Spring Forest Fire Hazard Season Underway s1

Feb. 18, 2005 Exclusives

Family and Consumer Science: Protect Young Children: Poison-Proof Your Home

Agriculture and Natural Resources: Spring Forest Fire Hazard Season Underway

4-H Youth Development: 4-H Dog Project Valuable Experience

Protect Young Children: Poison-Proof Your Home

Source: Kim Henken

Poison centers across the United States receive more than one million calls annually about children accidentally being poisoned. Potentially dangerous products can include cleaning products, painting supplies, pesticides, medications and even makeup. To keep curious children from getting into everyday things that can hurt or even kill them, poison-proof your home.

These tips will help you poison-proof your home and protect your family.

Always post the number for the Poison Control Center (800-222-1222) near all of your telephones, and be sure babysitters and caregivers have this number.

Whenever possible, use products that do not contain potentially harmful chemicals.

Choose products with child-proof or safety caps.

Always read and follow label directions on use and storage of hazardous products. Store products in the original container and never mix two products together.

Store drugs, chemicals, poisons and other unsafe products safely in your house, garage, car, purse, diaper bag and barn or other outside building. A locked cabinet is the best way to keep hazardous products out of the reach of children.

Eliminate food, water and other items that may attract pests. Try alternatives to chemical pesticides to get rid of pests. For examples, pull weeds instead of using herbicides and use traps for pests instead of poisons or sprays.

Always be sure your children are well away from the location when you use household or garden chemicals or pesticides.

If poisoning does occur, remain calm. Call 911 or your local emergency telephone number if the person is unconscious, convulsing or having a hard time breathing; otherwise, call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.

For more information on family safety, call the (County Name) Cooperative

Extension Service.

Educational programs of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension

Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

4-H Dog Project Valuable Experience

Source: Wendy Stivers

The 4-H Dog Care and Training Project is a valuable experience that teaches youth to raise and understand animals as well as master important life skills.

Learning to take care of a dog teaches responsibility, pride in ownership, and decision making. This project is also an excellent tool for character development because youth learn patience, persistence and a strong work ethic while training a dog.

Youth also are exposed to a number of career opportunities in dog care and training including veterinarians, veterinarian assistants, and kennel operators; general obedience education; training dogs for specific purposes such as guard, guide, police, hunting, sled and livestock; and breeding and showing dogs.

We have enumerated some of the benefits to youth of this project. Another important aspect of the dog care and training project is that it pairs youth with volunteer leaders. For adults, there are few opportunities more gratifying than seeing 4-H youth grow and develop in knowledge and character.

Throughout history, there has been a strong bond between people and dogs as shown by cave drawings of pre-historic man. In these early days, dogs helped people find food by hunting and protected the homes from wild animals. Dogs continue to serve many important purposes including guiding the blind, assisting police and helping find lost children and adults. One of their most important purposes is the pleasure of companionship for people of all ages.

4-H is a community of young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills.

For more information on 4-H projects, contact the (County Name) Cooperative

Extension Service.

Spring Forest Fire Hazard Season Underway

Sources: Doug McLaren, Jeff Springer and the Kentucky Division of Forestry

Kentucky's spring forest fire hazard season is in progress. The commonwealth has two official fire hazard seasons from Feb. 15 through April 30 and Oct. 1 through

Dec. 15, as established by the state legislature.

About 75 percent of the fires on Kentucky's nearly 12 million acres of forests take place in the spring. The leading cause is arson, intentionally and/or maliciously setting a fire, which causes about 50 percent of them. The second leading cause is burning debris, often when landowners clear garden areas or fields. Burning plant material destroys valuable organic matter and discourages improved soil water-holding capacity.

During official fire hazard seasons, it is unlawful to set a fire within 150 feet of woodlands, except between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time, or when snow covers the ground. Penalties are a fine of $100 to $500 dollars, a six-month prison sentence, or both. In addition, the fire must be attended at all times and precautionary measures must be taken to keep it from spreading.

Always check with county officials to determine if local laws restrict burning during official fire hazard seasons. If a fire you ignite becomes a wildfire, you are liable for the suppression costs.

Before you do any outdoor burning, first contact the Kentucky Division for Air

Quality and the Kentucky Division of Waste Management, which regulate this practice.

If you live in a wooded area, take precautions to help protect your home and property from forest fire damage. Remove from your property things that can fuel a forest fire including leaves, twigs, branches and logs. Roads within the woods can be used as fire breaks so remove branches and other flammable debris from them. It may help to have several sections of garden hose ready to wet the edges of yards and buildings during these hazardous times of year.

For more information, contact the (County Name) or district office of the Kentucky

Division of Forestry.