Author: Brenda Plascencia

My aunt told me a story this weekend and made me wonder what I can do in my own home. In 2015, a big windstorm hit my hometown and the power was out for almost a week, in some places. People resorted to generators to power their homes. A family friend, let’s call him Bob, was staying at his cabin outside of town for a couple of nights and all seemed to be well. Bob had an event coming up and when he didn’t show up for the gathering, another friend, Sam, became worried as Bob always makes it to these kinds of things.  Sam and another friend decided to go out to Bob’s cabin. Once they made it out to the cabin, they found him unresponsive and immediately sought help. Sam and his friend were told if they didn’t find him that he probably wouldn’t have made it. The family found that the generators’ ventilation had got blocked and had caused carbon monoxide to enter the air. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a danger we all would like to avoid. 

Safe Kids provides a few tips to combat this. First, place a CO alarm on every level of your house and near every bedroom. Frequently test them and make sure they are working properly. If you need to warm up your car, park it outside and don’t leave it running in the garage. Also, use generators and grills outside the home, away from any windows and doors. Check the vents for the dryer, furnace, stove and fireplace outside your home to make sure they’re clear of any snow or other debris.

It was his first time going snowboarding, and it happened to be New Year’s Day in Minnesota. My friend and I ventured out of town to have a fun holiday weekend. He started on the bunny hill as one would when it’s their first time. He made his way down the hill and almost immediately after picking up some speed, he fell, and his friend went down to meet him. “Ow!” he said, “something is definitely wrong.” He couldn’t move his leg, so the friend went to get the ski patrol. The friend ended up being taken to the hospital and found out he had broken his leg. He made a full recovery, and the day wasn’t anywhere short of life lessons one being to not attempt a winter sport on your own especially if you’re inexperienced. His friend later noticed that he was sunburnt, he had not been wearing any goggles to protect his face when he sat next to him. Wearing your goggles protects you from harmful UV light.  He later realized that he should have used sunscreen, worn a mask around his neck, and have something that covered his ears. The reflective snow can reach your face, where most skin cancers actually occur and so at the end of the day, one of us had a broken leg and the other a very bad sunburn. That day did not turn out how either of us thought when we went out to have some fun.