News You Can Use

October 27, 2006

Did You Change the Batteries?

Did you replace your smoke detector batteries when you set your clocks back to end Daylight Savings Time for 2006? As countless lives are annually touched by the tragedy of residential fires, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reminds homeowners and apartment dwellers alike to take a few moments to install new batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to correspond with the seasonal setting of your clocks.

Additional fire safety tips from FEMA:

• Install smoke detectors on every level of your home, especially near bedrooms;
• Test all smoke detectors monthly;
• Keep smoke detectors clean by vacuuming over and around them regularly;
• As with any appliance, smoke detectors wear out. Replace the entire unit after 10 years or as recommended by the manufacturer;
• Make sure you know the location of your fire department, police station and hospital and post a list of emergency numbers near all the telephones;
• Organize and practice a family fire drill.

See  "What to do Before a Fire" for a full range of fire prevention and life saving tips:

PA Calls for Hand-Crafted Christmas Ornaments

If you have ever dreamed of adorning a huge Christmas tree with hand-crafted ornaments and you are over the age of 60, listen up. Pennsylvania's senior centers are inviting members to create and donate ornaments to decorate the state Capitol Christmas tree that will take its rightful place in the Main Rotunda from early December 2006 through early January 2007.

Last year, more than 500 ornaments were donated by seniors representing 48 PA centers. Ornaments created this year will be hung in the early days of December in preparation for the 2006 Capitol Tree Lighting Ceremony scheduled for Noon on December 11. Contact your local senior center to participate in the Christmas project. The public is encouraged to attend the ceremony or visit the Capitol during the holiday season. Access information on events at the State Capitol and venues throughout Pennsylvania.

The hand-made ornaments must be decorated and returned by the Senior Centers no later than November 30, 2006 to the

PA Department of Aging
Attention: Anne Bale, Press Office,
555 Walnut Street, 5th Floor,
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1919

PA's Senior Centers offer a place to go for nutritious meals, social activities, and a range of programs such as health screenings, health and consumer education, creative arts, exercise, and other special events which are unique to individual centers. Centers often work with a variety of local organizations, and provide access to other community services as well. Centers also offer volunteer opportunities where older people can contribute their experience and skills in meaningful and satisfying ways. Find out more on PA's Senior Centers and to find a conveniently-located Senior Center.

Frequently Asked Questions about Senior Centers

PA Prepared for Your Winter Travels

Whether you'll be traveling over the river and through the woods to see Grandma or just around the corner for the holidays, the PA Department of Transportation (PA DOT) is prepared to make your's a smooth trip. A budget of nearly $164 million will support snow plowing, road salting and other procedures to help you get there and back safely, no matter the weather.

Over 500,000 tons of salt are stashed away for those wet, icy, and snowy days waiting to turn PA into a winter wonderland. Enjoy the season while the state tackles the roadways relying on some 2,250 dump trucks, 520 front-end loaders and 16 snow blowers to plow and maintain over 95,000 snow-lane-miles, enough to circle the globe nearly four times. The Transportation Department will broaden its road clearing efforts through the help of another 543 trucks and operators to be called into service as needed to clear roads in some 750 municipalities.

Common sense, safe driving practices to observe any time of the year include: no drinking and driving; no driving until your seatbelt is properly buckled and adjusted; keeping your vehicle's gas tank full; carrying a cell phone, and stowing away an emergency kit, including a heavy blanket, gloves, salt or sand, flashlight, water, and non-perishable food. A handful of winter driving tips from the PA DOT added to that list can help you arrive safely at your destination:

• Use headlights in inclement weather;
• Exercise caution on bridges and ramps where ice may form without warning;
• Beware of black ice masquerading as a wet-looking surface;
• Remain behind single plow trucks and those forming a plow line while traveling side-by-side;
• Drive at least 6 car lengths behind an operating snow plow; and,
• Stay with your vehicle if you become stranded; keep the down-wind window cracked, and run the engine every half hour while you wait for help to arrive.

The PA Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) offers a series of Fact Sheets on topics ranging from terrorism to tornados, earthquakes to extreme heat and woodland fires to winter driving.  PEMA recommendations for upcoming winter travel begin before the first snow fall with a mechanic's check-up and the installation of good winter tires. The advised winter car kit expands on PA DOT's tips with the inclusion of certain small tools like pliers, wrenches and screwdrivers, as well as items such as booster cables, tire chains and traction mats. Let PA DOT help you prepare.

Cyber Security Web Portal

Start with the basics or dig right in. Either method you choose, PA wants you to get serious about cyber security and is preparing you with the appropriate tools.

Find a glossary of internet terms and click on the directions for connecting your new computer to the internet. Figure out how firewalls operate; understand your software agreement; eliminate spam; and, avoid scams through PA's Official Cyber Security Web Portal. Find videos, brochures and calendars, tap into the Security Awareness Toolkit

The new portal kicks off in conjunction with National Cyber Security Awareness Month See the top 8 Cyber Security Practices from the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA)

NCSA is a non-profit public-private partnership, including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Trade Commission, and many private-sector corporations and organizations. NCSA provides tools and resources to empower home users, small businesses, and schools, colleges, and universities to stay safe online.

Motorists & Pedestrian Safety

One in 10 fatalities on Pennsylvania roadways involved a pedestrian during 2005. Of the 1,616 fatalities reported last year, 162 were pedestrians. Motorists are required to yield to pedestrians stepping off sidewalks intending to use marked crosswalks or any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.  In a move to stave off pedestrian deaths and injuries, the PA Department of Transportation (PA DOT) is reminding motorists they are required by law to yield to pedestrians as stated or risk a $50 fine.

Pennsylvania's investment in bright yellow, two-sided, hinged "Yield to Pedestrian Signs" has allowed more than 3,000 of the portable, free-standing crosswalk reminders to appear in municipalities across the state.

Pedestrians can take proactive steps to ensure personal safety. Awareness of signage and its interpretation, the operation of pedestrian signals, and employing the "Step Test" technique when crossing at unsignaled intersections or mid-block crossings are addressed at PA DOT's "Walk Smart" website.  Find out more on these and other pedestrian safety tips visit: Find out more and review PA's driver/pedestrian laws.

Statewide pedestrian fatalities for 2000 – 2005 exceed 1,000

PA Christmas & Gift Show Arrives Just In Time

The PA Christmas & Gift Show will consume 230,000 square feet of the PA Farm Show Complex from Wednesday, November 29 through Sunday, December 3, 2006. Vendors will display crafts, jewelry, clothing, Christmas decorations, toys, household accents, ceramics, furniture, dolls, flowers, paintings, holiday foods and much more in the modern facility boasting a 600-seat cafeteria plus numerous concession stands.

The annual show is designed to make your holiday shopping a festive celebration. Enjoy the large 120' train display, buy unique gifts, and discover great decorating ideas Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Santa will be on hand to talk with the children and have pictures taken. The show is one of the largest in the country and is conveniently located 120 minutes from Philly and 180 minutes from Pittsburgh.

Start planning your trip to the 2006 PA Christmas & Gift Show with help from the event brochure. Questions regarding the Pennsylvania Christmas & Gift Show can be directed to Richard & Patty Mahoney at 717-233-5100 or by email at: paxmasshow@comcast.net.