There is something about the winter months and curling up with a good book by the fireplace. But did you know that heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fire deaths? With a few simple safety tips and precautions you can prevent most heating fires from happening.

• Keep anything that can burn at least three-feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Have a three-foot (one metre) “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.
• Test smoke alarms at least once a month.

NFPA.org

Our path to personal and professional success is paved by- and with- the quality souls with whom we have surrounded ourselves. And, we consider you a member of our extremely valued fraternity of customers, vendors, service providers, mentors, and friends. It has been a strange couple of years, and we all have each other to thank for surviving and thriving. For this we give thanks.

This Thanksgiving we would like to use this week's blog to communicate our heartfelt appreciation for all the support, loyalty, service quality, and passion for our business we have received this past year. Going forward, our commitment is to even better strengthen our business and our relationships throughout into 2023 and beyond.

Warm Thanksgiving wishes, to you all.

Good health habits like avoiding people who are sick, covering your cough and washing your hands often can help stop the spread of germs and prevent respiratory illnesses like flu. There also are flu antiviral drugs that can be used to treat and prevent flu

The tips and resources below will help you learn about additional actions you can take to protect yourself and others from flu and help stop the spread of germs.

Avoid close contact.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

Stay home when you are sick.

If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.

Cover your mouth and nose.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk.

Clean your hands.

Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Practice other good health habits.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

Preventing Flu at Work and School

At School

• Find out about plans your child’s school, childcare program, and/or college has if an outbreak of flu or another illness occurs and whether flu vaccinations are offered on-site.
• Make sure your child’s school, childcare program, and/or college routinely cleans frequently touched objects and surfaces, and that they have a good supply of tissues, soap, paper towels, alcohol-based hand rubs, and disposable wipes on-site.
• Ask how sick students and staff are separated from others and who will care for them until they can go home, and about the absentee policy for sick students and staff.

At Work

• Find out about your employer’s plans if an outbreak of flu or another illness occurs and whether flu vaccinations are offered on-site.
• Routinely clean frequently touched objects and surfaces, including doorknobs, keyboards, and phones, to help remove germs.
• Make sure your workplace has an adequate supply of tissues, soap, paper towels, alcohol-based hand rubs, and disposable wipes.
• Train others on how to do your job so they can cover for you in case you or a family member gets sick and you have to stay home.
• If you begin to feel sick while at work, go home as soon as possible.

Source: CDC.gov

Why You Need Snowmobile Insurance Buying Tips

Take It Seriously

For some reason, many snowmobilers treat snowmobile insurance like it’s separate from the rest of our lives. Maybe that’s because snowmobiling is our escape from daily reality. Perhaps it’s because we don’t treat our toys seriously. Or being a seasonal purchase, maybe sled insurance just plays second fiddle in our overall insurance picture. Also, I guess it’s human nature to assume that nothing bad will ever happen to us. Whatever the case, most of us don’t take our snowmobile insurance seriously enough.

Sure, we spend a relatively small amount of our lives sledding. At least compared to everything else we do. And it irks us to pay what may seem too high a premium for our few hours of fun on the snow. But would we still feel that way after tragedy struck while snowmobiling?

Catastrophic Outcomes

Most of us arrive home safely after every ride. In Ontario, almost 200,000 of us typically ride a cumulative total of over 150 million kilometres in a normal winter without serious incident. That’s not a bad track record. Unfortunately, when something goes wrong while sledding, the outcome can be very bad. Snowmobiles don’t offer much protection. Sleds don’t stop very quickly on snow and ice. Trees and rocks aren’t very forgiving. Bodies are soft and vulnerable. And we’re often a long way from help.

The long and short of it is that too many snowmobile-related tragedies are catastrophic. And catastrophic = expensive. Catastrophic = life changing. Catastrophic = financial disaster.

Risk Reality

But all can be survivable if you have good insurance after you’ve bought a new sled or a used one. Good sled insurance can help restore your life and health. It can take care of your bills, your loved ones and your future. It can give you peace of mind. On the other hand, inadequate sled insurance can make what is already a catastrophe much, much worse. And it’s too late to change after the fact. Yes, snowmobiling has inherent risks, as with any other powersports activity. But don’t compound your risk by ignoring good sled insurance. Snowmobiling isn't supposed to be that much of a crapshoot!

Have any questions? Contact Lallis & Higgins Insurance. 

Source: intrepidsnowmobiler.com