Winter Dangers

By Justin Tracy

As the winter season is coming upon us there are many dangers that need to be known. First are the roads, here in New Hampshire anyone who has been living here through the winter knows how bad the roads can get. When this happens black ice can form and people cant see so they fly off the road, which can be deadly in some cases. This is why it’s so essential to wear your seatbelt. In the winter when everything’s wet there is no brush fire danger obviously. What the majority of people don’t know is when they haven’t used their chimney is a while and you go to light it up it can cause a fire in the chimney. If that fire gets out of control then it can cause a full on house fire.

At thirty-two degrees water freezes. Everyone knows that. People that know this are also aware of a little factor called black ice. This is ice on the roads that you cannot see which can be hazardous. If you drive a truck or some sports cars, which have, rear wheel drive they need to be extra cautious. The reason for this is simple its what’s known as fishtailing. What happens with fishtailing is your backend will start to swing to one direction making you a hazard to other drivers and yourself. Depending how fast you are going and your driving skill you can be able to turn back and keep control. Don’t think that if you have front wheel drive this wont happen to you because it absolutely can. Mainly people need to remember when driving in slick wintery conditions to wear their seatbelt, good visibility, enough gas in your car so if you get stuck you can stay warm, drive slower than you think you need. Last but not least, watch the corners!

The seasonal fire danger in your own home is chimney fires. When people don’t use their chimneys for months the soot left from last season can catch on fire. Now what you might be thinking is who cares if the chimneys on fire. If the chimney gets too clogged then it can start to heat up and crack then start a full house fire. It’s very important to call 911 if you think your chimney could even possibly be on fire. Then get out of the house and make sure your cars are out of the way to the entrance of the home.