With the holiday seasons coming, a lot of people get excited because they have a chance to decorate and maybe have a little friendly neighborhood competition. For first responders this almost always means an increase in calls. That’s why regardless of what holiday you love to decorate for, we at EMP2C wanted to share some tips and tricks to help keep your home, your family, and visitors safe while still having your house look better than your neighbors.
Before we get into it, we wanted to start off by asking, wherever you come across our blog please leave a comment with a tip that you may have that we didn’t cover, or just your favorite idea from our list. After all, EMP2C is all about community preparedness, and what better way to meet our mission than to have the community help each other!
1. Up, up, and away
Ladder safety is paramount. Among workers, 20% of fall injuries involve ladders. Among these falls bone fractures are the most common injury, followed closely by traumatic brain/head/spinal injuries and even death. Some great ladder tips to always follow are:
o Visually inspect your ladder for proper function and operability
o Always maintain 3 points of contact (if you have to reach, move the ladder)
o Make sure you have a steady base
o Make sure your ladder is tall enough for the job
o Never climb alone!
2. (Don’t) come crashing in like a wrecking ball
If you find yourself going up on the roof, look for damage before you walk around or secure your decorations.
o Look for missing or discolored shingles. Missing shingles can cause the substructure to rot from water damage)
o Look for sagging sections, some roofs may be soft to the point where the roof has indent
o Remember, gutters are not weight bearing
Thought we could get out of talking fire safety? These next few tips go together.
3. Getting hot, hot, hot, with fire?
We all want our decorations to be as realistic as possible right? While that may be the case, avoid using real flames for your witch’s cauldron or devils den décor. Honestly, it’s just a hassle even if its cool. The best bet is to use battery operated or even plug in lights to create the desired effect
4. Is it warm in here or am I just melting?
While the battery-operated lights may sound lame, it’s all about mitigating the biggest risk. Think about it, how flammable are costumes and other decorations due to their cheap materials and construction? Many of these materials are HIGHLY flammable and causes fires to spread rapidly. Those that don’t spread quickly often melt and stick to skin/other materials. Third degree burns are not only super dangerous…they kind of just suck in general.
I know, I know, its shocking. But these next 3 tips might just help with that.
5. Protect plugs from water hazards
We all know you don’t make toast next to the bathtub right? So why would you leave the extension cord connections just laying in the yard? The results could be….shocking. Instead, grab some electrical tape and seal the connection, or even better, use some of that old, stained up Tupperware and make a reusable dry box.
* don't forget the lid!
6. Oh no, I hope I don’t fall...
While were talking about extension cord safety, make sure you don’t create a tripping hazard! Kids are clumsy and sometimes so are parents. Run your extension cords in a way that make sense. We recommend taping cords down if possible. If not run them in out of the way places like in the corner of a step where the run meets the rise, or between the front walk and where your grass begins. Temporary underground runs also come to mind, but only if the wiring is rated for that kind of use.
7. I HAVE THE POWER…until the breaker pops.
Don’t overload circuits. Most of us have seen the scene in A Christmas Story where there are 15 things plugged into a single outlet and the outlet starts to catch fire. Electrical standards have certainly gotten better since the 50’s, but stuff still happens. Don’t daisy chain your power strips or double up extension cords. Your house burning down isn’t worth the super sick light show your planning.
There’s a fine line between playing dead and dropping dead, keep these 2 things in mind.
8. Don’t hurt em hammer
Were always looking to up the ante or push the boundaries on what we did the year before. After all, Halloween is the one day a year its ok to prank and scare people. That being said, there’s no reason why we can’t all out and be safe enough we don’t catch a lawsuit.
Kind of like making sure out wires don’t create tripping hazards, we want to make sure our decorations can’t hurt anyone. Make sure there are no sharp edges or points. Props are secure. If you use animatronics or jump scares, make sure the prop doesn’t contact someone and that people can get out of the way safely.
9. But what about grandpa’s heart condition?
We all know your neighbor Bob can’t hold a match to your decorations. After Jim tells you every year that you just about gave him a heart-attack…turns out this year you actually did. Now what? If you go all out, it never hurts to make sure you can bring Jim back to life (and were not talking re-animating as a zombie) with some high-quality CPR. Take a class, have a resuscitation barrier on hand, be prepared. ( I’ve heard EMP2C offers them every Saturday in Frederick at www.emp2c.com/book-online )
10. Don’t make “stumpy” your new nickname
* yes, its an avocado. You get the idea.
Every year we see an increase in stab and puncture injuries in October. Pumpkin carving is inherently dangerous and can go from a fun family activity to a hospital trip in the blink of an eye. Keep these tips in mind when carving:
o Use the right tools for the job. We recommend smaller more maneuverable tools for carving.
o Carve your pumpkin with the top still on it. This way your less tempted to put your hand inside to steady the pumpkin while make cuts from the outside (it happens, trust us)
o Keep your work area well lit, clean, and dry
o Make cuts for kids under 12, supervision is key regardless of the child’s age
o Know first aid (duh)
As always, have a trauma kit on hand all the time, but especially anytime you’re messing with power tools or tools with sharp edges/points. You can get a comprehensive bleed stop kit at www.emp2c.com/store
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