This time of year is one of the riskiest in Hollywood, Miami, and across South Florida when it comes to fires and burn injuries. During the holidays, more people are cooking at home, trying new recipes, and trying to cook multiple dishes at once. This can increase the risk of cooking fires and serious burns.
You use batteries every day in your mobile devices, electronics, and maybe even your car. Disposable and rechargeable batteries supply the energy for many of the items you use every day and when these devices work correctly, you probably never think about them.
Unfortunately, battery-related injuries occur more often than you may think and they can be devastating. Each year, people are injured or even killed by exploding or otherwise malfunctioning batteries. Batteries that overheat or catch fire can cause serious burns and facial injuries if the batteries are in your phone or e-cigarette. Incorrectly functioning batteries in your car can cause you to crash. In your home, poorly designed or flawed batteries can cause fires and serious injury to you and others.
While Florida is known for its warm and sunny weather, nights can still be cool and many of us want a cozy space heater to stay warm and comfortable. Space heaters range from simple and small devices to larger items which mimic the look and flames of a fireplace. In both cases, these products can be a safe and effective way to stay warm, but they do come with risks.
To avoid a fire in your Homestead or Florida home, follow these tips:
The kitchen is the heart of the home, but in Homestead and across the country, it is also the site of many serious injuries, including burns. Further, what happens in your kitchen is also important for helping you avoid food-borne illness.
There are many ways you can make your kitchen safer:
Significant amounts of wildlife and forest in southern Florida as well as dry and hot weather can mean parts of this region are vulnerable to wildfires and out-of-control fire. Everyone has an obligation to help protect not only the wildlife but our communities from severe fire. Often, conflagrations are preventable and can be prevented with a few simple tips.
These tips will help protect you in your household from injuries and fire:
Smoke detectors in your home are your front-line defense in the event of a fire. They can alert you in time so you can get out safely—before you suffer burns or serious injury. Yet, millions of homes across the country do not have working fire alarms.
Even if you have fire alarms in your Homestead home, you need to test them to make sure they are really keeping you and your family safe. Here’s how:
The fall and winter months are a great time to review fire safety. A number of issues around the holidays can affect fire safety in your home, so take the time to sit down with your family and discuss ways to prevent fire and burn injury.
Specifically, you will want to:
If your children are off to college this year, do they have everything they need to have not only a perfect school year but also safe one? Many students and parents aren’t thinking about fire safety when they pack up the car for the dorm or for off-campus housing. However, dorms and student housing units can be especially vulnerable to fire because there are so many students sharing the spaces.
There are a few ways to keep your children safe:
Each Independence Day, fireworks injuries are a serious concern for doctors and emergency rooms. Each year, people are several injured or even killed due to improper use of fireworks. Unfortunately, children and minors are more likely to be affected by these types of injuries.
While fun, fireworks can cause eye injuries, burns, facial injuries, hand and arm injuries, and even fatalities. The greatest risk occurs when people stand too close to fireworks that are detonating. There are, however, several ways you can stay safe:
Across the country, every 60 seconds or so there is a fire serious enough to require a call to the emergency services. Fires cause devastating injury and damage in Hollywood and across South Florida each year. They can cause smoke inhalation—serious enough to cause life-long injury, burns, property damage, and even fatalities.
Fires can be caused by defective appliances and electronics, and in fact each year products liability claims in South Florida and Hollywood are filed for this reason. Fires can also be caused by arson or intentional acts or by improper use or storage of fuels, barbecues, and other household items.
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