Christmas Safety tips

The Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter of the American Red Cross has issued their 12 safety tips for the Christmas season. So if you would, take a break from wrapping presents, baking sweets and hanging ornaments to take a quick look at the list and give your house a quick once over for safety during the holiday season.

1.  Prepare vehicle for traveling to grandmother’s house. Build an emergency kit and include items such as blankets or sleeping bags, jumper cables, fire extinguisher, compass and road maps, shovel, tire repair kit and pump, extra clothing, flares, and a tow rope.
2.  Drive the sleigh and reindeer safely. Avoid driving in a storm. If travel is a must, let someone know the destination, the route being taken to get there, and how long it should take to arrive. If the car gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along the predetermined route.
3.  Help prevent the spread of the flu. Stay home if sick. Wash hands with soap and water as often as possible, or use an alcohol-based hand rub. Cover the nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing, and throw the tissue away after use. If a tissue isn’t available, someone should cough or sneeze into their elbow, not their hands.
4.  Follow Santa’s fashion lead – dress in layers. When it’s cold outside, layered lightweight clothing will keep a person warmer than a single heavy coat. Gloves and a hat will prevent loss of body heat.
5.  Use a Red Cross-trained babysitter when attending holiday festivities. Red Cross-certified babysitters learn to administer basic first aid; properly hold and feed a child; take emergency action when needed and monitor safe play. Some may be certified in Infant and Child CPR.
6. Avoid danger while roasting chestnuts on an open fire. Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If leaving the kitchen even for a short period of time, turn off the stove. This is important because unattended cooking causes nearly 90 percent of all kitchen fires. Never leave flame candles unattended. Better yet, use light bulb candles instead.
7. Be a lifesaver during the holidays. The Red Cross recommends at least one person in every household should take first aid and CPR/AED training. Visit www.redcrossphilly.org  for details.
8.  Designate a driver or skip the holiday cheer. Buckle up, slow down, don’t drive impaired. If someone plans on drinking, designate a driver who won’t drink.
9. When the weather outside is frightful, heat the home safely. Never use a stove or oven to heat the home. Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces unattended. Install smoke alarms.
10. Cut down on heating bills without being a Grinch. Get the furnace cleaned and change the filters. Make sure furniture isn’t blocking the heat vents. Close off any rooms not in use and turn off the heat in those rooms. Turn down the thermostat and put on a sweater.
11. Home for the holidays? Travel safely. Check the tire air pressure and make sure the windshield fluid is full. Be well rested and alert. Give full attention to the road – avoid distractions such as cell phones. If someone has car trouble, pull off the road as far as possible.
12. Resolve to Be Red Cross Ready in the New Year. Get ready now in case someone in the household faces an emergency in 2012.

More winter safety tips from Gehringer Mechanical

With the bad weather upon us, and as rain turns to snow then eventually ice, it's important to make sure that you've made those last minute preparations to your home for winter. If you remember our previous blog entry on "How To Properly Winterize Your Home" and followed those steps, you are well underway to having a safe winter.

In our previous entry, we discussed that Gehringer Mechanical offers portable generators and backup energy sources for your home in the event of the loss of power. Quite often, when people lose power they will also seek the use of portable space heaters to reduce the amount of energy being used by the backup generator. 

We'd like to remind you of some safeties issues brought to you by our friends at the National Fire Protection Association regarding space heaters.

Based on 2005-2009 annual averages:

• Heating equipment fires accounted for 18% of all reported home fires in 2009 (second behind cooking) and 22% of home fire deaths.
• Space heaters, whether portable or stationary, accounted for one-third (32%) of home heating fires and four out of five (79%) of home heating fire deaths.
• The leading factor contributing to home heating fires (26%) was failure to clean, principally creosote from solid-fueled heating equipment, primarily chimneys.
• Placing things that can burn too close to heating equipment or placing heating equipment too close to things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattress, or bedding, was the leading factor contributing to ignition in fatal home heating fires and accounted for more than half (53%) of home heating fire deaths.
• Half (49%) of all home heating fires occurred in December, January and February.