAFE WHEN A WINTER STORM THREATENS:
Prepare NOW
- Know your area’s risk for winter storms. Extreme winter weather can leave communities without utilities or other services for long periods of time.
- Prepare your home to keep out the cold with insulation, caulking, and weather stripping. Learn how to keep pipes from freezing. Install and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups.
- Pay attention to weather reports and warnings of freezing weather and winter storms. Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts.
- Gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power. Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medication. Do not forget the needs of pets. Have extra batteries for radios and flashlights.
- Create an emergency supply kit for your car. Include jumper cables, sand, a flashlight, warm clothes, blankets, bottled water, and non-perishable snacks. Keep the gas tank full.
- Learn the signs of, and basic treatments for, frostbite and hypothermia.
Survive DURING
- Stay off roads if at all possible. If trapped in your car, then stay inside.
- Limit your time outside. If you need to go outside, then wear layers of warm clothing. Watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia.
- Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Only use generators and grills outdoors and away from windows. Never heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven.
- Have a carbon monoxide alarm in place, especially if using alternative heating devices.
- Use safe heating devices.
- Reduce the risk of a heart attack. Avoid overexertion when shoveling snow.
- Watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia and begin treatment right away.
- Check on neighbors. Older adults and young children are more at risk in extreme cold.
RECOGNIZE AND RESPOND
- Frostbite causes loss of feeling and color around the face, fingers, and toes.
- Signs: Numbness, white or grayish-yellow skin, firm or waxy skin
- Actions: Go to a warm room. Soak in warm water. Use body heat to warm. Do not massage or use a heating pad.
- Hypothermia is an unusually low body temperature. A temperature below 95 degrees is an emergency.
- Signs: Shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech, or drowsiness
- Actions: Go to a warm room. Remove wet clothing. Warm the center of the body first—chest, neck, head, and groin. Keep dry and wrapped up in warm blankets, including the head and neck.
Listen to the live interview on WKZO AM 590 and 106.9 FM on Tuesday February 5, 2019 at 8:50 am:
Scald injuries affect all ages. Children, older adults and people with disabilities are most vulnerable. E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety wants to provide you with information on scald injury prevention during Burn Awareness Week, February 3 – 9, 2019.
Hot liquids from bath water, hot coffee and even microwaved soup can cause devastating injuries. Scald burns are the second leading cause of all burn injuries. American Burn Association statistics show that each day more than 300 children are seen in emergency rooms throughout the United States and two children die from burn injuries. Most burns occur in the home, usually in the kitchen or bathroom.
“Scalds can be prevented through increased awareness of scald hazards and by making simple environmental or behavioral changes,” according to Firefighter Michael McLeieer, President of E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety. “These changes include providing a “3-foot-kid-safe zone” while preparing and serving hot foods and beverages as well as lowering the water heater thermostat to deliver water at a temperature not to exceed 120 degrees since tap water scalds are often more severe than cooking-related scalds,” said McLeieer.
Burn Awareness Week, observed the first full week in February, is designed to provide an opportunity for burn and fire and life safety educators to unite in sharing a common burn awareness and prevention message in our communities throughout Michigan and across the country.
Tips to prevent burns and scalds:
- Teach children that hot things can burn. Install anti-scald devices on tub faucets and shower heads.
- Always supervise a child in or near a bathtub.
- Before placing a child in the bath or getting in the bath yourself, test the water.
- Test the water at the faucet and by moving your hand, wrist and forearm through the water. The water should feel warm, not hot, to the touch. It should be less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
- Provide constant adult supervision of young children or anyone who is bathing and may experience difficulty removing themselves from hot water on their own.
- Avoid flushing toilets, running water, or using dish or clothes washers while anyone is showering.
- In the kitchen, turn pot handles back, away from the stove’s edge and use back burners when young children are present.
- Use dry oven mitts or potholders. Hot cookware can heat moisture in a potholder or hot pad, resulting in a scald burn.
- Open microwaved food slowly and away from the face.
- Never heat a baby bottle in a microwave oven.
- Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking.
- Establish a “kid-safe-zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove, hot liquids and hot foods. The “kid-safe zone” should be an area out of the traffic path between the stove and sink where children can safely play and still be supervised.
- Never hold a child while you are cooking, drinking a hot liquid, or carrying hot foods or liquids.
General first aid for burns and scalds:
- Treat a burn right away by putting it in cool water. Cool the burn for three to five minutes.
- Cover burn with a clean, dry cloth. Do not apply creams, ointments, sprays or other home remedies. Seek medical attention if needed.
- Remove all clothing, diapers, jewelry and metal from the burned area. These can hide underlying burns and retain heat, which can increase skin damage.
For more information about preventing scald burns, visit the E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety or United States Fire Administration websites.
West Michigan has seen its share of snow and brutally cold weather this winter season and the threat of winter home fires and personal injury are real. As you stay cozy and warm this winter season, be fire smart and use some common sense.
Did you know home fires occur more in the winter months than any other time of the year? Half of all home heating fires occur in the months of December, January and February. According to the United States Fire Administration, heating is the second leading cause of home fires following cooking and more than 900 people die annually in winter home fires across the United States. Home heating fires peaked in the early evening hours between 5 and 9 p.m. This four-hour period accounted for 30 percent of all home heating fires.
Also, the risk of having a heart attack and stroke increases during the winter months due to overexertion when shoveling, pushing a car or walking in deep snow. Take frequent breaks or ask a neighbor, family member or friend to shovel your driveway or sidewalk.
Here are some simple and important safety tips to help prevent winter home fires:
- Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from all heat sources including fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators, space heaters or candles.
- Never use an oven to heat your home, especially during a power outage.
- Turn space heaters off and unplug them when leaving the room or going to bed.
- Consider using flameless candles or battery powered flashlights if the power goes out.
- Never use an extension cord or power strip with a space heater. Always plug the device directly into a wall outlet and after 10 or 15 minutes of use, feel the cord and outlet. If either are warm, discontinue use of the heater.
- Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected each year by a licensed or certified professional.
- Clear snow drifts from furnace exhausts and air intakes to prevent deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Install carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and invisible gas produced from heating and cooking equipment, vehicles and portable generators.
- Test your smoke alarms monthly, change non long-life batteries annually and replace alarms over 10 years old.
- Help your local firefighters by shoveling a 3-foot circle of snow and ice away from the nearest fire hydrant.
And consider following these cold weather safety tips:
- Check on your neighbors as well as family and friends who are at risk and may need additional assistance during this dangerous cold spell.
- Watch pets closely and keep them indoors when possible. Animals can suffer from hypothermia, frostbite and other cold-weather injuries.
- Be aware of children playing in the streets, particularly climbing on or running out from behind large snowdrifts. Parents should remind their children to be aware of plowing operations and traffic and avoid these dangerous areas.
- Be aware of the hazards of wind chill. As the winter wind speed increases and the outdoor temperature drops, heat is carried away from a person’s body more rapidly, which will lead to severe hypothermia. Wind chill indices are forecasted to range from -22 to -48 degrees below zero Fahrenheit on Wednesday January 30th causing exposed skin to freeze in a matter of minutes.
- Signs of hypothermia includes uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, drowsiness and exhaustion.
- Signs of frostbite include loss of feeling or pale appearance of fingers, toes or the face.
- Stay indoors if possible. If you must go outside, wear protective clothing, such as hats, mittens, gloves, scarf and a warm coat.
By following these precautions, you will keep everyone in your family safe and secure Where You Live!
Like fire, carbon monoxide (CO) is just as deadly. It’s called the silent killer because it’s colorless, odorless and invisible. More than 400 people in the United States die every year from accidental nonfire-related CO poisoning associated with consumer products, including generators. When you breathe in CO, it makes you feel nauseas, dizzy, headachy, and tired like you have the flu. It also makes it difficult to think clearly. CO poisons the body by removing oxygen in the blood stream, slowing suffocating you and eventually causing unconsciousness and even death.
On Tuesday January 23, 2019 a Walker Michigan family called the Walker Fire Department to report their Kidde carbon monoxide alarm, which was installed in early April of 2018 by the fire department through the WOTV 4 Women Operation Save A Life program, was alarming and they were unable to reset it. The caller indicated no one in her family was experiencing any symptoms. However, she did indicate that her son had not been feeling well but they figured he was just catching a cold from school.
Upon arrival by a Walker fire engine crew, it was determined the heat exchanger in the family’s furnace was malfunctioning and was the cause of the alarm activation as well as the son’s symptoms.
Another family is saved thanks to the strong work by the members of the Walker Fire Department!
Where does CO come from?
Heating equipment is the leading cause of CO incidents. It can also come from hot water heaters, gas stoves, gas dryers, barbecue grills, fireplaces, kerosene heaters, and from cars, lawn mowers, snow blowers or generators running inside the garage – even with the door open. A large number of CO incidents take place between the months of November and February and between 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. This is the time when most heating equipment is being used at home.
Facts & figures
- The dangers of CO exposure depend on a number of variables, including the victim’s health and activity level. Infants, pregnant women, and people with physical conditions that limit their body’s ability to use oxygen (i.e. emphysema, asthma, heart disease) can be more severely affected by lower concentrations of CO than healthy adults would be.
- A person can be poisoned by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter amount of time.
- More than 20,000 people visit emergency rooms across the U.S. and more than 4,000 are hospitalized each year.
What can you do?
- Install a CO alarm on every level of your home. Replace alarms that are over five years old.
- Never use a generator inside the home or attached garage.
- Have a licensed contractor inspect and service your gas-fired heating and cooking appliances at least annually.
What to do if you suspect CO exposure
• Get out of the house or car and get fresh air.
• Call the fire department or 911 from a neighbor’s house.
• If you have symptoms, seek medical help immediately.
For more information on carbon monoxide safety, please visit the National Fire Protection Association or the United States Fire Administration websites.
Did you know the risk of dying in a home structure fire caused by smoking materials rises with age? Listen to these tips on WKZO radio from our founder Lt. Michael McLeieer, President of E.S.C.A.P.E. on ways to properly extinguish smoking materials and prevent a home fire!
