Duluth & Superior Fall Safety Tips For In And Out Of Your Home

It's officially fall in the Twin Ports, and it doesn't take long for there to be changes that can impact the safety of ourselves and our loved ones.

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As we get closer to winter we have less daylight hours, weather can be more of an unknown, and before things freeze up there is plenty to keep in mind.

Consider fall driving safety

As mentioned above, we have less hours of daylight.  A gross majority of people can't drive when it's light out, and it's worse for everyone at night.  Glare from other people's headlights, lack of depth perception, and all-around visibility is impacted in the dark.  So, make sure you are taking your time and being extra cautious behind the wheel.  Kiddos are also back in school and while are active in the summer too, need to be watched for even more, especially at school crossings.

Light up your home

At least do a walkaround checking your outside lights as you'll be using them more this time of the year.  LED lighting isn't that expensive and really makes a difference from the old incandescent bulbs if you're still rocking those for some ancient reason.

Be careful with heaters and candles

As it gets cooler outside, many of use wait as long as we can to turn on the ole furnace, which sometimes means using space heaters.  Be extra cautious with these as every year there are fires from their use.  Keep them safely away from blankets, curtains, bedding, and carpeting.  With the less light you might be using candles more often too, and these can be a massive home fire hazard.  Just like the space heaters, keep candles in a safe place and especially far from pets or little kids who might knock them over.

Check your smoke alarms

Smoke alarms are another good one to check before the cold winter deep freeze.  If you do have a home fire, they are the number one way to give your family a better chance of getting out of the house safely.  First Alert offers some great tips for properly installing and maintaining your home's smoke detectors.

Watch what you burn in the fall

Many of us like burning items such as brush or leaves, and while that can be okay, you need to be smart about it.  There isn't often a fall burning ban but check your local agencies before you make a brush pile and light it up.  Also, when burning leaves, consider the wind conditions as a bunch of smoldering leaves on your house or a neighbor's can be bad news really quickly.

Make yourself visible in the fall

If you do any walking, jogging, or bicycling, you should make sure you're as visible as possible.  We already talked about the darkness and wearing something with higher visibility can give you a better chance of not getting hit in low light situations.

The ICC Compliance Center offers some other thoughts for fall safety, including lawn tool tips for this time of the year.  What else would you add to this list?