feature

101 Critical Days: Summer campaign ending soon, but safety never stops

  • Published
  • By 72nd Air Base Wing
  • Safety Office
Though the annual 101 Critical Days of Summer campaign comes to an end next week, the need for safety measures continues. Many people use the last long weekend of summer to get away from home before the hustle and bustle of another school year begins.

In most cases, using common sense will help you avoid accidents and illness while on vacation.

Each year in this country approximately 10,000 people die from food poisoning. This likelihood for occurrence increases when food is improperly stored or prepared while camping or on picnics.

Pack a first aid kit to "fit" your vacation destination. Include remedies for sunburn, insect bites, cuts and scrapes. Your camping survival kit should include a compass, map, flashlight, knife, waterproof fire starter, as well as sun and insect protection.

Refill any prescription medications and carry them with you in the original marked container. Carry important medical information with you, as well (names and phone numbers of your physicians, pharmacist, insurance ID cards, etc.).

Be especially cautious on camping adventures: when exploring strange places in the "wild," when building fires, and when using sharp implements to chop wood, for example. And, they really mean it when they say "Don't feed the bears..."

Pack the appropriate clothing for your destination, but always carry a light jacket or sweater for warm weather destinations (and lighter weight clothing for cold weather locations) because even professional weathercasters don't always get it right. Even in tropical paradises, temperatures can change dramatically and unseasonably without warning.

When planning for overseas travel, make sure you have all the necessary immunizations and know of any water quality hazards. Check with your physician about medication refills if you plan to be gone for an extended period of time, and ask how to replace medication if it should become lost during your trip.