Ely Fire Department

Here are some links with winter safety and preparation tips from publichealthcorps.org.

Home: Is your home ready for winter?  Here are some tasks to add to your to-do list:

• Update your home’s insulation
• Insulate your windows
• Door weather stripping
• HVAC inspection & repairs
• Change furnace filter
• Winterize your exterior
  How to Winterize Your Home

Space heaters being placed too close to items such as upholstered furniture, clothing or bedding causes 24% of the fires in the United States. Space heaters should be:

• Space heaters should be kept level
• Space heaters should be 3ft away from flammable objects
• Kids and pets should stay clear of space heaters
• Space heaters should not be left running when you are out of the room
• Make sure your smoke alarms in proper working order by checking them twice a year
• Space heaters should not be used with extension cords
  Space heater safety tips (infographic)

Prevent Ice Dams from building up on your gutters:

• Rake snow away from gutters after major snow storms
• Winterize pipes and sprinklers
• Use salt or pellets on walkways and driveways
• Add a snow melting system to a new or replaced driveway
• Cover plants and flowers
• Insulate your garage
  6 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Winter Ice Storms

Winterize your car:

• Get a vehicle checkup
• Use snow mud tires
• Have snow chains
  Quick guide: How to prep your car for winter

Keep your pets safe this winter. Depending on the size of the pet, depends how how well the colder temperatures. All pets should be watched as the temperatures drop below 40 degrees. Temperatures below 20 are life threatening for small pets. Larger animals can tolerate temperatures down to 10 degrees before the cold is life threatening. Check out this informative chart on how cold is too cold for your pet.
How cold is too cold for your dog?

Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have lasting harmful effects on individuals, families, and communities. While its causes are complex and determined by multiple factors, the goal of suicide prevention is simple: Reduce factors that increase risk (i.e. risk factors) and increase factors that promote resilience (i.e. protective factors). Ideally, prevention addresses all levels of influence: individual, relationship, community, and societal. Effective prevention strategies are needed to promote awareness of suicide and encourage a commitment to social change.

Risk factors:

• History of previous suicide attempts
• Family history of suicide
• History of depression or other mental illness
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Stressful life event or loss
• Easy access to lethal methods
• Exposure to the suicidal behavior of others
• Incarceration

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/

If you know someone who has talked about suicide, has some of the risk factors or has attempted suicide in the past, talk about suicide or has voiced suicidal thoughts, talk with the person and get them help through the Suicide Prevention Network (1-800-273-TALK). Suicide is a long term solution for a short term problem that hurts all those who know, love or have to respond to the suicide.