Minnesota Winter Hazard Safety Week — November 8-12, 2010

Sponsored annually by Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Education, American Red Cross, Insurance Federation of Minnesota, Minnesota Safety Council, Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association, National Weather Service County, and City Emergency Management Directors next week is Winter Hazard Safety week. Each day is devoted to a different topic concerning winter safety. To help with the effort, cities across the state are holding forums, providing daily winter safety tips and publicizing the effort in local newspapers and on city websites.

The week is broken down as:

• Day 1 Surviving Winter Weather
• Day 2 Outdoor Safety
• Day 3 Fire Safety
• Day 4 Indoor Air Issues
• Day 5 On the Road

Identifying the reason behind the week press release identified the issues:

Over the last 10 years, more than 50 people drowned after falling through thin ice, and 65 percent of ice drownings were vehicle related. Last winter, 22 people died in snowmobile accidents; half those fatal events involved alcohol or drug use. And during 2005–2007 in Minnesota, officers reported snow or icy road conditions in nearly 41,000 crashes that resulted in 159 deaths and 13,000 injuries. Clearly, people are being “surprised” by weather conditions."

The plan is no matter how harsh the winter , to make sure everyone is safe and alive at the end of it.