It’s hard to believe, but the first day of fall is only a few weeks away, meaning cooler weather and the holidays are just around the corner. At Stillman and Friedland, we frequently share helpful reminders for you and your family to stay safe throughout the year. With the COVID-19 pandemic still in full-focus, it’s even more important at this time to implement health and safety measures to avoid accidents, injuries or illness. Here are some tips to help keep safe as we approach the last 3 months of 2020:
Less Daylight = More Dangerous Conditions. As the late summer and fall seasons progress, we’ll lose a little bit more daylight each day. On Sunday, November 1st, we will “fall back” and evening-hour daylight will become even more scarce. These early sunset hours mean more hazards on the roadways. Whether you’re a pedestrian, biker, driver or jogger, it’s important to take necessary precautions to protect yourself from visibility-related accidents and injuries, which include using reflectors, driving at safe speeds and adhering to any license restrictions that may be in place.
Halloween Saturday. In addition to the clocks turning back in the early morning hours of November 1st, this year’s “fall back” weekend also coincides with Halloween, which has always posed safety concerns. However, this year will include additional risks due to the pandemic, nationwide civil unrest and the weekend date. Be sure to monitor local and state ordinances as there has been talk about a significantly subdued or completely canceled Halloween this year. Even if activities are permitted, traditional house-to-house trick-or-treating would not be recommended as this will pose serious transmission risks for all involved.
Have Your Chimney Serviced. Chimney fires can burn quickly and with little warning with catastrophic results. This often overlooked and hidden danger can be avoided with annual checkups to ensure your chimney and associated flue liner are inspected and deemed free from any obstruction or debris.
Change Smoke Alarm Batteries. Changing the clocks is also synonymous with changing your smoke alarm batteries. Smoke alarms tend to fail due to missing or dead batteries and changing them twice per year will help avoid any dangerous situations in your home. Don’t forget to change the batteries in your carbon monoxide (CO) detectors as well.
Stay Informed With COVID-19 Updates. The pandemic is posing significant challenges in a wide variety of areas, including education and access to public facilities. For COVID-related advisories, visit the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s website for the most up-to-date safety information and hours of operation for Driver Service Centers.
These are just a few helpful tips and reminders for the upcoming months ahead. At Stillman and Friedland, we want to ensure you and your family are safe and have a wonderful and incident-free holiday season. Stay safe.
Because we care…
Stillman and Friedland
