LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Are you ready for our first significant arctic blast of the winter season? Ready or not, frigid temperatures will arrive by Sunday morning.
With an unusually warm winter season thus far, Conner Prince talked with Allen County EMA Director, Tom Berger, about some important measures to take should you have to venture outside.
"Minimize the amount of time that you are out in the cold air. Unfortunately, sometimes folks do have to work outside, so we always recommend dressing in layers. Make sure that your vehicles are roadworthy when you are out and about, so you want to make sure that your tire pressure is good, battery is good, washer fluid is filled up and ready to go, and then make sure you have an emergency kit inside your vehicle," explains Tom Berger, Director, Allen County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Many people will stay inside their homes using heaters and furnaces to stay warm, but not properly operating these heat sources could result in fires. To help raise awareness on ways to prevent winter house fires, we visited Warren Pughsley, an Inspector with the Lima Fire Department, about determining strategies to reduce the risk of house fires during cold weather.
"Don't overload the outlets with a bunch of space heaters, and extension cords; don't operate the stove and leave the oven door open to help warm the house up because that's not only dangerous for a fire but also dangerous for injury especially if you have children in the house. And then, don't use fuel sources like kerosene heaters or things like that without having them checked because a dirty heater, any type of fuel-oiled heater is a tremendous fire hazard, so make sure you get everything checked," urges Warren Pughsley, Inspector, Lima Fire Department.
Should you be required to use a generator in a power outage, it is important to remember ways to mitigate the risk and assess any potential of carbon monoxide poisoning.
"Generator safety is priority number one when we are talking power outages and you roll out that generator. Carbon monoxide poisoning is definitely dangerous, so you want to make sure you are utilizing the generator away from the home. Make sure that you have some good clearance between you and the outlet that you are coming into and good ventilation around that generator," adds Berger.
"You need to have a carbon monoxide detector because you need the warning first. If you start having flu-like symptoms or anything like that, you leave the house and get some fresh air, you feel better... You go back into the house, and you feel a little sick again, call the fire department. Have us come out and test it. It's a free service; it doesn't cost you anything," Pughsley informs.
By following these tips, you will be ready in case of an emergency.
