Cold weather PSA

[Hippie3180]

My husband works in a line of work that sees much tragedy this time of year due to fire. Please think things through when trying to stay warm

Don't use the oven, range as a heat source.

Never run power from one house to another via an extension cord.

When using heat lamps for animals, keep them safe from toppling over. Secure them up higher than where the animals are.

When using space heaters, keep a 3' area of clearance all the way around.

Please be sure your smoke alarms/carbon monoxide detectors are properly working. Never take out batteries to put them in your remote.

Never plug space heaters into power strips.

Be sure extension cords are in good condition and don't place heavy objects on top of them.

Never use a grill indoors as a heat source.

Be sure to properly ventilate when using gas powered generators.

If your car gets stuck in the snow, be sure to clear your muffler to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Always consider volatile fumes and open heat sources.

And first and foremost, please check on each other, especially those who may be underserved.

 

[wolf creek knives]

Good information and hopefully people will take heed.

 

[mark james]

Superb thoughts! Thank you for the reminders.

 

[rixstix]

Good list. To add a couple checkpoints...

• If you have gas heat, keep the snow shoveled from around the meter... especially the pressure regulator.
• Shovel snow from your basement egress wells in case you have to escape.

 

[Woodchipper]

Good information but a shame that people won't listen to it. This is heralded on the news every year but ignored.

 

[Hippie3180]

Good information but a shame that people won't listen to it. This is heralded on the news every year but ignored.

This is true, however many of these type of incidents seem to have in common folks with few resources, doing unsafe things to stay warm. I believe it's our responsibility as part of a community to keep an eye out so we can educate/intervene when we see these kinds of things taking place, it may save a life. People take desperate measure to stay warm in these conditions.

 

[Woodchipper]

Hippie3180, good idea but not always possible. Example: we had a local flea market burn to the foundation last year. Electrical problem caused the fire. The owners were notified of the problem by inspectors and nothing was ever done.

 

[greenacres2]

Great reminder.
I think extension cords and power strips are misused more than just about any other household item. Appliance cord too short to plug in--grab an extension cord, that skinny little white one that's all twisted up and meant to carry a load no greater than a cell phone charger. NO. Power strip--it has 8 outlets, so it's okay to plug 8 things in. Oh...i've got 11 things to plug in--i'll plug 7 into one power strip and use the 8th spot for another power strip. NO.
For some reason, amp load is a difficult concept for people to understand--and that leads to dangerous practices that don't seem dangerous. The scene from A Christmas Story when Ralphie's dad tries to plug in the Christmas tree still happens today, but with sleeker looking power strips. Somehow we need to find a way to educate how electrical resistance works, but i don't have an answer to that. Definitely think that any extension device that has less than 16 gauge cord shouldn't have more than one outlet--my wife still has some of those brown lamp cord extensions with 3 or 4 outlets on the end stashed somewhere--every time i see one come out, i replace it. Would love to know where she keeps them!!
Rant over...stay safe out there!!

 

[d_bondi]

Great reminder.
I think extension cords and power strips are misused more than just about any other household item. Appliance cord too short to plug in--grab an extension cord, that skinny little white one that's all twisted up and meant to carry a load no greater than a cell phone charger. NO. Power strip--it has 8 outlets, so it's okay to plug 8 things in. Oh...i've got 11 things to plug in--i'll plug 7 into one power strip and use the 8th spot for another power strip. NO.
For some reason, amp load is a difficult concept for people to understand--and that leads to dangerous practices that don't seem dangerous. The scene from A Christmas Story when Ralphie's dad tries to plug in the Christmas tree still happens today, but with sleeker looking power strips. Somehow we need to find a way to educate how electrical resistance works, but i don't have an answer to that. Definitely think that any extension device that has less than 16 gauge cord shouldn't have more than one outlet--my wife still has some of those brown lamp cord extensions with 3 or 4 outlets on the end stashed somewhere--every time i see one come out, i replace it. Would love to know where she keeps them!!
Rant over...stay safe out there!!

Earl, I am sure that you are right regarding misuse of extension cords and power strips as related to Michele's Cold Weather PSA.

However, I'm relatively certain that the most misused item around the home is a ladder. Truly scary what people do with ladders and how they misuse them. And that begins with the poor assumption that they actually use a ladder instead of a bucket, chair, stool, etc. I won't even get into whether or not people use the right ladder for a given job/purpose.

Not trying to be argumentative, I just saw this as an opportunity to point out ladder safety.

 

[Hippie3180]

Hippie3180, good idea but not always possible. Example: we had a local flea market burn to the foundation last year. Electrical problem caused the fire. The owners were notified of the problem by inspectors and nothing was ever done.

This certainly happens too. This is why within a residence smoke alarms are essential. When in working order they DO save lives. Many fires are the result of electrical and often homeowners in particular are unaware there is a problem until it presents itself via a fire.

And as you said, I think it's pretty common for businesses/homeowners to get complacent and think it won't happen to them. My husband has been in this line of work for 20 years and sadly it does happen.

 

[greenacres2]

Earl, I am sure that you are right regarding misuse of extension cords and power strips as related to Michele's Cold Weather PSA.

However, I'm relatively certain that the most misused item around the home is a ladder. Truly scary what people do with ladders and how they misuse them. And that begins with the poor assumption that they actually use a ladder instead of a bucket, chair, stool, etc. I won't even get into whether or not people use the right ladder for a given job/purpose.

Not trying to be argumentative, I just saw this as an opportunity to point out ladder safety.

No argument here!! I'm reminded of the of a spring day several years ago, i got home from a house fire (long time volunteer) to find my wife holding her abdomen in pain, and complaining that it had hurt too bad for a few hours to be able to sit down. Turns out she was trying to hang a planter from the eave above our deck--and used a steel deck chair with the rolled tube legs/base--it rolled out from under her and she caught the chair back just below the ribs. Iced the bruising for a few days, and she's not used a chair as a ladder since--and neither have I. Her pain taught ME ladder safety--and i knew better before!!