Although Southwest Florida basks in a subtropical climate most of the year, occasional Arctic cold fronts can invade the area causing frosts and/or freezes

With its cold and often stormy weather, winter presents many safety challenges ¬both indoors and out. Being prepared and following simple safety tips can help you stay safe and warm during this cold snap we are about to experience in Florida. Residents and visitors to Southwest Florida should remember the “Five P’s” of cold weather safety. The “5 P’s” are: Protecting People, Protecting Plants, Protecting Pets, Protecting Exposed Pipes, and Practising Fire Safety.

• Dress in layered clothing and wear some kind of head cover when outdoors. Although it may be cloudy and chilly, do not forget to wear sun block.
• Have a warm meal or drink. A cup of soup or a mug of hot cocoa can warm your entire body, even when the air is chilly. Spicy foods are especially potent for heating things up.
• Get physical. Exercise! Do jumping jacks, or run in place. Break a sweat. This will bring up your body temperature, and you may find yourself needing to cool down–even though your home isn’t even that warm!
• Most ceiling fans have two settings. They can spin one way, blowing cold air down, or the opposite direction, pushing cold air up. In the winter, change the setting of your fan so that it pushes cold air up–keeping the warm air down below where you are.
• Weather strip your existing windows and doors or consider investing in new Impact Resistant Windows and Doors.
• Keep pets inside; when necessary walk them on the grass (not the cold sidewalk).
• Protect livestock and other animals with adequate shelter, extra feed and supplemental heat.
• Bring sensitive potted plants inside.
• Cover outdoor plants with burlap or cloth. Cold will penetrate plastic. Water early in the day to allow the suns heat to penetrate the soil and roots.
• Buy a portable space heater, and use it in the room you use the most. If you’re going to another room for more than 30 minutes, move the heater there 15 minutes beforehand so that the room will warm up. Keep the door to the room you’re in closed to trap the warm air. Check space heaters for sufficient ventilation.
• Do not refuel kerosene heaters inside.
• Make sure fireplace flues are working properly BEFORE the cold weather arrives.
• Check extension cords for breaks and/or fraying before plugging in extra heating devices.
• Do not use charcoal or gas grills indoors. They produce deadly carbon monoxide fumes

Be Safe. Be Smart. Storm Smart.

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