winter sports & holidays

The Holiday Season

The biggest hazard during the holiday season, and winter in general, is the hazard of fire. The highest risk of fire danger is in the months of December and January, where fire rates soar, doubling from summer months. This is due to the increase in heat sources, open fires, and holiday traditions which use lights, trees, lots of cooking, and open flames. Curiously, even children playing with fire peaks during the winter months for some reason. Be sure to take the following holiday precautions for your family:

·	If you use a Christmas tree, try using an artificial and flame resistant tree. If you use a real tree, try to limit the time it spends in your house as much as possible. Remove it as soon after Christmas as you can.

·	Get as fresh a tree as you can. Water it daily to ensure it keeps from drying out.

·	Check over all lights you will put over the tree very carefully for damaged bulbs or frayed chords. Do not use if either are present. Because of their storage and use, lights have a tendency to develop flaws or defects in them.

·	Monitor children around the holiday season too, especially when relatives are over and they have a tendency to be ignored in all the commotion. Continue to check for signs that your child may be playing with fire.

Be especially cautious with Menorahs and candles. Any open flame is a huge fire safety threat. Open flames equal to smoking for the highest cause of fire occurrences. If you burn menorahs or candles, ensure that extreme caution is used as to where they are placed, and be sure to put the candles out every night at bedtime. Do not leave them lit throughout the night.

Winter Sports

Parents often do not realize the inherent danger in winter sports such as sledding and skiing. The bottom line is, in these winter sports, children are speeding down hills at speeds of 20-60 miles per hour. If a child strikes a hard object such as a rock at these speeds, it is the equivalent of being struck by a car.

Every year, about 33,000 sledding injuries are serious enough to require emergency room treatment. Most of these are children. And about 1/3 of all ski related injuries involve children under the age of 16.

·	Always have children wear a helmet when doing any winter sport. Parents often make children wear a helmet for bicycle riding, but forget about one when skiing or sledding, which can often times be just as dangerous.

·	Provide children with eye protection as well. Not only will it increase their vision and fun, it protects their eyes from foreign objects that may be in the snow.

·	Avoid metal sleds.

·	Check out and pre-approve any place your children want to go sledding. Walk the path first very carefully to ensure that there are not hazards present that could cause a serious injury.

·	Pick a sledding area that is gently sloped enough, with a flat area at the bottom of the run to allow for a gradual and gentle stop when done. Pick an area free of debris, and away from roads, trees, fences, or frozen bodies of water.

·	Remember sun protection during the winter too! Snow reflects the sun and can cause burning, even on cloudy days.

Keep children skiing on paths that are appropriate for them. Don’t try to push them onto slopes that are too hard. Not only does it increase their chance of injuries themselves, it pushes them on with much more advanced skiers, who often are not looking out for children and skiing much faster than your children can.

·	When doing any winter sport, being aware of the others around, and the obstacles around you, is the most important thing.

·	Never sled on a street or near the street. Make sure there is no danger of your kid going too far and sliding onto a street.

·	Always check the area first for any rocks or hazards that might be on the hill.

·	Avoid sitting head first in a sled. This greatly increases the risk of injury.

·	Bundle your kid up to stay warm!