Florida is no stranger to extreme weather, including hurricanes, floods, and severe storms. While news services keep residents of Hollywood, Homestead, and other communities aware of when bad weather is coming, we don’t just need to worry about safety during a storm. The hours and days after a natural disaster can be just as dangerous and can lead to personal injury.
Parents in Homestead and other South Florida communities need to be aware of a new viral challenge which poses a serious threat to children and teens. In fact, many fire fighting departments across the country are releasing alerts and warnings to inform the general public about the danger.
Unfortunately, the latest challenge, called the “outlet challenge,” is just the latest in a string of risky behaviors teens and children are pursuing for online likes. Following on the heels of the Tide Pod challenge, which saw social media users biting into detergent pods and challenges which saw people dancing alongside moving cars, this latest challenge is just as deadly.
We take electricity for granted, but when the power goes out during a storm, planned outage, mechanical failure, or for some other reason, being plunged into the dark is inconvenient. Ideally, that’s all it is. However, power outages can also be dangerous and can lead to injuries or fires in Homestead or your community.
Here’s how you can stay safe during a power outage:
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:
In Hollywood and across South Florida, homeowners may not choose to have a fireplace because it gets too cold, but fireplaces and wood stoves are still an option for homeowners who want to add light and an attractive feature to their homes. There’s few things as cozy as curling up in front of a stove or fireplace.
However, fireplaces and stoves, while beautiful, do pose a burn and fire hazard. To stay safe and cozy, you will want to:
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:
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.
In many cases, after a fire, natural disaster, serious storm, or other catastrophe, personal injuries can occur if homeowners are not prepared. According to the Florida Department of Health, every homeowner and tenant needs a disaster preparedness kit. This kit should contain everything you need to keep you and your family safe after a fire or other disaster.
When preparing your kit, consider what you will need. Write down everything you may require for 72 hours or so – the typical amount of time you may need to survive without basic services before they are reestablished. Write down everyone who may be in your family or who may be visiting your home at the time of the disaster and ensure you have enough provisions or everyone on your list.
While you’re making Thanksgiving plans, make sure you make plans for a safe holiday, too. Thanksgiving guests, food, and preparations can mean a risk of fire, accidents, and food-borne illness. Here’s how to keep everyone safe:
Plan your holiday menu before Thanksgiving so you understand how long you need to cook foods so they’re safe. In addition, you need to do three things before the big day to make sure your food preparation area is safe:
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