Stan White, the chief security officer of Praise Covenant Christian Center, is back and offering holiday safety tips. Therefore, please take note especially as it relates to holiday safety tips.

Trees

• When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label “Fire Resistant.”
• When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break. The trunk butt of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.
• When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces, radiators or portable heaters.
• Cut a few inches off the trunk of your tree to expose the fresh wood. This allows for better water absorption and will help keep your tree from drying out and becoming a fire hazard.
• Be sure to keep the stand filled with water, because heated rooms can dry live trees out rapidly.

Lights

• Check all tree lights-even if you’ve just purchased them-before hanging them on your tree. Make sure all the bulbs work and that there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.
• Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use. To hold lights in place, string them through hooks or insulated staples, not nails or tacks. Never pull or tug lights to remove them.
• Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential shocks.
• Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.

Stan White, the chief security officer of Praise Covenant Christian Center, continues to offer safety tips and vital information in the upcoming months. Therefore, please take note and stay alert especially when it comes to walking safety tips.

Safety Tips:

• Choose busy streets and avoid going through vacant lots, alleys, or other deserted areas
• At night, walk in well-lit areas whenever possible
• Try not to walk or jog alone
• Take a friend or neighbor along for company
• Get to know the neighborhoods and neighbors where you live and work
• Carry your purse close to your body and keep a firm grip on it
• Avoid pickpockets by carrying your wallet in an inside coat pocket or front trouser pocket

Stan White, the chief security officer of Praise Covenant Christian Center, continues to offer safety tips and vital information in the upcoming months. Therefore, please take note and stay alert especially when it comes to home heating safety tips.

Now that we are in the fall season with winter not far behind, it will soon be time to make use of the heaters and fireplaces in our homes.  Here are some tips to remember so that you can be safe at the same time that you are trying to keep warm.

• Schedule a professional inspection each year of all fuel-burning home heating systems, including furnaces, boilers, fireplaces, wood stoves, water heaters, chimneys, flues and vents.
• Take precautions when using space heaters, fireplaces or other heating sources to help stay warm this winter.
• Install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in the home and check that the batteries are fresh and working.
• Place space heaters on a level, hard and nonflammable surface (such as a ceramic tile floor), not on rugs or carpets or near bedding or drapes. Keep children and pets away from space heaters.
• To prevent the risk of fire, NEVER leave a space heater on when you go to sleep or place a space heater close to any sleeping person. Turn the heater off if you leave the area.
• Use a space heater that has been tested to the latest safety standards and certified by a nationally-recognized testing laboratory. These heaters will have the most up-to-date safety features; older space heaters may not meet the newer safety standards.  Always follow the manufacturer’s directions for proper use.
• Have flues and chimneys inspected for leakage and blockage by creosote or debris.
• Never use electric or gas stoves to heat the home. They are not intended for that purpose and can cause fires and CO poisoning.

Stan White, the chief security officer of Praise Covenant Christian Center, continues to offer safety tips and vital information in the upcoming months. Therefore, please take note and stay alert especially when it comes to automobile safety.

Auto Safety Tips

Please be mindful of the following safety tips while driving throughout the local area and when traveling further distances:

• Make sure your car is locked at all times.
• Never leave your vehicle running while unattended.
• Always remove your keys while refueling.
• Keep all personal items, such as checkbook, personal identification, credit cards, purses, wallet and CD’s out of view.
• Always activate any anti-theft device you have on your vehicle.
• Don’t hide spare keys in your car.
• Never leave high tech devices such as cellular phones, portables TV’s, and compact disc players visible

Did you know: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the highest number of auto accidents occur at speeds between 35-40 mph and between the hours of 3:00pm – 6:00pm?

Stan White, the chief security officer of Praise Covenant Christian Center, continues to offer security tips and vital information in the upcoming months. Therefore, please take note and stay alert as it relates to safety, especially when it comes to the upcoming fall season.

Fall Safety Tip:

Fall is a good time to really look around our property and take care of those maintenance problems which could cause a slip and fall in the winter months.

1. Be sure outdoor lighting is adequate
2. Repair porches and steps
3. Put summer items away from porches and lawns so that someone won’t trip and fall
4. Have a sand supply ready for the soon to be icy walks and driveways
5. Now is the time to prepare your home for the winter months ahead, so clean out gutters of leaves and debris
6. Check roof shingles to be sure they are in good condition for wind, ice, and snow
7. Check windows for deteriorated sills and putty to prevent water damage to walls and ceilings

Stan White, the chief security officer of Praise Covenant Christian Center, continues to offer security tips and vital information in the upcoming months. Therefore, please take note and stay alert as it relates to safety, especially when it comes to protecting your identity.

TIP # 3: Identity Theft

• Identity theft again tops the list of consumer complaints, this according to a new report from the Federal Trade Commission. In a recent year there were approximately one million identity theft victims. It cost banks and credit-card companies about $5 billion because they ultimately pick up the tab for fraudulent purchases. The average victim will spend nearly $2,000 and 175 hours cleaning up their credit reports
• Guard your social security number.  It is the key to your credit report and bank accounts and is the prime target of criminals.
• Shred all old bank and credit card statements, as well as “junk mail” credit card offers before trashing them.
• Never give your credit card number or personal information over the phone or on the Internet unless you trust the business that you are dealing with.
• Do not carry extra credit cards or other important identity documents, except when needed.

Stan White, the chief security officer of Praise Covenant Christian Center, continues to offer security tips and vital information in the upcoming months. Therefore, please take note and stay alert as it relates to safety, especially when it comes to protecting your home.

TIP # 2: Protecting Your Home
•  Most homes contain valuables that are very attractive to burglars; televisions, stereos, cash, computers, etc.
•   According to the FBI, most burglaries occur in July and August than any other month.
•  Never leave an answering service message indicating that you are not home. Instead, just say that you cannot come to the phone.
•   Most burglaries occur between 8:00am and 5:00pm, so get in the habit of locking all doors and windows whenever you go out
•   Get to know your neighbors. They can be a valuable resource to keep an eye on your home when you are away.

Churches should be the safest and most secure places on earth. However, recently there have been many instances which make the aforementioned statement somewhat questionable.
Stan White, the chief security officer of Praise Covenant Christian Center will be offering security tips and vital information in the upcoming months. So, please take note and stay alert as it relates to safety especially in the church environment.

Tip # 1:

Stay alert and tuned in to your surroundings, wherever you are. Always be aware of what and who is around you. Especially when you are in unfamiliar environments, take the time to notice your surroundings. When going inside buildings, take notice of exit areas and look for postings of evacuation procedures. The few minutes that these observations take could make the difference in safety for you and your family during an emergency.