T hough I know that this is happening, I am thankful that we have not heard much of it in our area recently. The issue that I am speaking of is leaving a child or a pet alone in a vehicle for any amount of time. With the temperatures that we experienced over the last couple of weeks and the temperatures that are sure to return, the outcome could be fatal. Hot temperatures outside cause our vehicles to act like an oven. The body has mechanisms to deal with overheating, but those mechanisms only work for so long. The emergency…
Browsing: Fire & Life Safety
Let me start by saying that I do not claim to be an expert on fire suppression systems, but I do know several experts. The question that I pose in this article is: Will your fire suppression system do what you need it to do if a fire occurs? In other words, does your system provide the necessary protection, or did you buy the cheapest system with the fewest “bells and whistles” to simply get by? Another question that you must ask is: what does my older system do and not do? Fire suppression systems are Band-Aids that operate due…
Guest Columnist Doug Hanky A few days ago, I shared a bucket list item of mine with some friends at dinner. This summer, I will go to the beach and watch a sunrise, take some pictures, drink some coffee, and then have a leisurely breakfast and more coffee! After breakfast, I will climb on the motorcycle and cruise the back roads up to the mountains. I may stop at some little antique shops and yard sales along the way. I will find a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and eat a late lunch on the way to my final destination, the highest mountain peak,…
By Guest Author Becky Hypes Becky wrote this on my Facebook page the other day and I felt like it needed to be restated in my column. When anger leads to violence, we have crossed the line. This has been on Becky’s heart and mind for a while. Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our…
As we begin to learn more about the tragic high-rise apartment building in London, I want to address what protects us. Thus far, there are 17 confirmed fatalities and about 100 people still missing. There are so many issues that lead to a situation like this, but I will attempt to address some of them. I just heard, in a news report, that there was no alarm system, no sprinkler system, one stairwell and other reported fire safety issues. The building had apparently undergone cosmetic construction on the exterior, which may have contributed to fire spread, but that will…
We just finished an 1,800-mile, round-trip journey to Florida. We traveled in three vehicles, with most of our time spent on I-95 and I-4. Driving was an experience, though the weather was nice and we experienced no mechanical issues. We saw accidents, a brush fire, traffic backups, road construction, lots of tractor trailers, cars pulled for speeding, and drivers who thought that they owned the road. I am thankful that we arrived home on Saturday and did not have to deal with the heavy traffic that Memorial Day Monday brings. With summer approaching, I wanted to talk about the travel…
I was watching an Orlando news station last night, and they reported on the tragic death of a four-year-old boy. The story goes that he had started trying to get the baby monitor in his room over the last few days. The monitor had been on his dresser, but his mother had moved it to the windowsill behind the dresser. The reporter went on to say that the little boy got out of bed and climbed on the dresser, pulling it over on himself. I do not remember hearing the timeframe of the mother checking on the child, but this…
W e have just experienced our warmest days of spring 2017. As the heat rises, what do we need to be mindful of? The medical problems that come from high temperature and humidity will be much more prevalent than the fire problem, but we must consider both. With higher temperatures comes a greater workload on air conditioners, fans, and electrical systems in general. I will try to walk us through a few of these things that will, hopefully, prevent a fire and keep you and your family safe. Concerning your air conditioning units, they need a proper level of refrigerant…
We have a crisis that has visited every community in America, from the largest to the smallest, called opiate addiction. People are looking to fill a void in their life, or escape the pains and stresses in this life, so they turn to mind-altering substances to do this. I remember running my share of these calls when I was on the job, but I believe that the problem has become exponentially bigger. Opiates, cut with other drugs like Fentanyl, seem to be more available than ever before. There have been numerous cases, in the recent past, of a rash of…
Last week, I was traveling south on Harrowgate Road. I was in the school zone, just passing Harrowgate Elementary, when a teenager on a bicycle was riding towards me. I noticed that he was looking down and I realized that he was looking at his phone. Just as I was about to go by him, his front tire hit the side of the road and his bicycle jumped into my lane. He immediately jerked the handle bars back, maintained control, and went on by me. It could have turned out much worse, but thankfully it did not. I try to…