There is a lot of controversy as to which airline is safest. Many have the idea that some “third world country” airlines are unsafe when in actuallity they have some of the best safety records.

Sometimes it’s best to fly a carrier located in the region where you are flying. They have more knowlege of certain conditions that may occur in that area. Here again, their airlines may only have four or five units as compared to a larger airline like American Airlines that have several hundred. So their safety record would naturally be greater simply because of the numbers. Statistics can be vague because a carrier that handles several million passengers per year may have had more crashes but that does not make them any less safe to fly than a carrier carrying much fewer passengers. It’s like playing the lottery, does buying three tickets out of millions make you more of a chance to win? No, the differences are negligable.

There are some airlines that have not had a fatalitiy in the last 25 years. One website you can log onto is: Airsafe.com. They have a listing of these airlines. You might be surprised of the airlines listed.

In review, I wouldn’t worry about an airline safety record unless I was planning on flying in a dubius area. Even at that, you are still safer flying than you are driving to the airport.

THINK ABOUT IT.

Ever wonder how I can make my next airline flight safer? Here are some tips to this question.

Most accidents happen during landing and take off. That only makes sense because there are more aircraft in the same area surrounding an airport. So limit this probable cause by taking non-stop flights whenever possible. This limits the amount of take offs and landings.

Familiarize yourself to the aircraft you are flying in when you enter the plane. Notice where the emergency exits are and how many seats you are sitting from them. If you are sitting in one of the seats that indicates it has an emergency exit next to it, be sure you are able to operate it. If you feel you can’t, ask to be moved to another seat.

Pay attention to the Flight attendant’s instructions and read the safety card that is located in the pocket of the seat in front of you.

It is not good to over-indulge in alcoholic beverages or medications before a flight. You want to be at your best if an emergency does occur. Quick action and clear thinking could save your life.

Remain in your seat with your seat belt fastened at all times. You never know when the aircraft may enter into a sudden violent pocket of air. Keep your movement to a minimum.

Dress comfortably but keep in mind what might be good to wear in a survival situation. Shorts and short sleeve shirts are not recommended. Wear hard sole shoes not flip flops or sandals. Some foot wear is made of synthetic materials that will melt under high heat conditions. If it is a long flight try not to wear tight clothing such as panty hose and some foundation under garments.

Finally, if you have any special medical conditions be sure the flight attendant is aware of them and take any medications well in advance of your flight to insure maximum effectiveness. Be sure you bring enough of your medications to last for the entire flight, especially if you require inhalers.

Next blog will inform you where you can go to find out your airlines safety record before you make your reservations.

THINK ABOUT IT

Since I have a lawn service business I work outside. I don’t have to tell you we’re experiencing hot waves all over our country. Yes, I know you’re “bullet proof and ten feet tall.” You jog on a regular basis and you can handle the heat, but heat exhaustion and heat stroke can attack you before you know it.

Some symptoms include, cramps, fatigue, clammy skin, headache , nausea, hyperventilation and irritability. Our bodies usually regulate it’s temperature by sweating, but when it experiences unusually hot weather it can’t keep up with regulating itself. When temperatures start rising to 104 to 106 degrees ( 41.1 degrees celsius) you are a candidate for a heat stroke. Heat stroke can occur in just 20 minutes under the right conditions.

If somone is having a heat stroke get them to a shady area immediately. Remove clothing and spray the body with cool (not cold) water. Place ice packs under the arm pits and get to a medical facility as soon as possible.

The most important thing you can do to avoid heat stroke is to be sure you drink a lot of water and don’t overdo exercise in extreme hot conditions. Do not drink alcoholic beverages in excess in very hot conditions. Alcohol dehydrates the body. Heat exhaustion/stroke is the result of the body losing fluids and salt excessively. This is what causes cramps as well. Be careful in hot conditions and you can avoid these conditions.

We all take our lawn tractors for granted and ignore the safety instructions that comes with them. Since retiring, I have started my own lawn service business and have been in contact with several others that do the same.
It amazes me , how many try to operate their equipment on steep grades. I know several men that have been seriously hurt by riding their mowers lengthwise along a hill. This is especially dangerous with a lawn tractor because of it’s high center of gravity. Turning the wheels even slightly while on the side of a hill will cause the tractor to over-turn. The correct way, if not too steep, is to mow the grade up & down; not sideways. Make sure your tractor’s braking system is working correctly. A mower can run away on a steep grade . If the brakes are not adjusted correctly an accident is inevitable.

You can do a few things to make your vehicle less likely to be stolen. Often TIME makes the difference whether a thief steals your car or the one next to it. If your vehicle is harder to steal they will try another.

If you parallel park, always turn your wheels toward the curb. This makes it harder to hitch up a tow truck to your car. Most cars also have a lock on the steering column so the wheels cannot be turned back into traffic without the key in the ignition.

If your car is a rear wheel drive, back it into your driveway. Front wheel drive, park it in the drive fowards.

NEVER keep your vehicle registration, or insurance information in the glove compartment. Keep it on your person. Thieves can alter these very easily to sell your vehicle.

Whenever possible, park in a well lighted area.

THINK ABOUT IT !

Your Mail Box is one of the most neglected places of the home. There are several things you should check to see if it is in compliance with your local Post Office. You want to be sure you mail gets delivered and insure the safety of your mail as well as your carrier. Many carriers have been injured by improper mail boxes. Here is a list of do’s and don’ts.

* Keep it free from hornet and wasp nests. Be sure the lid closes properly.
* Be sure the lock is in good working order if it’s required.
* Don’t have anything delivered to it that is not actual mail ( news papers, anything that dosen’t have postal stamps, common carrier deliveries ie: fedex-ups etc.)
* The box must be kept clear so the Postal Carrier can get to it.
* Be sure it’s installed in the proper area and side of street.
* Be sure it’s secured firmly and weather resistant.
* Have the box size coincide with the amount and type of mail you receive.
The carrier can refuse to deliver mail if he/she feels they could be injured by doing so. Sometimes mean dogs or unsafe sidewalks can be an example of this. Remember, that when the mail is placed into your mail box it the becomes your property. The liability of the postal service ends when it is delivered. Always have your mail held if you are going to be away from your home for an extended period of time.

If you have any questions or problems, contact your local Postmaster. They will be happy to assist you in any way.

THINK ABOUT IT

Back again tauting another Biometric product. They really have done some great research and development. It’s called “Access Q”.

It’s a fingerprint access to several different applications. It’s so versatile because it can be programmed into so many points of access to your business. It can limit anyone to just one area of a building or program. It can let a person access at certian times or devices. In other words, it let you completely control ALL access to any area or part of your intelligence of your business by fingerprint information.

You can gain more information to their website: usbiometrics.com.

THINK ABOUT IT!

Are you sometimes confused with all the passwords you have? Well, US Biometrics has developed a unique way to log on to your your different programs secured by your finger print!

It’s called “The Q”. It’s a small devise that reads your finger print to log on to your different programs no matter how many passwords you have. All you do is touch the devise to read your finder print after you have installed “The Q”.

This eliminates the need to enter passwords, pins or user names for the many programs you may be using. Most people have all these passwords written down somewhere which could compromise your security by allowing someone access to them.

The devise works with most web sites and software applications and is easy to use. The cost is not expensive at only $39.99. You can order the devise over the net at: usbiometrics.com or by phone at: 1-877-theq.

I have not used this devise as yet so this blog IS NOT an endorsement but simply a note to check it out for yourself.

THINK ABOUT IT!

It’s amazing how we can all fall into a sense of complacency about our security. It always happens to the “other guy” until some major event or happening comes close to us. Point in fact; We are relocating to another state and my wife asked me about some of the simple things we take for granted now: ambulance service, police or sheriff’s protection, all the utility shut-off locations, fire protection, hospitals & medical facilities, etc.

It made me realize I had to make out an entirely new plan of action for all of these and write them down. In case of an emergancy we could act in an orderly manner…..sometimes….seconds count. I recommend everyone up-date their emergency plans periodically and go over them with all the family members. Have a exit plan to leave the house for all locations and have a specific place to meet away from the home. You will know all the family members have cleared the home. Too often,people have gone back into the house looking for a family member or pet and have lost their lives unnecessarily.

Now the tip of the day: We had an electrical circuit malfunctioning in our newly purchased home. The home was built back in the eighties. Back then, installing wall outlets by pushing the wires into the back of the outlet was permissable. One of the outlets like this in our home had a poor connection using this method of installation which could have started a fire by arking inside the outlet. Hiring an electrician to re-wire your outlets using the wire screws to attach the wires to the outlet will make your home safer. According to safety laws, this method of wiring is the only way allowed when installing wall outlets today. THINK ABOUT IT.

Basically there are 4 components to an alarm system; the key pad, master control center and the various connected devices. I’m going to focus in on the key pad this talk.

The key pad got it’s name because the earlier alarm systems were turned on or off by a key. Now most systems are controlled by a “digital” key pad, but the name stuck, “keypad.”

Now that I’ve said that, there are different keypads that don’t even look like a keypad. Yes, they still have some systems controlled by a key, but most have buttons on them from 1 to 10. This is to let you “type in” your special code to tell the master control panel what you want the system to do. Some systems may have a “touch screen”. This looks like a computer monitor that has the various things on it that you want ths system to do. You touch the screen on the icon you want and it controls the system.

There may be several codes programmed into your system. Each person authorized to enter the building can be assigned there own code. The system will have a memory logging in the time and date the person either entered of left the building. You also may have a temporary code put in for a worker for the time he/she is needed to enter the building. This is taken out after the work is completed. Some people have their maid with her own code.

You also can program a special code for only certain times of the day. The master control panel will not let access on any other time periods.

A system also may have several “panels”. This I means you can have special codes for different areas of the building limiting a person only to the areas they are supposed to have access to. A good example of this is to have a jewelry draw, safe or file cabinet, silver closet with it’s own access code.

Key pads also have other information on them. They can tell you what doors or windows are not closed. What areas have been violated. The condition of the system. If there is something wrong with the system it will tell you the problem.

If you enter your home and go to turn your system off and it’s indicating you had an alarm while you wre gone, leave the home immediately. The person may still be in your home. Call the police. Let them search your home. Believe me, they would rather make this call than a homicide investigation call.

All this can be tied into an automated system that can be controll by a computer from anywhere in the world!!! Yes, you can even control your system anywhere. You can have a “spy in the sky” from anywhere if you have video included in the system. THINK ABOUT IT !!!!!!!