With so much stress in our daily lives,
it can seem overwhelming to add tasks for checking your home safety. The danger
is that we may keep putting them off. But safety strategies don’t have to take
a lot of time. In the months ahead we’ll be reminding you of simple but
effective safety checks you can take to keep yourself and your family safe:
January
Be sure you’re using sanitizers and disinfectants correctly, to make them safe and effective. Learn how here.
Regular use of disinfectants has become
routine in many homes. Most doctors and researchers say disinfectants are safe
and effective when used correctly. This is a good time to double check
how you’re using them.
Keep disinfectants on surfaces, not yourself.
Disinfecting products that use bleach or
quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) are considered safe if used as directed.
But be sure to use them in properly ventilated rooms to avoid inhaling them,
which can cause irritation in some people, and wear gloves when applying. The
EPA recommends using non-aerosol sprays or wipes.
Give them time to work.
Check the product label to know how long
to leave the disinfectant on a surface before wiping. Typically they recommend
leaving the surface visibly wet for 4-10 minutes
Check your hand sanitizer.
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention recommends checking that your hand sanitizer has at least a 60%
concentration of alcohol to be effective. Also check to make sure it hasn’t
expired—evaporation can lower the effectiveness of sanitizers—and check this FDA list of sanitizers to avoid because of toxic additions or
inadequate levels of alcohol.
Be extra careful with disinfectants
around children
Young children can be effected by
smaller amounts of disinfectant than adults. And children are also more likely
to ingest them because they put their hands in their mouths. Wipe off bleach-
and quat-based products after they’ve been on the surface for the necessary
amount of time to disinfect (see above).
For more tips and instructions for how
to make your own bleach solution, check here.
In December, the darkest month, holiday lights
and candles have always been hugely popular. This year, we’re even more
inclined to light the darkness. As early as September, stores were already
reporting strong sales of holiday lights and decorations. It’s only expected to
increase, as we retreat into our homes during the coronavirus surge in the
winter months.
Decorating our homes with light can
bring great comfort. Just make sure to do it safely:
Consider
flameless battery-operated candles, which are becoming very widely available,
give a realistic glow, and can last longer than flaming candles.
If
you use traditional candles, keep them at least 12 inches away from anything
that might burn—that includes furniture, bedding, curtains and decorations. Put
them out before everyone leaves the room.
Always
unplug tree and holiday lights before leaving home or going to bed.
Avoid
overloading outlets. Flickering lights, tripped circuit breakers, and blown
fuses are warning signs. Don’t ignore them – unplug!
Find more simple steps to holiday candle
and light safety here.
People often debate the value of Daylight Saving Time. But there’s no debating the value of using this biannual change as a reminder to check your smoke alarm and CO detectors.
Even for smoke
alarms that have long-life batteries—or are hard-wired—it’s still important to
make sure the alarm is working. Not every single long-life battery will work
for 10 years, and even hard-wired alarms can fail. So yes, you should still test your smoke alarms at least twice a year — once a month is better, as
recommended by the National Fire Protection Association. Replace smoke alarms
after 10 years.
This is also a good time to check your
CO detectors. Press and hold the Test Button on the front of the alarm until the alarm
sounds (it may take up to 20 seconds). And look on the back, or near the
battery compartment, for the date of manufacture. Most have a lifespan of no more than 7 years.
Once you know your alarms are working, make sure everyone in your home
knows what to do when the alarm goes off. Getting out may be more complicated
than you think, especially if there are young children or people with
disabilities in your home. And anyone may find it hard to respond quickly if
the alarm goes off in the middle of the night. Go to homefiredrill.org to learn
how to plan and practice a home fire drill.
The
2020 Jane and Larry Glazer Memorial Golf Tournament raised more than $43,000 to
benefit Prevention 1st and help us prevent injuries all year long.
Ninety
golfers turned out on a beautiful September day at Irondequoit Country Club. Congratulations
to our winning golfers:
Overall men’s winners: Eric Koehler, Ryan Wegman, Zach Buschner,
and Joel Chiarenza.
Overall mixed winners: Sharon
Stiller, Duwaine Bascoe, Maureen Bass, and Anthony Giordano.
Many
thanks to our hard-working 2020
Golf Committee: Co-chairs Jessica Holly and Michael Chatwin;
Harvey Bunis; Jack Dinaburg; Eric Koehler; Stewart
Moscov; Sarabeth Rogoff; and Scott Rogoff.
Tournament Sponsors
Abrams
Fensterman, LLP
Buckingham
Properties, LLC
Ralph
Honda
Sage
Rutty & Co., Inc.
Shapiro,
DiCaro & Barak, LLC
Flag
Sponsors
Barclay
Damon, LLP
Brown
& Brown of New York, Inc.
Buckingham
Properties, LLC
Harvey
Bunis
Community
Health Strategies
Cooley
Group, Inc.
Cathy
& Jack Dinaburg
Rick
Glazer and Family
Golisano
Children’s Hospital
Sage
Rutty & Co., Inc.
Sharon
Stiller
Tee
Sponsors
Bell
Cornerstone
Canandaigua
National Bank & Trust
Robert
Cole & Daryl Sharp
Ernstrom
& Dreste LLP
Flaherty
Salmin CPAs
Graham
Construction
Heritage
Financial Services, LLC
Key
Bank
Mengel
Metzger Barr & Co.
Debbie
& David Pelusio
Perlo’s
Restaurant
Ralph
Honda
Senator Joe Robach
Rochester
Area Community Foundation, Developmental Disabilities Giving Circle
October 4 – 10 is Fire Prevention Week, and this year the National Fire Protection Association is focusing on fire safety in the kitchen. No wonder: Nearly half of reported U.S. home fires start in the kitchen, and cooking is the leading cause of home fire injuries.
Check
these resources to keep yourself and your family safe:
Hand sanitizer has become a staple on our shopping lists. But some of the supply being produced to meet the demand is either not effective or downright dangerous, according to the Food & Drug Administration.
The FDA’s list of over 100 hand sanitizers to be avoided includes products with inadequate
levels of alcohol, as well as those containing potentially dangerous methanol.
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention recommend that, when soap and water are not available, alcohol-based
hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent ethanol should be used. The FDA. has
found at least 4 hand sanitizers with inadequate concentrations of ethanol,
including: NeoNatural, Medicare Alcohol Antiseptic Topical Solution, Datsen
Hand Sanitizer and Alcohol Antiseptic 62 Percent Hand Sanitizer.
The FDA has also reported a sharp
increase in hand sanitizer products that have tested positive for methanol contamination.
Methanol, or wood alcohol, can be toxic when absorbed through the skin and can
be life-threatening if ingested. Don’t expect methanol to be listed on the
ingredients: Check
the list of hand sanitizers to be avoided.
The 2020 Jane and Larry Glazer Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit Prevention 1st will be held on Monday, September 21. This year’s new location is Irondequoit Country Club, 4045 East Avenue, Rochester, NY.
Sponsorships are available, and
non-golfers are welcome for dinner following the tournament.
The event will adhere to all necessary safety guidelines, including table spacing and seating capacity. Golfers may ride two to a cart, however if a golfer wishes to maintain space they may walk and keep their clubs on the cart.
Please contact one of the following with questions: Jessica Holly (co-chair): jbdinaburg@gmail.com Michael Chatwin (co-chair): mchatwin@logs.com Jack Dinaburg, (585) 766-3660