June is National Safety Month

June is National Safety Month. This year's theme: "Safety: Where We Live, Work and Play". Here's some products to help protect your loved ones this summer and year round.

FIRE SAFETY

Xcaper Mask
Once you have been warned of a fire in the home or office, many times you still have to get out through the thick smoke. In fact, more than 75- percent of fire related deaths are due to smoke inhalation. There’s a new one-of-a-kind product called the Xcaper Mask designed to help get you through the smoke and toxins. A professional version of the Xcaper is being used by firefighters worldwide. Xcaper comes vacuum-sealed (one time use) with a moist Aloe Vera gel coating to facilitate breathing. It slips on in seconds and cannot be put on incorrectly. Inside the bag is also a pair of non-fogging goggles, a whistle and an LED flashlight. The kit sells for $49.95. www.myxcaper.com

Smoke alarms are a must –have in every home, but equally important is a carbon monoxide detector. Over 1,500 people die each year from CO poisoning and more than 10,000 become sick. CO can come from a number of sources including appliances, clogged chimneys, charcoal grills, generators and cars. In fact, many cities including New York are making CO detectors mandatory.

First Alert Model SCO7 Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Talking Alarm
Not only does the First Alert detect smoke and Carbon Monoxide in one device, it’s the only alarm that allows you to prerecord a message that along with the traditional beep alerts homeowners as to the location of the danger and what type (smoke or CO). Anyone’s who has ever poked a broomstick at a ceiling mount detector trying to silence a false alarm will also appreciate the fact that First Alert’s alarm can be silenced or tested via Infrared with most TV remote controls. ($50; www.firstalert.com)

More than 25,000 injuries per year occur from nearly 400,000 house fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. There are more than 75% of fire-related casualties caused by smoke inhalation, according to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign and the United States Fire Administration, but smoke can kill in as little as 20 seconds.

Heart Saver
Sudden cardiac arrest claims the lives of 250,000 people in this country every year—almost one every two minutes. But as many as 50,000 of these lives can be saved if an automated external defibrillator (AED) is available at the time of the emergency. Recently the FDA approved the first ever prescription free defibrillator for the home or office. Why put such technology in the hands of the average consumer? Defibrillation must occur within 10-minutes of an attack to restore a victim’s heartbeat and the average 911 response times is nine minutes. The Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator is the specifically designed for novices. Using clear, calm voice instructions, the HeartStart Home Defibrillator guides consumers through every step of the defibrillation process.

How it Works: Packaged in a zippered cloth case, the HeartStart visually and audibly walks you through the defibrillation process. A 4 -year standby lithium battery powers it. To operate simply open the bag and peel off its top label. The unit automatically begins its step-by-step audible instructions. Inside the case are two corded, stick-on pads. Each has an illustration of a chest and the exact location where to place them on the victim’s body. Once in place, the HeartStart checks the victim’s heart rate and decides whether or not to instigate a shock. If so, the HeartStart audibly tells you to push a button on the machine at which point it administers a shock to restore the victim’s regular heartbeat. Philips HeartStart retails for $1,495 and is available at www.HeartStartHome.com or via these retailers: the drugstore.com Web store, Walgreens.com, Sam’s Club online, and Amazon.com.

WATER SAFETY

Pool Alert
With summer in full swing water safety should be at the top of every parents mind. Believe it or not, drowning is the leading cause of accidental deaths for children under five. Four hundred children drown annually in residential pools. While there is no substitute for parental supervision, there is a device called the Safety Turtle that can help protect children from such an accident. This device consist of a base station alarm unit and a watch –like band that you place on your child’s wrist whenever they are not in the pool. Should your child accidentally fall in the water, the alarm goes off. The wristband has a childproof lock so your children can’t take it off and they are great for pool parties since more than one child can wear them at the same time. There is also a new pet safety turtle and man over board turtle for boat owners. ($200 base station and 1 band, additional bands $76. www.safetyturtle.com)

For more safety information visit www.nsc.org