What is fire safety-How to Stay Safe

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Gregory Colvin

Fire Safety for the home would include fire drills and fire safety training for kids. This article will hopefully give you some safety tips that will keep you and your family prepared in case of a fire in your home.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that someone dies in a fire every 169 minutes and someone is injured every 30 minutes. It stated that 85% of all fire deaths in 2009 occurred in the home. In 2010, fire departments responded to 384,000 home fires in the U.S., with 2,640 people killed and 13,350 people injured.
Some of the facts about fire related deaths are:
Deaths do not usually occur directly from the fire, but from inhaling smoke, superheated air or toxic fumes generated by the flames.
Fire travel very quickly approximately 19 feet per second.
Most fire occur between 11pm and 6am.

Let’s look at some tips to keep you and your family safe. One of the most important tool in keeping you safe from fire and smoke is the smoke detector. It is relatively inexpensive and yet very valuable. The key to the smoke detector is checking the unit twice a year to sure it is still functioning. There is a test button on the detector, push it and the alarm should sound. If the alarm does not go off, the batteries are most probably dead. It is often a good idea to change the batteries at that time or every six months.
The detector should be located just outside the bedrooms near the ceiling. Smoke from the fire will usually rise to the ceiling first. I have been in one burning home while working on the police department and witnessed the flames rolling against the ceiling. It is something that I wouldn’t want to witness again.

In the case of a fire:
Stay low to the floor. Toxic fumes and smoke will rise and the fresher air will be closer to the floor.
When approaching a door, touch the door to see if it is hot to the touch. If it is, find another escape route.
If the alarm is sounded you should have a fire drill plan in place and it should be practiced on a regular basis. The plan can be as detailed as having a diagram of the house and the rooms, or simply talking about the escape plan, though not as good, it is better than nothing. You should determine at least two exits from every room in the house. This plan should also direct everyone in the family to a meeting place to gather after they get out of the house. This way you can determine if everyone has gotten out of the house. If someone is missing, you can tell the fire department personnel and give them a description of the missing person. The plan should be practiced both during the daylight hours and at night.
For additional information on home fires visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FEMA U.S. Fire Administration A fire safety checklist is located at the National Fire Protection Association

Hopefully, these fire safety tips will help you and your family prepare for a home fire. Safety at home is up to you.

Two of our sponsors offer escape ladders for those readers that live in multilevel homes.

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Safety Tips While Driving

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Gregory Colvin

By Gregory Colvin

Spring break is here and soon summer vacations will start and many of us will be on the roads visiting friends, relatives and loved ones. I wanted to give you a few tips that may help make these road trips safer. Every day I observe drivers that fail to pay attention to what is happening around them. Drivers that are aggressive. Drivers that are distracted. Whatever the reason, their actions put you and your passengers at risk. I hope that you are not guilty of any of these actions, but if you are, hopefully this article will strike a chord and you will change your driving habits.

The first action responsible for a large percentage of accidents is:

Complacency You know how to drive, right, you do it almost every day. You could drive with your eyes closed. WRONG. Driving when done safety and correctly demands all you attention. Hazards will appear out of nowhere. The person in front of you is about to miss their exit and they cut across two lanes of traffic to make the exit and your car is in the path.

The kids in the car next to you are fighting and mom is too busy attempting to stop the fight to pay attention when she serves lanes into the side of your car.

For these reasons and many more that I am going to cover in this article, is important that you pay close attention while operating your vehicle so you can arrive at your designation safely.

Texting, Checking emails and Talking on the Cell Phone- While driving I have a habit, it is hard to break, to watch for drivers driving under the influence. There appear to be more on the road these days. These drivers are under the influence or texting, emailing, and talking on the cell phone. But if your quiz these people about their cell phone use and driving, they will tell you that they drive fine while using their cell phones, even went they are bouncing off the curbs. Of course, the most dangerous aspect of these drivers lack of concentration is when their car drifts left of center. I am seeing that more and more frequently. Another is the driver who is busy talking on the phone that when they are sitting at a light to go straight ahead and the left turn arrow turns green they drive into vehicles turning left. Please if you are going to drive, park the cell phone and if you are going to be talking on the phone park the car.

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Dating Tips for Safe Dating

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Gregory Colvin

A single friend of mine thought that I should write an article on dating safety. There does seem to be an increase in crazies roaming around out there. Or perhaps, because of news programs that run 24 hours a day, we hear about more incidents of missing women, rapes and assaults across the country and the world. No wonder females appear overly cautious and wary around unfamiliar men. These tips can help you stay safe and still have a good time while dating.
It is rare that your mother or aunt is the matchmaker these days. A large percentage of matchmaking occurs online. Dating websites offer an opportunity to meet others while remaining anonymous and, in the initial stages, that is probably a good idea. Your mother or aunt or friend may know the person very well. Times were different. Online dating is a different scenario all together. There is no mother vetting and it is up to you to make the determination. Is it safe or not? Guys, this is a two way street. I dated one crazy and that was more than enough. Just a disclaimer, I have been in a relationship for almost 19 years. I had to do a lot of research for this article, and I feel your pain.
When online dating, use the services of a professional dating service. These services should provide a confidential way to communicate with the other person and obtain additional information about them prior to meeting them. Ask a lot of questions. Ask about their children and past history. Are they free to talk with you during the week or just at certain times. If they are unattached, meaning not married or in a relationship, they should be available weekends and evenings. That excludes the hours of work and sleep. In the case of some men, that would be not during football or baseball games.
Tip One. Be sure you see a recent picture of them. In my research I found that some people may not be totally honest in representing how they look. If they don’t give a current photo, then is a crap shoot, and you are going in blind.

Tip Two. By all means, meet in a public place. A romantic meeting in the park sounds great, but do you really want to meet in an isolated place, where your screams wouldn’t be heard? The best idea is a coffee shop. There is no alcohol, (more about that in a later tip) and usually lots of people.
Tip Three. Maintain your independence. Drive yourself or take a taxi to the first meeting. You do not want to wind up trapped in a vehicle with someone that you do not know and may not wind up liking. Or your date may not go the way you had planned and the ride home may be very awkward. For whatever reason, you may need to leave, so having your own transportation is a good idea. By driving yourself, you can keep the date from knowing your address. The other person not knowing where you live will come in handy in case he or she turns out to be a stalker. Guys, stalkers aren’t just males, females have been known to engage in the creepy sport as well.
Tip Four. Before leaving for the first date, tell someone, a friend or family member where you are going and when you are expected back. If you have a cell phone, take it with you. You may want to carry some type of personal safety device, like mace or pepper spray. Our sponsors Dick’s Sporting Goods and Spy Associates offer personal safety devices.

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Travel Alert-Caution Firearms in Georgia

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Gregory Colvin

This travel alert applies to anyone traveling to or through the State of Georgia.

This advisory will remain in effect until the legislators in the State of Georgia come to their senses or get voted out of office.

It would appear that the State of Georgia has made traveling into or through the state a hazard. My recommendation is avoid the state or if you must travel through the state, don’t stop unless absolutely necessary.

Story time.

Let me take you to a beachside resort along the Georgia coast. You are visiting from the United Kingdom. Sitting poolside while little Johnnie and his sister Shirley frolic in the pool. Ahhh! This is heaven. Suddenly from the Tiki bar comes the sound of loud drunken shouting. You have visited Manchester and know that a fight is about to begin. Glancing it that direction you see the two combatants squaring off, but instead of fists you notice the revolvers strapped to their hips. Did we make a wrong turn somewhere and wind up in Afghanistan? Grabbing Johnnie and Shirley you make it into the hotel as bullets whizzing overhead begin striking the building. Surely the police will be here soon to put a stop to this madness and you sprint to the front desk. You exclaim “There are terrorists by the pool! When will the police arrive?” The employee behind the desk informs you that gun play is legal in the great State of Georgia, no need for the police.

Why? You may ask. The state feels that it just fine to have a group of liquored up yahoos in bars with firearms strapped to their hips. What are bars most famous for? Fights. Up until now these were fist fights, now they can escalate to trading hot lead when someone offends them.

Next thing you know there will be showdowns at high noon in the city streets. Think wild west. If you are an aspiring gunslinger, then Georgia should be your vacation destination. Put a few notches on that revolver handle.

Think you’re safe in the airport? Think again. Citizens of Georgia are permitted to bring their guns into airports. They just want to feel safe. You on the other hand are getting off a flight that doesn’t allow you carry a gun on board. You are now in a pack of armed vigilantes. Feel at a disadvantage? You should.

Regardless of what they tell you, if someone is carrying a gun they will want to use it. It is like carrying a smart phone. You have it, you want to use it. Psychologically or psychopathically. It empowers the carrier. It emboldens them. They become the law.

The State of Georgia can now save some money. They no longer need a tourism department. Who in their right mind would want to vacation in the middle of a gun range.

I truly think it is a sorry situation. I personally love visiting Savannah and the beautiful parks in Northern Georgia, but it is not worth dying over.

You may ask who brought the state to this abyss? Why it was those good folks at the National Rifle Association. I remember growing up when the NRA was all about safety. They conducted safety classes for the Boy Scouts. They advocated safe hunting practices. The NRA has evolved or should I say degraded into a platform for the right for everyone to carry a weapon regardless of mental condition or criminal leanings.

At this point the safety courses offered should be:
“The difference between cover and concealment. When are you safe?
“Duck and weave, the best maneuvers to avoid being shot”
And the very popular- “First aid for gunshot wounds”

Will this have an effect on the convention and trade show revenue in Atlanta? I don’t know. Will I attend a convention or trade show in Atlanta? There is no way.

With this bill, the Georgia legislature may accomplish what General Sherman attempted, burn Georgia to the ground.

When will the madness end? When they take the money out of politics.

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Personal Tips to Keep You Safe