Winter Hazard Awareness Week, Nov. 9 – 13,
Features a Cool Website and a Photo Contest
ST. PAUL — Seasoned Minnesotans may claim that nothing about a Minnesota winter could surprise them, but statistics say otherwise. That’s why the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and a group of seven partners annually sponsor Winter Hazard Awareness Week. This year’s event, from Nov. 9 – 13, focuses on preparedness and prevention, and adds a new Winter Photo Contest.
A major component of the event is a fact-filled website at www.winterweather.state.mn.us. Information for media and public safety professionals, families, teachers and children is organized by safety topics that include outdoor activity, indoor air, cars and travel, and fire prevention. The site includes statistics on each topic, along with downloadable artwork, fact sheets and workbooks. Contributors include state departments of Safety, Health and Natural Resources, the Minnesota Safety Council, the American Red Cross and the Insurance Federation of Minnesota.
A new addition to the Winter Hazard Awareness Week event is the “What’s Your Winter?” online photo contest. The sponsors invite amateur photographers to submit photographs in four categories: Mother Nature, Winter Holidays, Kids in Winter and Outdoor Winter Sports. Age divisions are 15 and younger, and 16 and older, with a grand prize in each division and a prize for first, second and third place in each category. Submissions will be displayed on the Winter Hazard Awareness Week website. The prizes include a Red Cross Deluxe Emergency Preparedness Kit, a pocket digital camera, a first aid kit and all-weather flashlight, an LED glow-stick/whistle and other items. A link to contest rules is on the Winter Hazard Awareness website.
Wade Setter, deputy director of the Department of Public Safety Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, encourages Minnesotans to spend some time on the site. “This website isn’t a safety lecture,” he says. “It’s more like a new look at Old Man Winter, and a great place to browse. In addition to some surprising statistics, there are safety tips and a great way to share those winter photos you’re proud of.”
There’s another advantage, as well. It could save your life this winter.
Fact Sheet
WINTER HAZARD AWARENESS WEEK, NOV. 9-13, 2009
Outdoors in Minnesota
· Last winter, two Minnesotans died after falling through the ice.
· Over the last 10 years, 43 people have drowned after breaking through thin ice.
· Sixty-five percent of all ice drownings are vehicle related.
· Last winter, 10 Minnesotans died in snowmobile accidents.
· Last winter, 70 percent of snowmobile deaths were alcohol or drug related.
Safe Behavior
· Never walk on ice less than four inches thick; don’t snowmobile on less than five inches of ice or drive your car on less than eight inches of new, clear ice.
· Avoid alcoholic beverages, especially when snowmobiling. In addition to impairing judgment and reflexes, alcohol causes the body to lose heat more rapidly.
Winter Fires
· Cooking is the number one cause of home fires; open flames (candles) and heating are numbers two and three. In 2008, 48 percent of home fires started in the kitchen.
· In 2008, 27 percent of home fire deaths took place in homes without working smoke detectors; 23 percent of fire deaths took place in December.
Safe Behavior
· Install smoke detectors on every level of your home, including the basement, and test them monthly.
· Never leave cooking unattended; smother a grease fire with a lid. Do not use water!
· Unattended or carelessly placed candles cause fires. Respect the dangers and take precautions.
Indoor Air
· The Centers for Disease Control and prevention estimate that unintentional CO exposure causes 500 deaths in the U.S. each year.
Safe Behavior
· Minnesota State Law requires carbon monoxide detectors installed within ten feet of each bedroom area in the home.
· If you smell gas in your home, contact your local utility company or qualified professional heating contractor and follow their advice.
Cars and Travel
· A snowplow may outweigh your vehicle by 17 times and they cannot slow down quickly.
· Cold can reduce your car battery’s effectiveness by 50 percent, freeze tires, and thicken lubricants.
· In 2008, 6,259 injuries and 69 deaths to place on snowy, icy roads in Minnesota.
Safe Behavior
· Slow down; give snowplows room to do their jobs; never drive through a snow cloud.
· Prepare your vehicle for winter so you don’t get stranded.
· Build or buy a winter emergency kit and keep it in your vehicle.
· Adjust speed to road and weather conditions – lower speeds minimize crashes.
· Accelerate and decelerate slowly on wintery roads to retrain traction and avoid skids; do not use cruise-control.
For more facts and tips, visit www.winterweather.state.mn.us
PICTURE THIS: A WINTER SAFETY EVENT WITH FUN, TO BOOT
Winter Hazard Awareness Week, Nov. 9 – 13,
Features a Cool Website and a Photo Contest
ST. PAUL — Seasoned Minnesotans may claim that nothing about a Minnesota winter could surprise them, but statistics say otherwise. That’s why the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and a group of seven partners annually sponsor Winter Hazard Awareness Week. This year’s event, from Nov. 9 – 13, focuses on preparedness and prevention, and adds a new Winter Photo Contest.
A major component of the event is a fact-filled website at www.winterweather.state.mn.us. Information for media and public safety professionals, families, teachers and children is organized by safety topics that include outdoor activity, indoor air, cars and travel, and fire prevention. The site includes statistics on each topic, along with downloadable artwork, fact sheets and workbooks. Contributors include state departments of Safety, Health and Natural Resources, the Minnesota Safety Council, the American Red Cross and the Insurance Federation of Minnesota.
A new addition to the Winter Hazard Awareness Week event is the “What’s Your Winter?” online photo contest. The sponsors invite amateur photographers to submit photographs in four categories: Mother Nature, Winter Holidays, Kids in Winter and Outdoor Winter Sports. Age divisions are 15 and younger, and 16 and older, with a grand prize in each division and a prize for first, second and third place in each category. Submissions will be displayed on the Winter Hazard Awareness Week website. The prizes include a Red Cross Deluxe Emergency Preparedness Kit, a pocket digital camera, a first aid kit and all-weather flashlight, an LED glow-stick/whistle and other items. A link to contest rules is on the Winter Hazard Awareness website.
Wade Setter, deputy director of the Department of Public Safety Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, encourages Minnesotans to spend some time on the site. “This website isn’t a safety lecture,” he says. “It’s more like a new look at Old Man Winter, and a great place to browse. In addition to some surprising statistics, there are safety tips and a great way to share those winter photos you’re proud of.”
There’s another advantage, as well. It could save your life this winter.
Fact Sheet
WINTER HAZARD AWARENESS WEEK, NOV. 9-13, 2009
Outdoors in Minnesota
· Last winter, two Minnesotans died after falling through the ice.
· Over the last 10 years, 43 people have drowned after breaking through thin ice.
· Sixty-five percent of all ice drownings are vehicle related.
· Last winter, 10 Minnesotans died in snowmobile accidents.
· Last winter, 70 percent of snowmobile deaths were alcohol or drug related.
Safe Behavior
· Never walk on ice less than four inches thick; don’t snowmobile on less than five inches of ice or drive your car on less than eight inches of new, clear ice.
· Avoid alcoholic beverages, especially when snowmobiling. In addition to impairing judgment and reflexes, alcohol causes the body to lose heat more rapidly.
Winter Fires
· Cooking is the number one cause of home fires; open flames (candles) and heating are numbers two and three. In 2008, 48 percent of home fires started in the kitchen.
· In 2008, 27 percent of home fire deaths took place in homes without working smoke detectors; 23 percent of fire deaths took place in December.
Safe Behavior
· Install smoke detectors on every level of your home, including the basement, and test them monthly.
· Never leave cooking unattended; smother a grease fire with a lid. Do not use water!
· Unattended or carelessly placed candles cause fires. Respect the dangers and take precautions.
Indoor Air
· The Centers for Disease Control and prevention estimate that unintentional CO exposure causes 500 deaths in the U.S. each year.
Safe Behavior
· Minnesota State Law requires carbon monoxide detectors installed within ten feet of each bedroom area in the home.
· If you smell gas in your home, contact your local utility company or qualified professional heating contractor and follow their advice.
Cars and Travel
· A snowplow may outweigh your vehicle by 17 times and they cannot slow down quickly.
· Cold can reduce your car battery’s effectiveness by 50 percent, freeze tires, and thicken lubricants.
· In 2008, 6,259 injuries and 69 deaths to place on snowy, icy roads in Minnesota.
Safe Behavior
· Slow down; give snowplows room to do their jobs; never drive through a snow cloud.
· Prepare your vehicle for winter so you don’t get stranded.
· Build or buy a winter emergency kit and keep it in your vehicle.
· Adjust speed to road and weather conditions – lower speeds minimize crashes.
· Accelerate and decelerate slowly on wintery roads to retrain traction and avoid skids; do not use cruise-control.
For more facts and tips, visit www.winterweather.state.mn.us