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6 Life Saving Winter Inventions

egetwgrtwThis winter, you want to keep safe. Whether it’s avoiding ice on your stairs or monitoring your heart rate while shoveling, these gadgets will help you survive the winter without a huge fall or health-related risks. Winter storms can claim lives in a variety of ways. Keep yourself and your family safe this winter.

Carbon Monoxide Detector

Carbon monoxide, or CO, is so dangerous and undetectable that it’s called the “silent killer.” It’s responsible for sickness and even death in the winter when people turn on the heat. While smoke detectors are important in the home, CO detectors are not as widely used. When you turn on your heat in the winter, there is the chance that you could have carbon monoxide building in the home. The detector will alert you to the danger because carbon monoxide is odorless and dangerous.

Heated Stair Mats

After a storm, your stairs could be covered with snow and ice. It’s a dangerous combination when you’re heading out to work. No matter how diligent you might be cleaning off the stairs, ice and snow can create very dangerous conditions. Heated mats can be plugged into the home’s electrical outlets, and they create a layer of protection on the stairs. They’ll melt a few inches of ice and snow each hour that they’re working. They’re also non-slip surfaces that can protect your family from slipping and falling down the stairs.

Heart-Rate Monitor Watch

Every year, we hear about someone who has had a heart attack while shoveling snow. With a heart-rate monitor watch, it’ll alert you to overexertion, which is the biggest reason someone will end up having a heart attack while shoveling. It can be used throughout the year to increase aerobic activity and monitor your heart at the same time too.

Radio, Flashlight and Charger

There have been serious storms that have knocked the power out for days. In some areas after storms, it can be weeks before power is restored. If you have a combination radio, flashlight and phone charger in one, you have a powerful way to keep yourself safe this winter. They can be charged by plugging it until needed. After the storm, it can be charged by the solar panel or the hand crank. It’ll allow you to keep in touch with news and weather alerts as well as making sure you have a phone for emergencies.

Snow Chains for Tires

Although chains for tires isn’t necessarily a brand new invention, they can easily save your life. It isn’t uncommon to see cars slide off the road or into the ditch. Last year my own car slid down a small hill as we were going a literal 2 miles per hour. We slid all the way down and bumped into the curb. Our car broke a wheel rod as a result of the ice, costing us just over two thousand dollars!

Luckily our slide didn’t cause injuries (except to my wallet), however, many do. Snow chains aren’t very expensive either, especially in contrast to the good they do if you live in a snowy climate.

Here is a icy driving reel to put things in perspective.

Emergency Blankets

You probably have seen those tinfoil looking blankets that look incredibly uncomfortable. The funny thing is that this incredible invention can actually keep you more comfortable and alive. Mylar blankets were first developed by NASA back in 1964. The blankets, often dubbed “space blankets” work by reflecting heat back to your body, keeping you warm. Long distance runners have adopted them to keep them warm at the end of a long run due to how drastically their body temperatures drop once they finish running. The blankets fit in small spaces making it incredibly easy to always have one available. You can stow them in your car, home, backpack, and emergency kits. The best part though, is they are very inexpensive making them available to most people.

These are all very important pieces of equipment that will keep you safe this winter. Whether it’s removing snow from the stairs, so you or an elderly relative doesn’t fall, or monitoring your heart while shoveling, these items will make it a little safer for you and your family this winter. This is especially true for devastating winter storms.

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