Fight the Cold and Stay Safe With These Winter Safety Tips
News Release: December 20, 2004
Contact: Janice Osborne, Director-Communications and Marketing
(610) 865-4400, ext. 262
As below-normal cold temperatures hit the Greater Lehigh Valley, the American Red Cross reminds people to take precautions during the winter months.
Protect Yourself from Freezing Temperatures
When you prepare to go outside in severe cold weather, please remember the following:
Most of your body heat is lost through your head so wear a hat, preferably one that covers your ears.
Dressing in warm layers helps you retain heat. You can remove layers as you need to, if you become too warm.
Recognize the symptoms of hypothermia that can be a serious medical condition: confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering. Seek medical attention immediately if you have these symptoms.
Mittens provide more warmth to your hands than gloves.
Recognize frostbite warning signs: gray, white or yellow skin discoloration, numbness, waxy feeling skin. Seek medical attention immediately if you have these symptoms.
Wear waterproof, insulated boots to help avoid hypothermia or frostbite by keeping your feet warm and dry and to maintain your footing in ice and snow.
Get out of wet clothes immediately and warm the core body temperature with a blanket or warm fluids like hot cider or soup. Avoid drinking caffeine or alcohol if you expect you or someone you are trying to help has hypothermia or frostbite.
Heat Your Home Safely
As families turn to alternative heating sources out of necessity or to avoid the rising cost of oil and gas, they should take the following precautions:
Do not use candles for lighting if the power goes out. Use flashlights only.
Have your chimney connections and flues inspected by a professional and cleaned if necessary prior to the start of every heating season. Use a sturdy screen when burning fires. Burn only wood -- never burn paper or pine boughs.
If you have a portable generator and the power goes out, always plan to keep the generator outdoors -- never operate it inside, including the basement or garage. Do not hook up a generator directly to your home's wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. Connecting a cord from the generator to a point on the permanent wiring system and back feeding power to your home is an unsafe method to supply a building with power.
Create a disaster supplies kit -- Get together lifesaving items in both your home and vehicle. Go to www.redcross.org for a list of materials.
Make sure alarms are working properly and replace batteries as necessary.
Don't overload your electrical outlets. Be careful of extension cords that present hazardous walkways.
Prevent Frozen Pipes
Many homeowners may not be ready for frigid weather either. Now is the time to protect your house pipes from freezing and bursting. With the cold weather upon us, preventive action may make all the difference.
Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children.
When the weather is very cold outside, let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe -- even at a trickle -- helps prevent pipes from freezing because the temperature of the water running through it is above freezing.
Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.
If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55ΊF.
Additionally, weather-related illnesses also afflict millions during the winter months. From the common cold to influenza, many sicknesses spread from person to person when an infected individual coughs or sneezes, and simple precautions can help stop the spread of those germs.
Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough.
Clean your hands often.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Stay home from work when you are sick and check with a health care provider when needed.
Practice other good health habits, such as getting plenty of rest, managing your stress level and drinking plenty of fluids.
For more valuable information on preparing for cold weather, contact the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley at (610) 865-4400 or visit www.redcrosslv.org or www.redcross.org.
The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization, led by volunteers, that provides relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.
The American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley serves more than 660,000 residents in Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties. Last year the Red Cross provided health and safety education training and emergency relief services to more than 20,000 Greater Lehigh Valley residents. For more information or volunteer opportunities, visit www.redcrosslv.org.
