ENJOYING RECREATION SAFELY
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Written by tony benjamin
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Sunday, 02 March 2008 |
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Hunting. Over two thousand .people are killed yearly in accidents with fire?arms. Many more are injured. If people would follow these two rules. they would reduce the toll considerably:
1. Lock up firearms in a closet or some area where children cannot get them.
2. Always treat a gun as if it were loaded.
Here are some more rules that if observed will cut down the number of hunting accidents:
1. When hunting. always wear clothes that are easily visible.
2. Never load a gun until you are ready to hunt. As soon as you have finished hunting, unload the gun.
3. Keep the safety catch on until you are ready to shoot the gun.
4. Never point a gun at anyone. whether it is loaded or unloaded.
5. Point a gun toward the ground when carrying it. When you cross a fence. put the gun through the fence and lay it on the ground pointing away from you; then. climb the fence and pick up the gun.
6. Always identify the target before you shoot at it.
Fishing and boating. Most fish are not dangerous. The greatest danger in fishing lies in drowning. Even though you are a good swimmer. it is difficult to swim when you are weighed down with boots and clothing. When wearing boots while walking in a stream. walk carefully.
Learn how to handle a boat before you go fishing in one. Moreover, no matter how well you handle a boat, use good judgment about the weather and the condition of the water. Many fishermen are drowned each year because they try to cross a lake or river when the water is rough or because they have loaded the boat so heaviJy that it sinks.
Many are killed or injured while boating. Always take life preservers in a boat, and be sure that the nonswimmers in the boat do not outnumber the swimmers, If the boat tips over, stay with it, if possible, until help comes.
Swimming, Swimming is a delightful sport, one that you can continue to enjoy throughout most of your life. However, no matter how good a swimmer you are or become, you should always approach lakes, riven, and pools with caution.
Among types of fatal public (non-motor vehicle) accidents, drowning is first. Even good swimmers can get intO trouble by swimming in strange waters, by diving into water that is too shallow, or by swimming alone, Even good swimmers may get a cramp. It is always safest to swim in a pool or from a beach where there are lifeguards on duty. If you are swimming in a body of water with which you are familiar but which is not guarded, swim with a companion. If you happen to get a cramp in your leg while swimming, do not get panicky. Keep moving your legs, and the chances are that you will get over it. If you know how to tread water, you can massage the muscle with your hands.
If you are a good swimmer, learn some of the principles of lifesaving. It is always a good idea to throw a penon who ap pears to be in trouble a rope, or hano him an oar if possible. If you are no, close enough to do this, get as close as you can with a boat. You should try swim out to the victim only if these other measures are impractical-and if you car swim well. If you are not a strong swimmer or have never practiced the skills of lifesaving, your attempts to save someone may result in two drownings instead of one.
Winter sports. Wimer sports are becoming more and more popular eac year. Among them, skiing, tobagganing, bobsledding, and skating are perhaps the most popular. In these sports as well as in other sports, skill, conditioning, and reasonable caution are necessary.
Skiing is the most hazardous of these sports. It requires a great degree or ski, and conditioning. Fonunately, there aremany recreation centers that conduct skiing classes. If you learn the skills from a good instructor and ski only on slopes that you can master, you will ski with little danger.
Ice skating is not particularly hazardous if you skate only where the ice is thick enough to support you. Reasonable care is needed,too, to keep from being cut by the blades on a reckless penon's skates.
The main danger in bobsledding and toboganning lies in choosing runs that cross traffic highways or roads.
Hilcing and camping. Camping and hiking are great fun, but until you learn the essentials necessary for camp safety and comfort, go with someone who has had camping experience.
Learn how to care properly for camp fires. They should be built only in areas clear of brush and dry grass. Before you leave a fire, be sure that it is out. Douse the ashes with water or cover them with dirt, Be a good camper by leaving the campsite cleaner than when you found it. Bury all garbage and debris. Be careful when using an axe or knifel
Before you go camping or hiking, learn to recognize the poisonous plants and snakes shown here and on page 310. These snakes and plants are common in various areas throughout r.he United States. Contact with the plants may cause painful skin rashes. The snakes' bites may cause serious illness, and even death. You will read about the first aid which is given for these skin irritations and snake bites, as well as for insect bites.
Notice the distinguishing features of poison ivy. This plant grows nearly everywhere. It may form bushes or grow as vines. Varieties of the bushy type are sometimes called poison oak. Poison sumac grows in swamps or along the edges of ponds and marshes.
The poisonous snakes may resemble other nonpoisonous snakes. Notice that the coral snake is brightly banded with red, yellow, and black colors. The mouth is always black, and the colored bands go all around the belly. This deadly snake is found in and throughout the low plains of the south and in New Mexico and Arizona.
The other three snakes you see in the illustration are known as pit vipers. They have a pit below and in front of each eye. A rattlesnake can be further identified by the whirring noise it makes with the rattles on its tail when it is excited. One kind of rattlesnake or another can be found in nearly all parts of the United States. The water moccasin (or cottonmouth mocasin) lives in the southeastern United States. It gets the name cottonmouth from its couonlike mouth. The head of the copperhead, as you can see, is bright copper in color. It is found mostly in rugged land areas east of the Mississippi and in the southern states. The fangs of the pit vipers puncture the skin, while the coral snake chews the skin. Nonpoisonous snakes leave only surface bites similar in shape to a horseshoe.
Summing up. We will not reduce the number of accidents until people have become safery-rninded. A person who is safety-minded is courteous and considerate of the rights of others. He is generally the good driver. At home and at school, he thinks in terms of others.
Aside from showing consideration [or others, one of the best ways to help solve the accident problem is to (1) learn to recognize the common hazards and (2) try'to eliminate them. For example, in driving, the greatest causes of accidents are speed and fauley judgment on the part of the driver. One of the best ways to prepare yourself to be a good. driver is to take a regular drivers' training course. Such a course may be offered by your high school.
In the home the greatest number of accidents result from falls, burns, and poisoning, in that order. You can do much to make your home accident-proof by eliminating from each room conditions that may lead to accidents.
Many school accidents occur in shops, laboratories, and on the athletic field, You can reduce school accidents by obeying the instructions of your teachers obeying the rules that govern the particu lar activity in which you are engaged, and wearing protective equipment. You can also help by keeping yourself in condition and by developing proper skills.
You will find that any kind oE recrea?tion can be hazardous if you pursue it recklessly. You will increase your enjoymem of various sports if you learn to engage in them properly and if you are prepared for possible emergencies.
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