'You're ready, Portland': Firefighters offer their best tips for winter storm preparation
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – While snow can be beautiful, it can also be dangerous.
As the city braces for a winter storm starting Friday night, Portland Fire and Rescue says there are several ways to keep you and your family safe until it passes.
“It's going to be cold. We know it. It's coming.It happens every year. You're ready, Portland. We're ready. I know you can be ready,” PF&R spokesperson Rick Graves said.
According to Graves, it’s best to not leave your house unless you need to, but if you must, he advises you to use extra caution on the roads.
“Don't abandon your vehicles as islands in the middle of the pathways for first responders to get to the emergencies that are certain to occur,” he said.
Graves also says Friday, before the storm settles in, is the best time to prepare. Here are his top tips to keep in mind while planning for the weekend:
- If you take medicine, make sure you have enough medicine.
- Put traction devices on your vehicle.
- If you're increasing the heat in your home as a result of a space heater, make sure to plug it directly into a grounded out wall outlet. Don't use an extension cord.
- Make sure you have your food for the weekend.
- Make sure that you have flashlights with fresh batteries.
- Make sure your mobile connection devices, your phones, your tablets, your computers have a fresh charge.
As for power outages, officials say to be careful while using a generator by making sure they are outside, away from any sort of entry point, and to ensure there are no vents that could allow the exhaust into your home.
Why? Because it could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Dr. Richard Bruno, a Multnomah County Health Department health officer, said it “happens when people try to stay warm by burning fuels indoors without proper ventilation and ventilated carbon monoxide. Gas becomes an invisible killer since it's odorless and colorless and poisonous.”
Keep an eye out for symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure, such as fatigue, headaches, dizziness, nausea, confusion, bright red skin, loss of coordination or loss of consciousness.
Lastly, if you are out and notice someone who is homeless or in an otherwise vulnerable position, Bruno suggests directing them to a local warming shelter.
"If you notice any signs of hypothermia or frostbite, you can try and get someone into a warm shelter, a warm room, having them take off any wet clothing or wrapping them in warm, dry blankets,” Bruno said.