Kane County Health Department

Still searching for some last-minute Christmas gifts? How about giving the gift of preparedness this year for you and your loved ones?

What follows are some clever gift ideas that will keep your family safe and will keep on giving all year:

• CO Detector. If your home does not have one already, a carbon monoxide detector can save your life. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 500 people die each year in the United States from unintentional CO poisoning. News reports from earlier this week stated that 12 people became ill in Chicago from CO poisoning. More information about CO and its effects can be found on the CDC Web site at www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm

• Battery-powered radio: Weather radios are reasonable in cost and are manufactured by several companies. They can be purchased at many retail outlets (including electronics, sporting goods, and department stores) and online retailers or directly from manufacturers. If you purchase a weather radio with Specific Alert Message Encoding (SAME) technology, you can specify the particular area for which you will receive alerts. This minimizes the number of "false alarms" for events that may be a few counties away from where you live. It is recommended that you have both a battery-powered, or hand-crank, commercial radio as well as a weather radio. The commercial radio is a good source for news and information from local authorities. Important: Remember extra batteries.

• First Aid kit

• Flashlight (and extra batteries)

• Fire extinguisher

One gift that costs nothing is a family discussion about preparedness. Sit down with your family and discuss a plan in the event of an emergency. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes: How you will contact one another? How you will get back together? In an emergency, it may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members. Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has coins or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact.

You may have trouble getting through, or the telephone system may be down altogether, but be patient.

More information about emergency preparedness is available at www.kanehealth.com/health_protection.htm, www.redcross.org, or www.ready.illinois.gov.