Brr.... In honor of what I would consider our first snowfall and our winter weather advisory (until 6pm today) I wanted to share a great winter weather preparedness resource, the Center for Disease Control (CDC)'s guide "Extreme Cold: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Health and Safety."

The guide provides tips on preparing for home heating safety, winter power outages, car trouble, and staying safe outdoors. Below you'll find some of the highlights from the guide. For more information, click here.

Heating Your Home Safely

• Use fireplace, wood stoves, or other combustion heaters only if they are properly vented to the outside and do not leak flue gas into the indoor air space.
• Do not burn paper in a fireplace.
• Ensure adequate ventilation if you must use a kerosene heater.
• Use only the type of fuel your heater is designed to use—don’t substitute.
• Do not place a space heater within 3 feet of anything that may catch on fire, such as drapes, furniture, or bedding, and never cover your space heater.
• Never place a space heater on top of furniture or near water.
• Never leave children unattended near a space heater.
• Make sure that the cord of an electric space heater is not a tripping hazard but do not run the cord under carpets or rugs.
• Avoid using extension cords to plug in your space heater.
• If your space heater has a damaged electrical cord or produces sparks, do not use it.
• Store a multipurpose, dry-chemical fire extinguisher near the area to be heated.
• Protect yourself from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning by installing a battery-operated CO detector and never using generators, grills, camp stoves, or similar devices indoors.

If there is a power failure:

• Use battery-powered flashlights or lanterns rather than candles, if possible.
• Never leave lit candles unattended.
• Never use a charcoal or gas grill indoors—the fumes are deadly.
• Never use an electric generator indoors, inside the garage, or near the air intake of your house because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning:
• Plug in appliances to the generator using individual heavy-duty, outdoor-rated cords.
• Do not use the generator or appliances if they are wet because of the risk of electrocution.
• Do not store gasoline indoors where the fumes could ignite.
  

Winter Power Outages

• Have alternative heat sources to warm your home and extra blankets/clothing, non-perishable food that does not need to be cooked, and alternative sources of water
• Have emergency supplies of prescriptions/get them filled regularly
• Conserve heat
• Monitor body heat - especially in infants who lose heat more quickly and cannot generate body heat by shivering, as well as older adults
• If pipes freeze, unthaw them with a hair dryer instead of a torch; torches unthat the pipes too quickly and may cause damage

Preparing Your Car for Winter

• Have the radiator system serviced, or check the antifreeze level yourself with an antifreeze tester. Add antifreeze, as needed.
• Replace windshield-wiper fluid with a wintertime mixture.
• Replace any worn tires, and check the air pressure in the tires.
• During winter, keep the gas tank near full to help avoid ice in the tank and fuel lines.
• Have an emergency kit in your car. Check out this link to a more detailed list of the kit's contents.

Winter Driving

• Listen for radio or television reports of travel advisories issued by the National Weather Service.
• Do not travel in low visibility conditions.
• Avoid traveling on ice-covered roads, overpasses, and bridges if at all possible.
• If you must travel by car, use tire chains and take a mobile phone with you.
• When traveling tell someone when you plan to leave/arrive and ask them to notify the police if you are late or unresponsive when they contact you.
• Check and restock the winter emergency supplies in your car before you leave.
• Never pour water on your windshield to remove ice or snow; shattering may occur.
• Don’t rely on a car to provide sufficient heat;the car may break down.
• Always carry additional warm clothing appropriate for the winter conditions, especially when you are dressed up or not wearing particularly warm clothing.

Staying Safe Outdoors

1) Dress in warm layers that are wind and water-resistant.

2) Understand wind chill - the temperature your body feels when the air temperature is combined with the wind speed. It is usually significantly lower than the temperature on a regular thermometer.

3) Avoid exertion and follow doctor's recommendations about physical activity in low temperatures, especially if you have high blood pressure. Cold weather increases the strain on your heart even before you begin to perform physical activities like shoveling snow.

4) Avoid ice - Both frozen puddles when you're walking because it can lead to falls, as well as ice over bodies of water (unless its labeled for thickness, otherwise you risk falling in).

5) Be safe during recreation

• Always tell someone where you are going and when you will be back
• Bring matches, radios, food, etc. if you will be out in the woods
• Do not leave skin exposed to the cold
• Don't use alcohol or other mood altering drugs, including caffeine
• Watch closely for cold weather health problems