HOLIDAY COOKING SAFETY:
Christmas Day and Christmas Eve are two of the peak times for home cooking fires. The Department of Emergency Response wants you and your family to have a happy and healthy holiday season this year by following a few safety tips:
- Keep cooking areas and appliances clean; built up grease can cause fires.
- Keep children and pets at least 3 feet from the stove.
- Keep flammable objects (dish towels, potholders, curtains, etc.) away from the stovetop.
- Turn pot handles inward to prevent them from being bumped or grabbed by children or pets.
- Wear short-sleeved shirts or close-fitting clothes when cooking. Dangling clothes can easily catch fire.
Find more safety tips here.
WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS:
Winter can bring dangerously cold temperatures and create hazardous weather conditions that can create many threats to life and property if one is not prepared.
The National Weather Service and the Department of Emergency Response urge everyone to be prepared for the upcoming winter season. Taking steps now to prepare for winter weather will help you to keep safe this winter and enjoy the season. For winter weather safety and preparedness information, please visit: https://www.weather.gov/safety/winter.
WHAT3WORDS:.
What3words is a geocode system for the communication of locations with a resolution of three meters. What3words encodes geographic coordinates into three dictionary words; the encoding is permanently fixed. If help is needed (whether on the water or on hiking trails), providing a what3words address on a 9-1-1 call can pinpoint your location quickly. Learn more and download the What3words app here.
COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS:
Register to attend a Citizen Preparedness Corps training near you and learn how to prepare for any type of disaster or emergency, respond accordingly and recover. Learn more at: https://www.dhses.ny.gov/citizen-preparedness-corps. The next training in Tompkins County will be Saturday, January 20th, 2024 at 11:00am at the Calvary Baptist Church, 507 N. Albany Street in Ithaca.
Topics include how to develop a family emergency plan, how to prepare your family and home for a potential emergency such as fire, what to do in specific situations such as active shooter, and covers evacuation or sheltering-in-place due to a life-threatening event, and much more. The training also discusses what to do when returning home after an emergency, including re-entry procedures, checking for and documenting damage safely, addressing emotional and other personal needs in the aftermath of a catastrophic event, and being wary of post-disaster scams.