Rural Missouri - January 2018 - 20

| N OT E S

Expert offers smoke
detector tips

ven if you regularly check the batteries in your
smoke alarms, you may not be alerted if a
ﬁre breaks out. "If smoke alarms are more
than 10 years old, you should look at a
replacement plan," says Dave Hedrick, director of
University of Missouri Extension's Fire and Rescue
Training Institute. "Over time, smoke alarms lose
their sensitivity and, of course, there have been
improvements in the newer models."
Dave recommends replacing older units with
dual-sensor models since they have the ability to
activate quickest in the event of a ﬁre.
Other tips include testing the devices monthly
and changing the battery regularly. Some newer
models have lithium batteries, so it may not be
necessary to change the batteries when daylight
saving time comes around. Check your alarms'
requirements. Alarms should be installed on each
level of the home and it's recommended to have one
outside each bedroom and near gas furnaces and
water heaters. Just as important, Dave says, "You
need a plan for what you're going to do when it goes
off. At the point you have an emergency is not the
time to ﬁgure out what you have to do."
Family members need to know what the smoke
alarm sounds like and how to get out of the house.
Families should have two means of escape from
every room and have a designated meeting place
outside the home in the case of a ﬁre.

MoDOT teams up with MADD over holidays

o show support for Mothers Against Drunk
Driving, the Missouri Department of Transportation will "tie one on" this holiday
season - a red ribbon, that is. Fleet vehicles will display the iconic red ribbon to support
MADD's longest-running and most-visible public
awareness project.
During the campaign, MADD volunteers asked
drivers to display the ribbons on their vehicles. The
ribbons symbolize a pledge not to drive impaired
and, instead, opt for one of the many other choices
in the quest to arrive home safely.
The department notes that holiday-travel season

is historically a deadly time. In 2016, 219 people
were killed and 666 seriously injured in crashes
involving at least one substance-impaired driver.
MoDOT reminds drivers that each crash, injury
and death is 100 percent preventable. Driving
demands 100 percent attention from the driver
and there are many alternatives to avoid driving
impaired such as designating a sober driver, calling
a cab or using Uber, Lyft or public transportation.
For more information on MADD's Tie One On
For Safety, please visit www.MADD.org. For more
information on Missouri highway safety please visit
www.saveMOlives.com.

Deer harvest up in Missouri

reliminary data from the Missouri Department
of Conservation (MDC) shows deer hunters
in Missouri harvested 191,368 deer during
the November portion of fall ﬁrearms deer
season, up about 3.5 percent from
last year. Of the deer harvested,
99,431 were antlered bucks,
20,148 were button bucks and
71,789 were does. Top harvest
counties were Howell with 4,564
deer checked, Texas with 4,374
and Franklin with 4,095.
MDC attributed the increase
to favorable weather and the
recovery of deer population
following a drought in 2012.
During the antlerless portion of
the fall ﬁrearms season, Dec. 1-3,
Missouri hunters harvested 7,728
deer, an 18 percent increase from
2016. The top counties were
Callaway with 250, Macon with
212 and Pike with 205.
Deer hunting continues with
archery hunting through Jan. 15.

For current, ongoing preliminary harvest totals
by season, county and type of deer, visit the MDC
website at mdc.mo.gov and search for "deer harvest
summaries."

photo courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation

http://www.MADD.org http://www.saveMOlives.com http://mdc.mo.gov http://www.martinmetalllc.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - January 2018