Did you know that home fires are most common in winter? Heating is the second leading cause of home fires. This winter, use these tips to heat your home safely:

• Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from heat sources like fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators or space heaters.Never use an oven to heat your home.
• Have a professional inspect your chimneys once a year to make sure they are working safely.
• Make sure you have working carbon monoxide alarms. Test them once a month.

For more information on winter home fires and heating safety, visit https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/heating.html. Follow @Citizen_Corps and @Prepareathon on social media and use #WinterFireSafety for more safety tips.

Following a disaster or severe winter weather, you could lose power for a few days. If the power goes off, it’s important to know how to prepare food safely.

Before an emergency, prepare for a power outage by buying canned foods, dry mixes, and other staples. Look for food that does not require refrigeration, cooking, water, or special preparation. Make sure you have a manual can opener and eating utensils handy.

If you lose power, keep your refrigerator and freezer door closed as much as possible to keep it cold. Refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power was out for no more than 4 hours.

Download a list of suggested non-perishable food supplies, and get more tips to manage food in an emergency at www.ready.gov/food.

The days are getting colder in much of the U.S. Do you know the health risks of cold weather? If it gets below freezing in your area, it’s important to know the warning signs and what to do if you or someone you know develops frostbite or hypothermia.

• Frostbite causes loss of feeling and color around the face, fingers, and toes.

• The signs of frostbite are numbness, white or grayish-yellow skin, or firm or waxy skin.
• If you or someone you know develops frostbite, go to a warm room or soak in warm water. Do not massage or use a heating pad on frostbitten skin.
• Hypothermia is unusually low body temperature—anything below 95 degrees Fahrenheit is an emergency.
  • People experiencing hypothermia may be exhausted, shivering, or confused, with fumbling hands or slurred speech.
  • In the event of hypothermia, go to a warm room and warm the center of the body first. Keep dry and wrapped up in warm blankets, including the head and neck.

To learn more about how to recognize and respond to frostbite and hypothermia, visit https://www.ready.gov/winter-weather.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a new Faith-Based and Community Toolkit! The toolkit was developed by the DHS Blue Campaign and the Center for Faith and Opportunity. It’s available in both English and Spanish.

The Faith-Based and Community Toolkit has tips and resources for communities and houses of worship to raise awareness of human trafficking. This toolkit gives faith leadership tools to recognize and respond to human trafficking. It can also help leaders build stronger partnerships with social service agencies, advocacy groups, and law enforcement. 

The toolkit has posters to display in houses of worship, community events, and public places. It also shows the next steps in developing trauma-informed approaches in houses of worship. Learn more about other DHS Blue Campaign Resources, including the General Awareness Training Video.