WINTER WEATHER SAFETY
The trick is to stay warm, but not too warm
So far, this winter hasn't been all that much to contend with in--to use the meteorological term--our neck of the woods.  In fact it's been downright awkward for the  global-warming deniers.  Still, many of us like to stoke up the fireplace as a matter of season, if not temperature.  The International Association of Fire Chiefs conducted a survey of media reports and determined that in just the first HALF of February 2007, there were 59 house-fire FATALITIES in the United States, and that the primary cause of these fatal fires are home heating devices.

Electric heaters, wood burners, kerosene space heaters and fireplaces are the leading culprits, but these devices are not inherently unsafe if used properly.  Candles are a little riskier by nature, but the fact is most of these "winter-oriented" fires are preventable if key safety measures are followed by a pound or two of common sense:

	Maintain heating devices according to the manufacturer's recommendations, and follow their instructions for proper use
	Don't Leave heating devices unattended while in use, including while you sleep--and including if you like to have a few Adult Beverages in the evening
	Keep EVERYTHING (bedding, drapes, furniture etc.) at least 3 feet away from these devices while in use
	Check your gas lines and fittings for leaks.  If they don't pass the "smell test," have them repaired
	Keep an eye on the kids around the fireplace.  Kids love to fool with fire, and the results of that can be astonishingly sad.

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	If your home doesn't have smoke alarms installed...why not?  There's no excuse.  These things are cheap, readily available, and they SAVE LIVES EVERY DAY.  Get some.  Try for one per floor and one outside sleeping quarters.  Maintain them--replace the batteries every time you do the daylight-savings shuffle.  Test them once in a while using the "test" button they all have.
	Carbon Monoxide gas ("CO") is colorless, odorless and very poisonous.  It sticks to your red blood cells and you may get a lethal dose before you even begin to feel ill, and by then just getting out into fresh air may not help much.  CO alarms cost a little more than smoke detectors, about $20 to start.  Reread the first bit of this bullet point to help you decide whether you "can" or "cannot" afford a CO detector for your home/family.
	CO is produced by inefficient or incomplete combustion, and builds up in homes due to improper ventilation, which is an outstanding reason to check ALL of your gas-burning appliances at least once each year to make sure they're working aiight.  If you don't know how to check for proper function, then a call to the Furnace Man Person is money well spent

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	Make certain you have a family escape plan, and remember to tell your family about it.  Practice it with them, even.  Have a designated place nearby where you'll all meet if you need to evacuate the house individually (but preferably NOT in your own yard, which in the event of a house fire will soon fill up with firefighters and equipment)
	Once you get out of a burning house, don't go back inside for any reason.  Possessions can be replaced.  You're not equipped to do search & rescue in a burning building, and you'll probably die trying.

Home sprinkler systems aren't free, but they have been shown to reduce the chances of death in a house fire by 82 percent when working smoke detectors are also present.

2008 LOTTERY CALENDARS
On Sale Now
The Ingomar Fire 2008 "lottery calendar" is a full-sized, 12-month calendar suitable for hanging on the fridge or over your desk, with the usual days, dates, holidays & observances...but with one important distinguishing feature: each calendar has a unique three-digit number printed on it.  Each day on the calendar has a dollar amount printed in its block--ranging from $25 to $100, depending on the day.  Each day, we pay the amount shown in the block to the owner of the calendar with a number matching the Pennsylvania Daily Lottery Evening number for that day.  As of this writing, we've paid out over $5000.00 to owners of 2007 lottery calendars--and due to the vagaries of probability, several people have had their number drawn two or even 
three times!  
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Even if you don't win the big bucks, each calendar is full of fire-safety tips and money-saving coupons and offers from our sponsor merchants.  And as mentioned, this is a fully-functional calendar with big empty date blocks where you can write things like "proctologist, 9 a.m." or "kids go back to school!"  All this for only $20!  They make great gifts and best of all, the proceeds benefit your local fire company--since they're produced in-house, none of your money gets siphoned off by administrative costs.  
  You can search the official Pennsylvania Lottery Daily Number history  by clicking here