Summer Camping Safety

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Camping is a fun way to get family and friends together to enjoy the outdoors. Follow these tips to help ensure your camping trip is safe and healthy.

Get vaccinated.

Vaccinations can help protect against certain diseases and conditions while camping. Check with your doctor or nurse to see if you've had all of the recommended vaccines. He or she may recommend tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), meningitis, and\/or hepatitis A, depending on your medical history, destination, and other factors.

Prepare safe food and water.

Bring safe and healthy foods along on your camping trip. Eating contaminated food and drinking contaminated water can increase the risk of developing certain infectious diseases caused by germs.

  • Follow these steps to keep your food and water safe:
  • Pack foods in tight, waterproof bags or containers. Keep them in an insulated cooler.
  • Wash hands and surfaces often. Use hand sanitizer if water is not available.
  • Separate raw foods from cooked foods.
  • Cook foods to proper temperatures (for instance, ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees).
  • Chill foods promptly.

Protect against carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless and can cause illness or death in people and pets. Never use fuel-burning equipment such as gas stoves, heaters, lanterns, and charcoal grills inside a tent, camper, or other enclosed shelter. It can cause dangerous levels of carbon monoxide to build up.

As alternative heat sources to fuel-burning appliances inside an enclosed shelter, campers should bring adequate bedding and clothing and should consume extra calories and fluids during the outing to prevent hypothermia (a dangerous loss of body warmth that can cause death).

Avoid wild animals, and protect family pets.

Some wild animals carry diseases that are dangerous to people. Avoid touching, feeding, and getting near wild animals. Enjoy watching them from a safe distance in their natural surroundings. Keep foods stored in sealed containers and out of the reach of animals. Make sure your family pets are vaccinated and always keep a close eye on them. Check for ticks, and remove them promptly. Make sure pets have plenty of water, food, and shelter.

Fight the bug bite.

Mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects can cause certain diseases. To help fight the bite, apply insect repellent containing DEET to exposed skin. Be sure to follow directions on the package. Check for ticks daily, and remove them promptly. Wear long sleeves, pants, and other light-colored clothing to help prevent and spot ticks more easily.

Prevent temperature-related illness.

To help prevent hypothermia during cool nights, bring adequate bedding and clothing to stay warm. Use a plastic ground cloth under your tent to help keep you dry. To help prevent heat-related illness during hot days, drink plenty of alcohol-free and sugar-free fluids. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. Wear layers of light-weight, light-colored, and loose-fitting clothing. Rest often in shady areas. Protect yourself from too much sun.

Protect yourself from the sun.

Protection from ultraviolet (UV) radiation is important all year. UV rays from the sun can reach you on cloudy and hazy days, as well as bright and sunny days. Use a broad-spectrum (against UVA and UVB rays) sunscreen and lipscreen with at least SPF 15. Seek shade, especially during midday hours, when the sun’s rays are strongest. Cover up with clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses.

Avoid water-related illness and injury.

Camping often includes playing in and around the water. To help protect yourself and your fellow campers from illness, don’t swim if you have diarrhea, and don’t swallow the water you swim in. Take a shower before and after swimming. Never swim alone. If you plan to ride in a boat, canoe, or other water vehicle, be sure to wear a life jacket.

Be prepared.

Always prepare for the unexpected. Before you leave, check the weather report, learn about security at your camp location, and tell family and friends your plans. Know what to do when toilets are not available. Be sure to bring along a supply kit that includes a first-aid kit, compass or GPS, map, flashlight, blankets, batteries, food, water, clothes, and medications. Know who to contact at the camp to report issues that may come up. When you return home, check for ticks, skin rashes or sunburn, dehydration, and other problems.

Copyright 2025 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


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Is Your Heating System & Fireplace Ready For Winter?

When it’s cold outside, you need to keep your home warm and toasty, but you also want to keep it safe. Heaters, fireplaces, and other methods of warmth can also create fire hazards. While fireplaces may be designed to contain fire, they still require caution and regular maintenance to effectively manage flames, embers and smoke. 

Here are some tips to make sure you are keeping your home safe this winter: 

  • Test your smoke alarms on a consistent basis and keep fire extinguishers handy.  
  • Sweep dust bunnies regularly.
  • Place your heater a minimum of three feet from all flammable items.
  • Make sure candles are kept away from flammable objects.
  • Use the 1:1 rule — only plug one heating appliance into an electrical outlet at a time.
  • Unplug appliances and completely put out fires in the fireplace before you leave the room or your home.
  • Have fuel tanks filled and maintained throughout the season.
  • Use a fireplace screen to prevent hot embers from flying out and catching your possessions on fire.
  • Service wood-burning or pellet stoves according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Winter Weather Maintenance Practices for Your Home

Along with fire prevention, homeowners should perform winter maintenance to keep temperatures inside the house warm when it is cold outside.

  • Do not set the heater lower than 55 degrees, as the temperature inside the walls where water piping is located is colder than in living spaces. Also, keep doors open within the house to maintain an even temperature throughout.
  • Prevent drafts and heat loss by adding weather stripping around doors and caulking windows. Install storm windows, if appropriate.
  • Check for water leaks and make repairs, if needed. If a water pipe is exposed in an unheated area, such as a garage or crawl space, wrap the pipe in UL-listed heat tape; use only thermostatically controlled heat tape on plastic piping.
  • Learn where water pipes are located and know how to shut off the water supply in the event of an emergency to prevent damage.
  • Clean out your dryer lint trap or lint screen after EVERY use. It takes only a couple of seconds and can help stop a potential fire before it ever becomes a significant risk factor. Debris that builds up in the lint trap can catch fire when exposed to the appliance’s heat settings.

Winter is prime time for house fires, with more deaths occurring in December through March than any other time of the year. Develop an exit strategy with your household and run practice drills with your family to help avoid preventable tragedy. 

Related: Creating a Fire Escape Plan

With knowledge of the most common fire risks, our tips for fire prevention and a strong emergency response plan in place, you and your loved ones will be well equipped to protect yourselves and your home.

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6 Tips To Protect Your Vehicle From Potholes This Winter

Freezing rain and fluctuating winter temperatures can leave roadways littered with potholes, causing vehicle damage and costly repairs for motorists! Potholes tend to form when moisture collects in small holes and cracks in the road surface. As temperatures rise and fall, the underground moisture expands and contracts. This results in broken up pavement, which is then continually impacted by the weight of passing cars.

Blown tires, dented rims, damaged wheels, dislodged wheel weights, displaced struts, dislocated shock absorbers and damaged exhaust systems are all costly common automotive issues. Other signs include misaligned steering systems and ruptured ball joints. 

How Can You Protect Your Vehicle From Winter's Potholes?

  1. AAA suggests making sure tires have enough tread and are properly inflated. To check the treat depth, insert a quarter into the treat groove with Washington's head down. The tread should cover part of Washington's head! If it doesn't, it's time to start looking for new tires!
  2. Keep an eye out for potholes when driving — stay focused on the road ahead and don't get distracted! If you need to swerve to avoid a pothole, make sure to check surrounding traffic to avoid causing a collision or endanger nearby pedestrians or cyclists.
  3. If a pothole cannot be avoided, reduce speed and check the rearview mirror before any abrupt breaking. Hitting a pothole at higher speeds increases the likelihood of damage to tires, wheels, and suspension components.
  4. A puddle of water can disguise a deep pothole. User care when driving through puddles and treat them as though they may be hiding potholes!
  5. Hitting a pothole can knock a vehicle's wheels out of alignment and affect the steering. If a vehicle pulls to the left or right, have the wheel alignment checked by a qualified technician.
  6. Any new or unusual noises or vibrations that appear after hitting a pothole should be inspected immediately by a certified technician. A hard pothole impact can dislodge wheel weights, damage a tire or wheel, and bend or even break break suspension components. 

Follow the steps above to help avoid and prevent potholes and keep your vehicle safe this year! 

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Fall Season Home Maintenance Tips For Homeowners

The autumn season when leaves turn color and start to fall, along with cooling temperature, is a good time to take care of some annual maintenance around your home. By being proactive, you can avoid costly (and in some cases, dangerous) issues when the weather turns even colder. 

Have your furnace or boiler serviced by a licensed contractor to check annually for any repair or concerns. This is a good time to clean or replace the furnace filter on forced hot air systems. If you have a chimney, have it checked and serviced by a licensed contractor as well. Make sure to remove creosote buildup from chimneys that are connected to woodstoves and fireplaces.

Falling leaves and outdoor debris can clog drains and gutters. The fall is a good time to check that these are clean. Clogged gutters can cause a few issues, but the big one for most homeowners is roof leaks. If your gutters can't drain properly, that excess water can soak through shingles, eventually leaking into your home. This can cause mold to grow, along with damage from the water itself. Melting snow can also fill up your gutters, causing similar issues! A good rule of thumb is, clean your gutters twice a year. 

While gutters are being cleaned, take a few minutes to inspect your roof. Look for obvious holes and damaged (or missing) shingles, but also take some time to really comb over the details. Keep an eye out for cracks and general wear and tear! 

If there’s any loose tree limbs around your property, consider trimming or cutting them before they become destructive. Tree limbs that fall on a house or other insured structure on the property would be covered for both the damage inflicted and the cost of removing the tree, generally up to about $500. 

Explore your home and property to remove any trash, old papers and dense clutter in areas like your garage, basement and attic. This can create the perfect fuel for a fire. Household items, like improperly stored batteries and even glassware sitting in a beam of sunlight, can generate enough heat to ignite a fire. Pay close attention to other common, highly flammable items you may keep in a garage or storage shed, including gasoline, chemicals, and gases used for grilling.