******  REMEMBER - FOR ALL EMERGENCIES DIAL 911  ******

First Aid for Burns

For minor burns, take the following action:

•Cool the burn. Hold the burned area under cool (not cold) running water for 10 or 15 minutes or until the pain subsides.   If this is impractical, immerse the burn in cool water or cool it with cold compresses. Cooling the burn reduces swelling by conducting heat away from the skin. Don't put ice on the burn. DO NOT USE BUTTER OR OTHER SALVES, these may hold in the heat and make the burn worse.

• Cover the burn with a sterile gauze bandage. Don't use fluffy cotton, or other material that may get lint in the wound. Wrap the gauze loosely to avoid putting pressure on burned skin. Bandaging keeps air off the burn reduces pain and protects blistered skin.

• ONLY with your doctors approval, take an over-the-counter pain reliever. These include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen or acetaminophen. Use caution when giving aspirin to children or teenagers. Though aspirin is approved for use in children older than 2, children and teenagers recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms should never take aspirin.

 Talk to a doctor if you have concerns.

 




Campfire Information


Always check with the Forest Fire Service or other local Officials regarding the need for fire permits. Get them if needed!

 •DO NOT build a fire at a site in hazardous, dry conditions.


 •DO NOT build a fire if the campground, area, or event rules prohibit campfires.

 •FIND OUT if the campground has an existing fire ring or fire pit.

 • If there is not an existing fire pit, and pits are allowed, look for a site that is at least fifteen feet away from tent walls, shrubs, trees or other flammable objects. Also beware of low-hanging branches overhead.

 


Extinguishing Your Campfire

When you’re ready to put out your fire and call it a night, follow these guidelines:  

 •Allow the wood to burn completely to ash, if possible.

 • Pour lots of water on the fire; drown all embers, not just the red ones.

 • Pour until hissing sound stops and there is not any more steam rising from the fire bed.

 • Stir the campfire ashes and embers with a metal rake or shovel.

 • Scrape the sticks and logs to remove any embers.

 • Stir and make sure everything is wet and they are cold to the touch.

 • If you do not have water, use dirt. Mix enough dirt or sand with the embers. Continue adding and stirring until all material is cool. REMEMBER: DO NOT bury the fire as the fire will continue to smolder and could catch roots on fire that will eventually get to the surface and start a wildfire.


              REMEMBER: If it is too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave!







Carbon Monoxide (CO) Information

What is carbon monoxide (CO) and how is it produced?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a deadly, colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. It is produced by the incomplete burning of various fuels, including coal, wood, charcoal, oil, kerosene, propane, and natural gas. Products and equipment powered by internal combustion engines such as portable generators, cars, lawn mowers, and power washers also produce CO.

On average, about 170 people in the United States die every year from CO produced by non-automotive consumer products. These products include malfunctioning fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, ranges, water heaters and room heaters; engine-powered equipment such as portable generators; fireplaces; and charcoal that is burned in homes and other enclosed areas. In 2005 alone, CPSC staff is aware of at least 94 generator-related CO poisoning deaths. Forty-seven of these deaths were known to have occurred during power outages due to severe weather, including Hurricane Katrina. Still others die from CO produced by non-consumer products, such as cars left running in attached garages. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that several thousand people go to hospital emergency rooms every year to be treated for CO poisoning.




Because CO is odorless, colorless, and otherwise undetectable to the human senses, people may not know that they are being exposed. The initial symptoms of low to moderate CO poisoning are similar to the flu (but without the fever). They include: Headache,  Fatigue,   Shortness of breath,  Nausea, Dizziness

 High level CO poisoning results in progressively more severe symptoms, including:

Mental confusion,   Vomiting,  Loss of muscular coordination,  Loss of consciousness,  Ultimately death

Symptom severity is related to both the CO level and the duration of exposure. For slowly developing residential CO problems, occupants and/or physicians can mistake mild to moderate CO poisoning symptoms for the flu, which sometimes results in tragic deaths. For rapidly developing, high level CO exposures (e.g., associated with use of generators in residential spaces), victims can rapidly become mentally confused, and can lose muscle control without having first experienced milder symptoms; they will likely die if not rescued.

Make sure to have a properly installed CO detector in your home, especially near utility, garages, the main living and sleeping areas of your home. 





DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED ROADS. WATER CAN BE DANGEROUS AND MAY HIDE POTENTIAL RISKS TO YOUR LIFE OR SAFETY. DON'T DROWN, DRIVE AROUND!