Wisconsin Winter Awareness Week

November 06, 2006
J. McLellan, Dept. of Emergency Management 608/267-2542
Emergency Management

Wisconsin Winter Awareness Week

Governor Doyle has declared November 13-17, 2006 as Winter Awareness Week for the State of Wisconsin. With the first waves of winter already striking Dane County this past October, persons are encouraged to prepare themselves for the winter weather.

Preparation Measures:

• Review and understand snow-day policies of employers and for child care providers / schools.
• Place an extra set of gloves or mittens, a warm stocking cap and a blanket in the car or back pack. Additionally, dressing in “layers” provides the best method of retaining warmth while allowing individuals to easily regulate their body temperature.
• Before winter weather settles in, check furnaces and flues to ensure they are safe to use and free from hazards. Additionally, check and clean carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.
• Know how to detect and identify frostbite and hypothermia.
  • Frostbite is the local cooling of an area of the body which usually starts with exposed tissues. Frostbite most often affects areas of the body exposed to the greatest cold including ears, nose, hands and feet.
  • Hypothermia is the general cooling of the body through heat loss reducing the body’s core temperature. Signs and symptoms include shivering, feelings of numbness, drowsiness, and slower breathing and pulse rates. Hypothermia is a serious condition that should be treated by emergency medical service professionals.

Persons should be aware of their own and loved one’s activities outside in cold weather!!The combination of cold weather and heavy physical exertion can severely tax the human body, such as when shoveling snow. Persons should be aware of their level of physical exertion and not overexert themselves; take breaks at regular intervals.

Predominantly Wisconsin residents know how to deal with winter weather. Dane County Emergency Management is encouraging people to use their common sense in cold weather and to plan for the unexpected!!Having appropriate resources available to deal with unexpected situations will reduce risk. In short, persons will be safer if they take the time to be personally prepared.