{"id":647,"date":"2008-12-10T12:56:57","date_gmt":"2008-12-10T20:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/firechannel.org\/blog\/?p=647"},"modified":"2008-12-11T14:47:49","modified_gmt":"2008-12-11T22:47:49","slug":"holiday-safety-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firechannel.org\/blog\/?p=647","title":{"rendered":"Holiday Safety Information"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>TRAVEL <\/strong>&#8211; <em>Be sure you have emergency supplies<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li>Give yourself plenty of time to get where you are going<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your vehicle is in good repair<\/li>\n<li>If you drink . . . don&#8217;t drive; prearrange a designated driver<\/li>\n<li>Always use safety belts and child safety seats<\/li>\n<li>Maintain a safe distance between vehicles (no tailgating)<\/li>\n<li>Get a good night&#8217;s sleep before traveling<\/li>\n<li>Avoid eating heavy meals, as this can lead to sleepiness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>GIFT GIVING FOR CHILDREN &amp; YOUTH<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li>Look for labels with age safety and advice<\/li>\n<li>Toys that produce loud noises can permanently damage hearing<\/li>\n<li>For families with children under 3, avoid toys with small parts<\/li>\n<li>Avoid choking hazards of cords or straps greater than 7 inches<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>For children under 8:<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Avoid toys with sharp edges and electric toys with heating parts or that must be plugged into an outlet<\/p>\n<p>NOTE: Do not allow children under 8 to play with un-inflated balloons or balloon pieces &#8212; they can present an\u00a0 aspiration\/suffocation hazard.<\/p>\n<p><strong>KITCHEN <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li>Keep children, pets, and toys away from cooking areas<\/li>\n<li>Wear close fitting clothing when near cooking appliances<\/li>\n<li>Never leave cooking food on the stovetop unattended<\/li>\n<li>Keep hot foods, liquids, &amp; cords safely away from the edge<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>DECORATIONS <em>(including Christmas trees)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li>Place fragile decorations out of reach of children and pets<\/li>\n<li>Do not leave children unattended in a room with lit candles<\/li>\n<li>Avoid decorations that look like candy (may also be a choking hazard)<\/li>\n<li>Keep furniture and rugs at least 3 feet away from heat sources<\/li>\n<li>Do not place Christmas tree near the only exit to safety<\/li>\n<li>Keep live trees well-watered, stable, and out of traffic patterns<\/li>\n<li>Never display lighted candles in windows or near exits<\/li>\n<li>Always unplug lights before leaving home or going to bed<\/li>\n<li>After parties, check for smoldering cigarette butts inside &amp; under upholstery and inside trash cans (they can smolder for hours)<\/li>\n<li>Never overload electrical outlets<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>OVERLOADED ELECTRIC OUTLETS &amp; FAULTY WIRES ARE THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF RESIDENTIAL HOLIDAY FIRES.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li>Plug power cords only into outlets with sufficient capacity and never into an extension cord<\/li>\n<li>Inspect for cracked, frayed or broken plugs or loose connections. Replace before using.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>WINTER HEATING<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li>Never use an oven or a barbecue indoors for heating<\/li>\n<li>If you are buying a new space heater, make sure it carries the approval mark of an independent testing laboratory<\/li>\n<li>Give space heaters space. Keep portable heaters at least 3 feet away from things that could burn<\/li>\n<li>Turn off space heaters before leaving your home or going to bed<\/li>\n<li>Make sure space heaters have an emergency shut-off in case they tip over<\/li>\n<li>Keep furniture and rugs at least 3 feet away from heat sources<\/li>\n<li>Have your chimney inspected each year and cleaned if necessary<\/li>\n<li>Allow fireplace<em> (and cigarette) <\/em>ashes to cool before disposing. Dispose of ashes in a metal container.<\/li>\n<li>Use a screen in front of your fireplace to prevent sparks from igniting nearby carpets or furniture<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>SHOPPING <\/strong>&#8211; <em>\u00a0Awareness is key<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li>Place all gifts and packages in your trunk or out of sight<\/li>\n<li>Always be aware of your surroundings<\/li>\n<li>Park in well-lighted areas<\/li>\n<li>Avoid shopping alone; there is safety in numbers<\/li>\n<li>Try to use credit or debit cards for purchases to avoid carrying large amounts of cash<\/li>\n<li>Keep your car doors locked and windows closed<\/li>\n<li>If you carry a purse or bag, carry it up close to your body<\/li>\n<li>When shopping online, only use major retailers or reputable websites<\/li>\n<li>Be sure to protect your credit card numbers and PIN at all times<\/li>\n<li>Report any lost or stolen credit cards immediately<\/li>\n<li>Check your credit report at least 3 times per year for unauthorized or suspicious activity<\/li>\n<li>Add the 7-digit emergency phone number for the local police department into your cell phone for a faster response. For Long Beach Police: (562) 435-6711<\/li>\n<li>For additional information contact the LBPD Crime Prevention Unit at (562) 570-7215<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>HOME <\/strong>&#8211; <em>\u00a0Take gift storage and security precautions<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li>Keep gifts away from windows<\/li>\n<li>Practice regular home security such as motion sensor lighting<\/li>\n<li>If traveling, postpone your mail and newspaper deliveries so your home doesn&#8217;t look deserted<\/li>\n<li>Do not store gifts in vehicles or unsecured areas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>BUSINESS <\/strong><em>&#8211;<\/em><em> Take precautions to prevent holiday theft<\/em><\/p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li>Lock unused doors as long as you are not in violation of the Fire Code<\/li>\n<li>Keep only necessary cash in the register and vary the schedule and route for your bank deposits each day<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your cash register is clearly visible to passers-by<\/li>\n<li>Advertise your security alarm system with signs in visible locations<\/li>\n<li>Develop a mutual aid system among stores close to you or on your block<\/li>\n<li>Take advantage of the Long Beach Police Department Business Watch program, 570-7274<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TRAVEL &#8211; Be sure you have emergency supplies Give yourself plenty of time to get where you are going Make sure your vehicle is in good repair If you drink . . . don&#8217;t drive; prearrange a designated driver Always use safety belts and child safety seats Maintain a safe distance between vehicles (no tailgating) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-publicsafety"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/firechannel.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/firechannel.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/firechannel.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firechannel.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firechannel.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=647"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/firechannel.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":656,"href":"https:\/\/firechannel.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647\/revisions\/656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/firechannel.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firechannel.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firechannel.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}