Make a New Year’s resolution that can save a life

As we enter 2017, many are scrambling for the best New Year’s resolution. It is a great opportunity for you and your loved ones to make a commitment to being safer. These simple concepts have been proven to save lives. Do your best to improve on at least one of them this year.

Make a plan and practice it

Does your family practice Exit Drills In The Home, or EDITH? These simple plans are designed for everyone in the household to know what to do in case of a fire. It is designed for all ages, including grandparents and babysitters. Making sure everyone practices the best ways to exit in case of a fire, and knows where the outdoor meeting place is. Fire Drills are taught to our kids in school, it is just as important to practice them at home.  Make sure they know to get out and stay out, and meet at the safety location.

Emergency plans — are you ready in case of a storm or evacuation? Is your home ready for a power outage? Do you have a "go bag"? These are all things that should be considered and planned for. Being prepared with simple items set aside, like emergency money, medication, clothing, batteries and flashlights will help you in the event of an emergency or evacuation. Pre-planning a place to go in case of an evacuation and having a list of pertinent information and numbers will help mitigate an emergency.

Stop distracted driving

Distracted driving has become an epidemic, and it has led to increased death and injuries, especially for our younger drivers. While technology and engineering is trying to limit texting or talking while driving, it really is up to us to limit it. A simple idea like putting your phone in your bag in the backseat, or putting it on airplane mode can take away unnecessary distractions. Studies have shown that distracted driving is deadly, especially for our inexperienced drivers. Distracted driving is not only dangerous for the driver, it affects the passengers, other vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Learn CPR

Recognizing a medical emergency and learning CPR are skills that can help save the life of a loved one. Learning CPR is now easier than ever. Community CPR and AED programs are saving lives throughout the country. Hands-only CPR has increased the success rates of CPR application and has reduced challenges for CPR administration. The simple concept of recognizing a true medical emergency and rapidly notifying responders can make the difference.

Organize and track household medication

Prescription drug abuse is an increasing problem. Many people are unaware that loved ones have developed a dependency on their medications. Accidental overdoses are a more common occurrence than you think. They are often overlooked or unnoticed, especially with the elderly. As simple as creating an organized list with a dispensing container can help limit this from happening.

Look out for others struggling with stress

Issues with mental health and stress is taking a greater toll on the community. Many are not coping well, and often the signs of it are being overlooked by loved ones. The importance of helping someone is not often realized until it's too late. The results can be devastating when people rely on negative coping mechanisms. Take a little time out of your busy day to help yourself de-stress or help someone in need. There are great mental health courses available for free. At the most basic level, these courses help increase one's perspective of the warning signs of a mental health emergency.

I hope that 2017 is a year filled with health, happiness and celebrations. Remember practicing more safety can promote celebrations instead of tragedies. Happy New Year!

Lt. Sam Pinto is a career firefighter, paramedic, nationally certified fire instructor, and certified fire and life safety educator. He can be reached at SPinto@iaff287.org