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Fire safety

According to the U.S. Fire Administration http://www.usfa.fema.gov/, a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency http://www.fema.gov/, more than 4,000 Americans die each year in fires, and approximately 25,000 are injured. Security bars may help keep your family safe from intruders, but they can also trap you in a deadly fire. Individuals are encouraged to use the following tips to help reduce the number of fire injuries and deaths associated with security bars on windows and doors preventing fire escape.

Use quick-release devices on barred windows and doors.
Windows and doors with security bars should have quick-release devices to allow them to be opened immediately in an emergency. These devices operate from inside and allow the bars to be opened for emergency escape without compromising the security of your home. Quick-release devices should be easy to open without the use of a key, detailed knowledge or great physical effort. Release devices vary by region and manufacturer. Contact your local fire department on a non-emergency number for information on approved release devices available in your area.

Consider retrofitting current security bars.
Security bars on windows and locked doors prevent escape from fire and impede firefighters' rescue attempts. If the security bars in your home are permanently fixed or do not have quick-release devices, they should be retrofitted with release devices.

Be aware of security bar issues when practicing fire escape routes.
Know and practice fire escape plans monthly, and use them to identify and correct obstructions of windows and doors needed for escape from a deadly fire. Make sure windows are not stuck, screens can be taken out quickly and security bars can be properly opened. It is important that everyone in the family understands and practices how to properly operate locked or barred windows and doors. Windows should open easily and be wide enough to allow escape, and locked or barred doors should operate quickly and easily.

Plan two exits out of each room.
The best escape plans have two ways to get out of each room. If the primary exit is blocked by fire or smoke, you will need a second way out. A secondary route might be a window onto an adjacent roof or a UL-approved collapsible ladder for escape from upper story windows.

Designate a meeting place outside, and take attendance.
Designate a meeting location away from the home, but not necessarily across the street. For example, meet under a specific tree, at the end of the driveway or on the front sidewalk to ensure everyone has gotten out safely. Designate one person to go to a neighbor's home to phone the fire department.

Once out, stay out.
Remember to escape first, then notify the fire department using the 911 system or proper local emergency number in your area. Never go back into a burning building for any reason. Teach children not to hide from firefighters.

Install smoke alarms.
Finally, having working smoke alarms installed on every level of your home dramatically increases your chances of survival. Smoke alarm batteries need to be tested every month and replaced with new ones at least once a year. Also, consider replacing the entire smoke alarm every 10 years, or as the manufacturer's guidelines recommend.
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Deciding to stay or go in an emergency situation

Depending on your circumstances and the nature of the emergency, the first important decision in the case of a natural disaster, or terrorist attack is whether you stay put or get away. You should understand and plan for both possibilities. Use common sense and available information -- including the information provided by the Department of Homeland Security's Ready.gov -- to determine if there is immediate danger.

In any emergency, local authorities may or may not immediately be able to provide information on what is happening and what you should do. However, you should monitor TV or radio news reports for information or official instructions as they become available. If you're specifically told to evacuate or seek medical treatment, do so immediately.

Staying Put
Whether you are at home, work or elsewhere, there may be situations when it's simply best to stay where you are and avoid any uncertainty outside. There are other circumstances when staying put and creating a barrier between yourself and potentially contaminated air outside -- a process known as "shelter-in-place" -- is a matter of survival. Use available information to assess the situation. If you see large amounts of debris in the air or if local authorities say the air is badly contaminated, you may want to take this kind of action.

To "shelter-in-place:"

Getting Away
There may be conditions under which you will decide to get away, or there may be situations when you are ordered to leave. Plan how you will assemble your family, and anticipate where you will go. Choose several destinations in different directions so you have options in an emergency.

Create an evacuation plan:

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Protecting your computer

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Legal or not for consumers, fireworks are too risky for amateurs

Permanent scarring, loss of vision, dismemberment – these are too often the harsh realities of amateur fireworks use. To keep the public safe from fireworks-related injuries and deaths, the nonprofit NFPA urges everyone to treat fireworks, whether legal or illegal for consumers, as suitable only for use by trained professionals. According to NFPA, amateur fireworks use endangers not only the users, but also bystanders and surrounding property and structures. Pyrotechnic devices ranging from sparklers to aerial rockets cause thousands of fires and serious injuries each year.

"Safe and sane fireworks don't exist," says Dr. John Hall, NFPA assistant vice president of Fire Analysis and Research. "When things go wrong with fireworks, they go very wrong, very fast, far faster than any fire protection provisions can reliably respond."

In recent years, fireworks have been one of the leading causes of injuries serious enough to require hospital emergency room treatment. Fireworks can result in severe burns, fractures, or scars or even death or disfigurement that can last a lifetime. The thousands of serious injuries each year typically harm the eyes, head, or hands, and are mostly reported in states where fireworks are legal. Even sparklers, which are considered by many to be harmless, reach temperatures of more than 1,000° F.

"Fireworks are dangerous and unpredictable, especially in the hands of amateurs," says Judy Comoletti, NFPA assistant vice president of Public Education. "The few seconds of pleasure those fireworks may bring are not worth the risk of injury, permanent scarring, or even death."

Wooded areas, homes, and even automobiles have become engulfed in flames because of fireworks. Fireworks-related fires have typically caused at least $20 million in property loss (not adjusted for inflation) each year in recent years. A substantial portion of the structure fire property loss due to fireworks typically involves bottle rockets or other fireworks rockets. These rockets can land on rooftops or wedge within certain structures and still retain enough heat to cause a fire.

"For most people, their family and their home represent the hard work of a lifetime and their hopes for the future," says Dr. Hall. "No one would risk losing what's most important to them if they understood the dangers of fireworks. There are safer alternatives to using fireworks on the Fourth of July."

Public fireworks displays are one of those alternatives. Conducted by trained professionals, these displays are the smartest and safest fireworks alternative for anyone because they are established under controlled settings and regulations. After these displays, or any other time, children should never pick up fireworks that may be left over. Fireworks that have been ignited and fail to immediately explode or discharge can cause injury because they may still be active. Children should always tell an adult if they find fireworks rather than picking up smoking or charred fireworks themselves, which is just too risky.

Clearly, fireworks are capable of devastating and fatal injuries. According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, there are currently seven states that ban all consumer fireworks (AZ, DE, GA, MA, NJ, NY and RI). The fireworks banned in these states don't become safer when used in others. Remember, all fireworks should be left to professionals.

Facts & figures

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Planning an emergency escape route

Every year, nearly 4,000 Americans die in home fires and approximately 25,000 are injured. Children and the elderly are especially at risk in home fires because they are less able to escape when fire strikes. You can improve the chance that your family will survive a home fire by making sure that they can escape quickly if necessary. These tips, courtesy of the U.S. Fire Administration, are provided to help create an escape plan.

Smoke alarms are life savers. The primary fire safety strategy for any home is to warn the occupants early. The best way to get the earliest warning of danger is by installing sufficient smoke alarms. Homes should have a smoke alarm near the bedrooms, but not so close to the kitchen that you have problems with alarms from cooking. It's a good idea to have a smoke alarm in each bedroom, especially if you sleep with the door closed.

Plan your escape. The other part of the fire safety plan is for everyone to get out quickly. If you awake in the middle of the night to a fire, your thinking may be confused. Therefore, it is important that you practice your escape plan ahead of time. That way, your whole family will know what to do. Manufactured homes have more ways to escape than most other homes. There are always two doors, and every bedroom has an emergency escape window. Make sure everyone knows how to open the emergency windows so no time is wasted when fire strikes. These windows are labeled with operating instructions. Everyone in the family, as well as frequent visitors and babysitters, should practice the escape plan, including opening the escape windows.

Can you beat the clock? Most people do not realize how quickly fires can grow. A home fire can become deadly in as few as three minutes. Can your family get out that quickly? Consider that it may take one minute for the smoke alarm to sound and for you to recognize the danger. If you have young children or are elderly, you may need another minute to get ready. This leaves only one minute for everyone to get to an exit, open it and get out. By practicing your escape, you can make every second count.

Steps to a safe escape:

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Hotel safety

Fire protection systems in hotels, motels, and other overnight establishments continue to improve the level of safety for their guests. Nevertheless, you should find out ahead of time just how much protection these systems do offer you and your traveling companions. When making your reservations, ask before you book if there is a fire alarm system to alert guests should there be a fire? Are there smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and automatic sprinklers installed in each room and throughout the facility? After arriving, take the time to locate where the nearest fire exits are located. Share this information and an escape plan from your hotel room to a safe place. Think of several different emergency scenarios and what you would do.

Choose a stairway as an escape route over the elevator. Elevators can stall or become "smoke or fire traps". Designate a point outside of the premises for everyone in your traveling group to meet should you get separated during an emergency situation. If there is a fire in your room, stay calm—where are your traveling companions? Get everyone out quickly. Don't try to put the fire out if it's out of control. Think of safety first. Leave the room immediately and close the door behind you. Once you've reached a safe place notify the hotel's management and the fire department.

If you sense a fire in another room, feel the wall and the door before opening it. If the door is hot to the touch—don't open it! If you are trapped, call the fire department immediately and seal any cracks around the door with wet towels to keep as much of the smoke from entering the room as possible. If the wall and the door is cool, open it slowly keeping your hands and face away from the opening. If everything appears to be safe in the outside corridor, leave immediately and close the door behind you. Make sure you have your access key or card with you in case the exits or hallways are blocked with smoke, fire, or something unexpected. It may be necessary to return to your room. Smoke inhalation and panic are the main causes of death during a fire.

Never leave children unattended in a hotel room that includes a kitchen with a stove. Be sure to keep a close eye on children if your room is upstairs where windows, doors, and balconies may lead to falling injuries. Only smoke in the designated areas. Here are a few other tips:

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Identity theft - 10 ways to prevent it

Identity theft is currently one of the top concerns of today's consumer; yet many of us still remain apathetic with that age-old belief that this is something that only happens to others: People who have bad credit, bad spending habits, gamblers, risk takers, and impulsive online shoppers—nothing could be further from the truth. Identity theft can happen to anyone regardless of income, age, and how they manage their money. In fact, the worst mistake you can possibly make in regard to identity theft is believing it CAN'T happen to you.

There were approximately 500,000 identity theft victims in the year 2001—a $5 billion loss to credit card companies and banks. Victims of identity theft in an effort to clear their name, often spend upwards of $2,000 plus numerous hours of anguish usually associated with an unwanted second job.

It is easy to acquire someone's identity. Personal check's often have a person's name, address, phone number, bank address, account number, and sometimes a person's driver's license number. In 19 states your driver's license number IS your social security number.

Once you write a check, or use your credit card, dozens if not hundreds of people may have access to your information from the moment it leaves your hand to the final processing at the bank or financial business responsible.

Video stores often ask out loud for your phone number. A person behind you in line may be taking down your phone number as you tell the clerk. When the clerk asks you if you are "so and so?" and you reply, "Yes", now they have your name too. By typing in your name or phone number into various search engines online—it's possible they may find information as to where you work or live and can intercept your mail or even break into your home while you're at work. They may even find a photo of you to download and print for a fake ID.

It used to be identity theft mainly targeted the forging of credit cards for quick purchases. Now identity theft is used to purchase cars, real estate, cell phones, contracted labor, casino gambling, etc.

Criminals love this crime because they don't have to know who you are or ever meet you to steal from you!

You also don't have to be a hi-tech computer hacker to obtain information from a secured database. It's amazing how often people freely offer their personal account information. Nowadays, to apply for the simplest service, the form you fill out may ask for your social security number, the name of your spouse, your driver's license, a credit card number, phone, address, workplace, work number—all just so you can get a card to rent a video, or a membership to a gym or a website, to repair your car or an appliance, to order furniture, or to respond to a survey or financial solicitation over the phone.

Criminals get our information easily because WE give them so many opportunities and ways of getting it. And unfortunately, not all professional people and businesses we entrust our personal information to are trustworthy. We currently live in an age and an economy where many people can be easily swayed to compromise their ethics for some quick cash. The people knowingly assisting criminals today have far outnumbered the criminals themselves.

Below are 10 tips on how to avoid identity theft provided by Bankrate.com:

  1. Guard that Social Security number
    The most important step is to guard your Social Security number -- it is the key to your credit report and banking accounts and is the prime target of criminals. Do not print your Social Security number on your checks. After applying for a loan, credit card, rental or anything else that requires a credit report, request that your Social Security number on the application be truncated or completely obliterated and your original credit report be shredded before your eyes or returned to you once a decision has been made. A lender or rental manager needs to retain only your name and credit score to justify a decision.
  2. Monitor your credit report
    Credit reports can alert you to activity in your financial records. A monitoring service, such as Privacy Guard, will notify you whenever someone applies for credit in your name or checks your credit history. You then can be proactive; call the person and ask, "Why are you checking my credit?" It might be a landlord or employer; it might be legitimate.
  3. Buy a shredder and use it
    Identity thieves may use your garbage to obtain personal information. Shred all old bank and credit statements, as well as "junk mail" credit-card offers, before trashing them. Use a crosscut shredder -- they cost more than regular shredders but are superior.
  4. Remove your name from marketing lists
    The three credit-reporting bureaus -- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion -- all maintain marketing lists that may contain your information. Contact the agencies to remove your name from the lists. You also should add your name to the name-deletion lists of the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service and Telephone Preference Service used by banks and other marketers. Removing your name from these lists reduces the number of pre-approved credit offers you receive.
  5. Watch what you carry in your wallet
    Do not keep your Social Security card in your wallet or carry extra credit cards or other important identity documents except when needed. These documents can give thieves ready access to your accounts.
  6. Keep duplicate records
    Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Copy both sides of your license and credit cards so you have all the account numbers, expiration dates and phone numbers if your wallet or purse is stolen.
  7. Mail payments from a safe location
    Do not mail bill payments and checks from home. They can be stolen from your mailbox and washed clean in chemicals. Take them to the post office.
  8. Monitor your Social Security activity
    Order your Social Security Earnings and Benefits statement once a year to check for fraud.
  9. Monitor your credit-card activity
    Carefully examine your credit-card statements for fraudulent charges before paying them. If you don't need or use department-store or bank-issued credit cards, close the accounts.
  10. Know who you are talking to
    Never give your credit-card number or personal information over the phone unless you have initiated the call and trust that business.

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Keeping your children safe - things you can do and tell them

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Shopping at the malls

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Online shopping

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Protecting your home/business when you or your neighbors are gone for the holidays or vacation

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