From our friends at #AACoFD about the possible winter storm Advisory: Winter Storm Expected to Bring Icing Conditions- Safety Tips for Hazardous Road Conditions and Power Outages NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release: Contact: Captain Russ Davies 410-222-8305 (Office) 410-222-8746 (PIO Line) Winter Storm Expected to Bring Icing Conditions Safety Tips for Hazardous Road Conditions and Power Outages (Millersville, MD) The National Weather service has issued a freezing rain advisory for Anne Arundel County effective from 10:00 p.m. tonight until 9:00 a.m. Monday. Freezing rain is possible during the overnight hours before changing to rain tomorrow morning, causing a thin glaze of ice on untreated roads, sidewalks and vehicles. The Anne Arundel County Fire Department and the Office of Emergency Management offer the following safety tips for safely weathering the storm: Tips for driving in the ice: • Stay home. If you really don’t have to go out, don’t. Even if you can drive well in the ice, not everyone else can. Don’t tempt fate: If you don’t have somewhere you have to be, watch the ice from indoors. • Bridges, ramps and overpasses freeze faster in freezing rain. Use extra caution on untreated neighborhood streets. In freezing rain, just walking to your car can be challenging, use caution on untreated sidewalks and parking areas. • Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for regaining traction and avoiding skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry. And take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads. • Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, turning – nothing happens as quickly as on dry pavement. Give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly. • The normal dry pavement following distance of three to four seconds should be increased to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop. • Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold breaking. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal. • Don’t stop if you can avoid it. There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. • Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow and ice covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed downhill as slowly as possible. • Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill. After the storm When severe winter and ice storms strike, the power may be out for several days. Here are some safety tips for keeping you and your family safe as you wait for power to be restored: • NEVER operate generators and other fuel-powered devices inside a home or an enclosed space, such as a garage. Unsafe practices could result in a build-up of deadly carbon monoxide fumes. The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. If anyone in your home experiences these symptoms, step outdoors, ventilate the area and dial 9-1-1. • Report power outages. Turn off electrical appliances that were operating at the time power went off, including your heating system. Leave one light on to alert you when service is restored. • Power lines weighted with ice may be down or touching other objects, an extremely dangerous situation. Contact with power lines can charge cables, chain link fences and even tree limbs with electricity. Power lines can electrify a fence line throughout an entire neighborhood. Contact your power company for assistance. • Many people are injured each year by falling tree branches after any kind of severe storm. Ice storms are no exception. Heavy ice can make tree limbs and trees themselves unstable. Be safe. Wait until the thaw and call a tree care specialist.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 20:49:03 +0000
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