3 Ways to Keep Your Family Safe This Winter
With the change in seasons, snow, ice, and low temperatures can cause risks to your family’s health, well-being, and safety. All these risks can be easily averted with just a little forethought on how to best prepare for the winter.
Three things that you should pay special attention to in winter are the safety of your home, staying healthy by keeping warm, and taking precautions on big shopping days like Black Friday.
1. Keep Your Home Safe From Burglaries
If you did not take care of ensuring the safety of your home during the summer, now would be a good time. Since your family will be out and about less, you’re less likely to notice any suspicious activity in the neighborhood.
The first thing you should do is walk around your property and notice what safety precautions you should take.
Here are five suggestions to ensure a safe home:
- Improve visibility to the entrance of your home so officers patrolling your neighborhood can clearly see your front door from the street. Remove any plants, shrubs, hedges, bushes, or anything else that might obscure the view of your front door from the street. You will deter anyone wanting to break in because it’s hard for them to sneak up to the house without being seen. Also, make sure the side and the back of the house don’t have anything that could be used as a perfect hiding place.
- Lock up any areas around your home that could be used by thieves likes gates or tool sheds.
- Remove any tools that you may have lying around your backyard if you’ve been doing a little fixing around the house. Ladders, for example, are especially useful for someone who would like to access an upper floor window.
- Install motion detectors and sensors. Motion detectors and door and window sensors are a great way to monitor if someone has intruded into your home when you were gone. Click here to find out more about how these can effectively monitor the inside of your house for any signs of intruders.
- Make sure you have fire alarms (smoke and heat detection equipment) and carbon monoxide sensors. A fire may start in one part of the house without your knowing it due to the heating or lighting elements in your home. For instance, you might have a halogen lamp next to some Christmas decorations and if you are in another part of the house, you might not detect any danger until you have smoke and flames. Since carbon monoxide is lethal but difficult to detect by smell, it can sneak up on you. If you already have these two types of devices, then test them to see if the battery still works.
- Rethink where you hide your extra keys to the house. Thieves are well-aware of many ideas that homeowners think are ingenious. Thieves look under doormats, in the mailbox, for fake rocks with hidden compartments, and under flowerpots.
2. Stay Healthy by Keeping Warm
Keeping warm at home during winter can prevent health problems like depression, colds, flu, and pneumonia. A warm home may even prevent heart attacks and strokes. These precautions are especially important if you’re 65 years of age or have a health condition or disability.
You can also protect your family from common cold and flu viruses in winter by improving family member’s immune system. Immunity is improved by eating well, staying hydrated, exercising regularly, and wearing warm clothes.
3. Take Precautions on Big Shopping Days like Black Friday
At first blush, it may seem silly to talk about the dangers of shopping, but many people have been injured or died from accidents on big shopping days like Black Friday. These accidents might happen in the busy parking lot or if there is a huge rush of people on the shop floor when the doors open. These accidents happen because people are rushing around in a frenzy to snap up some cheap deals before stocks run out.
Here are 4 things to stay safe:
- Drive carefully around parking lots. People may back out unexpectedly or walk right in front of your car. If you have little children, hold their hands when walking through the parking lot.
- Decide where to meet if a family member gets lost. Choose a central location to meet if your family gets separated. With so many people around, it’s not uncommon to find lost children panicked because they can’t find their parents. Teach your children how to ask for help from a security guard or store personnel.
- Caution your children about talking to strangers. Unfortunately, sex offenders often like to stalk busy malls during holidays, and they are good at befriending little children.
- Take a picture of your children with your smartphone before you enter the crowded stores. If they do get lost, you will be able to help store security or the police with an idea of what they look like and what clothes they’re wearing.
Think Ahead to Stay Well and Safe
Winter brings with it new challenges, and with a little preplanning, you can preempt any risks. The best way to ensure your family’s health and safety this winter is through prevention.