For Your Safety: A few more ‘krafty’ winter tips

Hi! It’s Anna Kraft again filling in for my husband, K.H. Kraft, while he recuperates from a mild fall due to the icy conditions we have been having the last few weeks. His fall brought a few safety items to mind that we should all be reminded of.

Last week, my husband parked the car, gathered the mail, and entered the house. Some snow that had packed on the bottom of his shoes came loose and quickly turned to a small puddle of water. The “small puddle” of water was enough to bring a man down — and it did! So, try to make it a rule to remove your shoes upon entering your home and dry up any snow that you may have tracked in. We have a small absorbent bathroom rug where we stop and remove our shoes leaving them there to dry.

Throw a big box of kitty litter into the trunk of your vehicle. We personally have already dealt with being stuck and the handy box of kitty litter saved the day. Just throw some kitty litter in front and in back of the tire that is stuck in the ice. Don’t worry about all the tires — only the one that is stuck and spinning around.

This may sound silly, but... if you are going outside to take the trash cans out, feed the birds, bring in the mail, or any other outside activities — PLEASE take a door key with you. You won’t believe how quickly your body temperature will drop putting you in danger. Our doors automatically lock unless we remember to unlock them before going out. Better yet, have a lock with digital entry installed. This allows the service people or family easy entry and can easily be re-programed when needed.

Are you playing with fire? Several weeks ago, I mentioned having your fireplaces serviced. If you have a fireplace you should have a fireplace company come out and look for a build-up of creosote, bird nests, etc., and to make any adjustments to the flue that may be necessary.

If you have a gas fireplace, the company checks air flow, sees if the flue is working correctly, cleans the inside and outside, cleans the logs, checks the gas connection, and more. Both these are relatively inexpensive and, oh, so very important!

Enjoy our snowy weather, be wise, and stay safe!

—Anna Kraft

K.H. Kraft has over 40 years of affiliations with intelligence and police organizations. Sources for these articles are decades of personal experience and numerous official manuals.