PRACTICE YOUR FIRE SAFETY PLAN

All New Yorkers should plan and practice for fire. If fire breaks out in your home, you must be prepared to get out fast. Be sure to review the following tips when putting together your fire safety plan:

• Plan two ways out of every room in your home. Remember, fire escape routes should never include elevators.
  
• Practice crawling low; if you must exit through smoke, clean air will be several inches off the floor.
  
• Know the layout of all rooms. If you live in an apartment building, know the location of all stair exits from your floor and the number of doors between your apartment and the exit stairs.
  
• Close doors behind you to slow the spread of fire.
  
• Choose a meeting place right outside your home for your family members to gather.
  
• Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
  
• Change the batteries in your smoke detector twice a year at daylight-saving times.

• Learn more about fire safety from FDNY
• Read more about fire on OEM's website
• Read the Tip of the Week online

BE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

March 19 - 23 is Flood Safety Awareness Week. Floods are the country's most common natural disaster, and while you may not be able to prevent flooding, you can certainly protect yourself against flood damage.

If you own property in a flood-susceptible area, consider getting flood insurance. Protection against loss due to floods is not covered under a homeowner's policy. Contact your agent or broker about eligibility for flood insurance, which is offered through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This insurance can help lessen the financial burden when your largest investment and your possessions are damaged. So if your low-lying home gets drenched, don't be left high and dry.

• Learn more about flooding
• Find out if you are at risk
• Read the Tip of the Week online

GET CERT-IFIED

In a city as vast and diverse as New York, it's nice to know there are many tight-knit neighborhoods whose members form strong bonds. One such bond can come from a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Organized through NYC Community Boards, CERT members undergo 11 weeks of intensive training to assist first responders in the event of a community emergency.

Do you cherish your community and want to help out if an emergency strikes? Find out if your Community Board has a CERT. If it does, contact the Team Chief to see about joining. If your Community Board lacks a CERT, contact OEM to learn about starting a team.

• Visit NYC CERT onlineContact your Community Board
• Read the Tip of the Week online

A NEW DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME: SUNDAY, MARCH 11

To support an effort to save energy, United States Congress has passed a law that changes Daylight Saving Time. As a result, Americans will turn their clocks forward on Sunday, March 11. Though we'll lose an hour of sleep, we will be awake for more daylight hours, and make better use of natural light.

Now is a good time to check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors to make sure they work properly. The New York Fire Department and OEM recommend you do this at least twice a year, at Daylight Saving Times. OEM also encourages New Yorkers to update disaster plans, and restock Emergency Supply Kits and Go Bags at this time. Be a Ready New Yorker.

• Learn more about CO poisoning
• Find out about fire safety
• Read about Ready New York

MARCH FOR RED CROSS

OEM salutes the American Red Cross this March during Red Cross month. American Red Cross offers training and opportunities from staffing emergency shelters to offering lifesaving courses such as CPR and First Aid. The American Red Cross in Greater New York provides relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. Volunteer this month and do your part to prepare and protect New York City.

• Visit the Red Cross in Greater New York to find the volunteer opportunity that is right for you
• Read the OEM Tip of the Week online

MAKE SURE YOUR NOSE KNOWS

Most homes in New York City use natural gas to fuel stoves, furnaces, and hot water heaters. It is efficient and cost effective, but it can also be dangerous. Natural gas is odorless so distributors add mercaptan, a harmless chemical with a sulfur smell, as a safety precaution. Take some time to familiarize your family with this smell so they will know what to do in case of a leak.

If you smell rotten eggs in your home, evacuate immediately. Call your gas provider from outside your building and let them do the investigating.

• Learn more about natural gas safety
• Download Con Edison's Gas Safety Brochure (in PDF)
• View Keyspan's Gas Safety Tips
• Read the OEM Tip of the Week online

HAVE AN OLD-FASHIONED PHONE HANDY

Thanks to modern technology, telephones with cords are a thing of the past for most people. Why be tethered to your phone if you can use a cordless? But if the power goes out, you'll wish you had that cord. Keep an old-fashioned phone with a cord that does not require electricity in your Emergency Supply Kit.

• Learn more about what to put in an Emergency Supply Kit
• Read the OEM Tip of the Week online

PREPARE WITH THE ONE YOU LOVE

It's Valentine's Day this week, and there is no better way to show you care than by putting your loved ones' safety first. When you've finished smelling the roses and scarfing down chocolates, take some time to put together an emergency plan with the ones you love. Make sure you know what to do, how to find each other, and how to communicate in an emergency. Show a lot of love with just a few simple steps.

• Learn more about making an emergency plan
• Read the OEM Tip of the Week online

THE COLD CAUSES WORSE THAN COLDS

Cold weather can put you at risk for far worse than the common cold. Hypothermia and frostbite are the most common cold-induced illnesses, and they can be life threatening if left unchecked. When the temperature drops, it's important to keep your body sheltered from the air.

Hypothermia: Symptoms include slurred speech, sluggishness, confusion, dizziness, shallow breathing, unusual behavior, and slow, irregular heartbeat.

Frostbite: Symptoms include gray, white or yellow skin discoloration, numbness, and waxy feeling skin.

• Read more winter weather tips
• Read the OEM Tip of the Week online

AVOID A WARDROBE MALFUNCTION THIS SUPER BOWL WEEKEND

As you prepare for the Super Bowl, remember to dress appropriately. During the cold winter months, wear layers to make sure your skin is not exposed to the biting air. By layering thinner materials on one another, you trap warm air close to your body. Cover your extremities with mittens, scarves, and hats to prevent body heat from escaping.

Also consider keeping extra layers of clothing and a blanket in your Go Bag and car, if you have one.

• Learn how to dress warmly in low temperatures
• Read OEM's Tip of the Week on the website

PREPARE YOUR POCKET BOOK

January is National Financial Wellness Month and OEM reminds New Yorkers to prepare an Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) as part of their household disaster plans. Disaster relief agencies may require financial documents to determine the best method to support a victim's recovery. Obtaining new copies of any lost documents can be difficult after a disaster and may be avoided by storing a second set somewhere safe.

• Learn how to make an EFFAK
• See OEM's Tip of the Week on the Web site

GIVE BLOOD AND SAVE LIVES

OEM reminds New Yorkers to give blood this month during National Blood Donor Month. Blood is perishable and reserves need regular replenishment. Each day the New York Blood center needs almost 2,000 people to donate blood to maintain its supplies. If you are 17 years or older and weigh at least 110 pounds you can save up to three lives by donating one pint of blood.

• Learn more about donating blood
• Find a blood donation center near you
• See OEM's Tip of the Week on the website