Surviving the cold

Snow is piled along North Winneshiek School (Photo courtesy of Tim Dugger)

Winneshiek County Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Coalition members are passing along some safety tips to Winneshiek County residents who are trying to stay warm and safe in this bitter cold.

People who aren't dressed properly for extremely cold temperatures or who have reduced blood circulation are especially at risk for frostbite. It takes less than five minutes with the wind chill factor and subzero temperatures to any areas of unexposed skin to have frostbite. Hypothermia or low body temperature is also a potential for anyone not dressed properly when outdoors in subzero temps.

Anyoine in need of a warming center can contact the Decorah Police Department at 563-382-3667 for assistance.  D NOT call 911 as they are working with other emergencies.
 
Decorah Fire Department Public Information Officer Steve Vanden Brink is reminding homeowners to keep a clear space of at least three feet around any heater that is being used.  If not, things can get out of control quickly. A blanket draped over a space heater takes just a few minutes to ignite, and spread to surrounding furniture. Make sure the heaters cannot be tipped over and are plugged directly into an outlet. 

Using multiple heaters in the home also increases the electrical load of the homes.  Homes with poor wiring are at risk of electrical fires that can start in the outlets or other parts not immediately noticeable by the home owner.  Keeping young children away from the as well to prevent burns.

Do not use your oven or stove to provide heat to your home, as they are not designed to be used as a home heating device. The consequences could be deadly -- federal data shows space heaters caused a third of home heating fires, and 4 out of those 5 are fatal.

With the drifting snow and the cold, exhaust vents of furnaces and water heaters may become blocked. This may cause malfunction of these appliances. Carbon monoxide poisoning becomes a concern if you have improper functioning furnaces or clogged vents and could lead to death. If your CO detector goes off, you can contact your local heating contractor / LP or Gas supplier.  If you feel ill, leave the house immediately and call 911.  Do not try to investigate it yourself.  CO is deadly non odorous gas that can kill you.  Make sure you have properly working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

For residents with fire hydrants in your community, your local fire departments ask your assistance in clearing snow from the fire hydrants.   If you can manage to clear a 3 foot circle around the fire hydrant and a path to the road, this would help everyone in your neighborhood in case of a fire.  
For more information, call 563-382-4662 or 563-380-2581