First-Aid Frenzy

We've all had that moment (or several)-- the one where we need a band-aid or hand-sanitizer and can't find it anywhere. Well now's the time to change that. First-aid kits are an essential item in everyday life and not just in disaster situations.  Burns, scrapes, bruises, sprains, etc. are common in life and it's helpful to be prepared before they happen.

It is important to keep a first-aid kit in your home and in each vehicle that you regularly use. The easier it is to find, the more likely you are to use it.  Remember to base the size of your kit on the potential number of people that may need it. In your home, its the number of household members and so on and so forth.

Remember to check and update your first-aid kits regularly (about every 3 months) and replace any items you have used up or have expired. 

Recommended and common items for a first-aid kit:

• Hand sanitizer
• Soap
• Antiseptic towelettes
• Non-latex gloves
• Ace bandages (variety of lengths)
• Instance cold packs
• Cotton balls
• Gauze pads
• Roller gauze
• Band-aids (variety of sizes)
• Adhesive tape
• Triangular bandage
• Sterile dressings
• Thermometer
• Antibiotic ointment
• Burn ointment
• Topical antihistamine
• Aspirin and non-aspirin pain reliever
• Laxative
• Antacid
• Anti-diarrhea medication
• Aloe Vera gel
• Calamine Lotion
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Bulb syringe
• Prescribed medications you take each day
• First-aid manual
• Plastic bags for disposal of contaminated materials
• Safety pins
• Sterile eyewash (saline solution)
• Flashlight and batteries
• Sunscreen
• CPR mask

School Emergency Kits for Kids

School has begun! Send your little ones off safely with their very own mini preparedness kits. Perfect for a backpack or a locker, they'll be able to take these supplies wherever they go.

Items to Include in Your Child’s Emergency Survival Pack
-Water
-Protein Snack or Granola bar (or both)
-Small flashlight
-Whistle 
-Cell phone (this may be an issue for some schools, but we would have our kids take a throw-a-way cell in their packs, just in case).
-Small first aid kit
-Emergency blanket
-Extra health-related items your child uses (of course we have to say for the attorneys….please be sure to follow your school’s rules for medication storage and uses……. )
-Hard candies for comfort
-Comfort item (small stuffed animal or toy to bring comfort in crisis

You can store supplies in a zip top bag, a small baby wipe box, a pencil box, or if you’re really good at packing small supplies, a large Altoid box!

Just make sure your younger children understand that this isn’t for play and that they aren’t to pull it out at snack time or recess, nor discuss with other kids that they have ‘toys’ in their packs. Please also follow the rules of your school about what can legally be brought onto campus.

Thought for the Day

"These days we tend to think of disasters as acts of God and government. Regular people only feature into the equation as victims, which is a shame. Because regular people are the most important people at a disaster scene, every time. In 1992, a series of sewer explosions caused by a gas leak ripped through Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city. The violence came from below, rupturing neighborhoods block by block. Starting at 10:30 am, at least nine separate explosions ripped open a jagged trench more than a mile long. About three hundred people died. Some five thousand houses were razed. The Mexican Army was called in. Rescuers from California raced to help. Search-and-rescue dogs were ordered up. But first, before anyone else, regular people were on the scene saving one another. They did incredible things, these regular people...... In fact, as in most disasters, the vast majority of rescues were done by ordinary folks......It's only once disaster strikes that ordinary citizens realize how important they are." (Amanda Ripley, The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster strikes--and Why. bolding added)

Provo Spring Clean Up Dates

Spring Cleanup 2013

Spring Cleanup 2013 Schedule
April 1-6	4300 N Canyon Rd   (Church)
April 8-13	2400 N 1060 E           (Church)
April 15-20	1090 W 1020 S        (Church)
April 22-27	1200 N 1000 W      (Lions Park)
April 29- May 4	2225 W 620 N     (church)
May 6-11	945 E 700 N         (Church)
April 1- May 11	1625 S Industrial Parkway  (Compost Yard)

·         Get rid of your unwanted "stuff" during Spring Cleanup 2013. There will be dumpsters for trash, yard waste and metals at the location mentioned above, Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (until 3 p.m. on Saturday).The dumpsters will be closed nightly, and it is unlawful to leave items on the ground.

·         Unacceptable Items Please do not dispose of rocks, tires, concrete, tree stumps, refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, or household hazard­ous waste such as pesticides in the dumpsters. These items may be taken to the transfer station if you have questions call 801-489-3027 ext. 0

·         Transfer Station Provo City residents may take trash directly to the South Utah Valley Solid Waste District transfer station (2450 W. 400 S., Springville) see suvswd.org for fees information. Provo City Newsletter subscribers will receive a coupon for free dumping load.

·          Compost Yard Information Buy compost (soil enhancer) and mulch (wood chips) from the compost yard in Provo at 1625 Industrial Parkway (apx. 700 E.). For more information, including pric­ing, call 801-489-3027 or visit: www.suvswd.org

·         If you have any questions please call (801) 852-6000 or visit our webpage at http://yardwaste.provo.org  or facebook.com/ProvoCityRecycles