One of things people look forward to the most on the nation’s Independence Day is lighting fireworks. To make the most out of the holiday weekend, play it safe. Make this Fourth of July memorable because of the great time you had with family and friends, not because of a fireworks accident that went wrong.
Firework Safety Tips
Know the law regarding fireworks in your state. If you are in an area that does not allow illegal fireworks, do not even think about using them.
Only use fireworks outside.
Have a hose or a bucket of water ready to extinguish any blazes.
Do not alter fireworks.
Leave a dud alone. If a firework does not work, leave it alone for at least 20 minutes before soaking it a bucket of water. Do not try to relight a dud.
Do not drink and light fireworks. If there will be alcohol at your Independence Day festivities, appoint a designated fireworks lighter who will remain sober.
Only allow those over the age of 12 use sparklers.
Use safety equipment. The person lighting the fireworks should wear safety glass and spectators should keep a safe distance.
Memorial Day weekend signals the official start of summer, one of the most popular times to fire-up the grill to make backyard cuisines. However, the beginning of summer also signals the beginning of wildfire season. Help keep your home and neighborhood safe by keeping the following tips from the HPBA (Hearth, Patio & Barbeque Association) and the Propane Education & Research Council in mind.
Prepare Your Home and Grill
Cut back your grass and move burnable materials. Keep grass, wood, bush, plants and other materials at least 10 feet away from propane tanks and cylinders. This includes tanks installed in your grill and tanks you are storing.
Do not store propane tanks and cylinders inside a home, shed, garage or any other building.
Read the manual for your propane tank and grill.
Only use grills outside and in a well-ventilated area. If you grill indoors, there is a chance carbon monoxide could accumulate and prove fatal to those in the building.
Make sure the grill is stable. When grills are unstable or placed on uneven surfaces they may fall or tip over unexpectedly, which can cause a fire.
Replace expired or damaged tanks. This includes tanks that have holes, rust spots or cracks.
Use a grill mat. Use a heat-resistance grill mat under a gas or charcoal grill to prevent fires caused by hot embers or drippings.
Keep an extinguisher nearby. When grilling, keep a fire extinguisher nearby. If you do not have an extinguisher, keep baking soda, a bucket of garden sand or a garden hose close.
Outdoor fire prevention is quick, easy and worth the effort so you do not have to deal with the consequences of a full-blown, damaging blaze.
As the cold weather continues across the U.S., emergency workers are responding to a growing number of deaths. The reason behind the fatalities is due to inappropriate means of trying to stay warm.
WWL-FM105.3 of Louisiana reports that recent fires unnecessarily took the lives of a handful of people. The report states Fire Marshal Butch Browning shared: “…deadly fires not only occur because of using inappropriate heating sources, but using proper heating sources like space heaters in an improper way.”
Browining also recommends only using a space heater when awake. Also, make sure smoke detectors in the home work. If not, Browing states, “your family has less than a 40% chance of waking up in a fire.”
Winter blanketed the United States last week with one big cold hug. Or was it a slap?
Freezing temperatures were seen coast to coast. Snow was dumped in the Midwest, Central, and East coasts. Below freezing temperatures hit the Northwest and left children wondering where all the snow was.
Sure, the snow and ice make for a romantic scene the first day or so. But what about all that which comes with freezing temperatures: frozen and burst pipes, snow melt, floodingandwater damage, and mold? Keep reading to find out how one can be ready for the curveballs Mother Nature throws.
Keep pipes insulated and the areas they are in warm.
Leave cabinets where pipes are located open to help prevent the water from within the pipes from freezing. When water freezes, it expands, which causes the pipes to break and burst with water.
Shovel snow away from the home. It is pretty funny when it snows so much it covers the door of the back porch. When the snow melts into the house and floods the laundry room, people stop laughing.
Denver received almost a foot of snow this weekend in a very short amount of time. The Front Range and east plains also did not get left out. USA Today reported the snow was deep enough for some of the airlines at Denver International Airport to have cancelled flights.
The National Weather Service had issued snow advisories in the affected area, but cancelled their warnings after the snow had stopped falling in the Denver area.
Areas of Colorado’s eastern plains also had snow warnings, but they were not cancelled as they had strong winds that made visibility impossible at times. Hundreds of people were called from the Colorado Department of Transportation to help get the roads cleaned-up across the areas affected.
