Hurricane season began June 1. Are you ready? The nation’s top emergency managers warn that millions of Americans from the Gulf Coast to the Eastern Seaboard as far north as Maine are in danger. Southern California has even experienced tropical storms, giving the West Coast a reason to be concerned.
While hurricanes are associated with extreme winds, the National Hurricane Center warns that storm surge actually causes the most damage and loss of life. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has developed new maps to show the danger. They also have a list of hurricane preparedness tips that include:
Understand your insurance – know whether you have actual cash value or replacement cost coverage, know how much living expenses coverage you have and make sure you have flood insurance (not covered with most home or renters insurance)
Store copies of your inventory and insurance information in a safe location away from home
Get an annual insurance review to make sure you have enough coverage for the dwelling and possessions
Contact your insurance company as soon as possible
Secure the property from further damage or theft
Keep or document receipts and other expenses if you are evacuated or forced to find another place to live because of damage to your home or apartment
Be wary of unscrupulous contractors following a natural disaster
California Casualty is ready to help before or after the storm. Contact an advisor today for a policy review, to arrange for flood insurance or upgrade coverages at 1.800.800.9410 or visit www.calcas.com. It’s also our policy to call customers in a disaster area to make sure you are okay and help start a claim, and our Claims department is available 24 hours a day, even on holidays if you have an emergency.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a quote at 1.800.800.9410 or www.calcas.com.
If you’re a police officer or law enforcement agent, you are exposed to stressful situations on a daily basis. While your training has equipped you to handle most of these circumstances, your body isn’t always prepared to cooperate.
Too much stress can leave you tired, unfocused, and careless. For both yourself and the city you serve, it’s important that you identify ways to manage and relieve work-related stress before it develops dangerous side effects.
The stress issue for police officers
Each yearvarious accredited groups rank the most stressful jobs and occupations in the US, and police officer is nearly always at or near the top of the list. According to arecent survey dated early 2015, serving as a police officer comes in just behind being a firefighter, enlisted military personnel, military general, or airline pilot.
It depends on the circumstances and location, but in most cases the pressure comes down to a combination of working with dangerous criminals and being under constant scrutiny by the public.
Tips for beating stress
While you can’t separate the scrutiny and risk from the rest of the job duties of being a police officer, you can find constructive ways to reduce stress and enhance your overall quality of life.
Here are a few of the best tips for current and former law enforcement agents:
Exercise regularly. According to a University of Buffalo study, police officers are much likelier to develop metabolic syndrome, which contributes to adult-onset diabetes and heart disease. The work may also entail cancer, emotional health issues, and alcoholism. As a result, it’s incredibly important to get adequate amounts of exercise and physical fitness. For maximum results, this should involve both strength training and aerobic exercise.
Learn to relax. In addition to rigorous physical activity, you should enjoy the opposite end of the spectrum: uninhibited relaxation. Each day, make it a priority to find a relaxing place and meditate, pray, or just be with your thoughts. You may also want to give progressive muscle relaxation a try; it serves the dual purpose of relaxing your mind and your body.
Develop coping skills. Over the course of their career, veteran police officers are often exposed to stressful incidents such as hostage crises, shootings, and car chases. Unless you develop good coping skills, you won’t have a long and healthycareer. Learning to identify negative attitudes and replace them with positive thoughts is easier said than done, but it’s crucial.
Separate work from home. When you finish your shift and clock out for the day, it’s essential to dump work issues at the door. You need time to spend with your family and friends, and brooding about work does nothing but waste your time off.
Find non-police officer friends. What portion of your friends are police officers? In many cases it may be 75, 90, or 100 percent. While there’s nothing wrong with liking your coworkers, you need more diversity in your life. Make an effort to find friends from other professions and expand your horizons. It’ll show you there’s more to life than being an officer and enable you to discuss non-work related topics.
While technology certainly presents many benefits on the job, it can be especially relaxing to unplug everything when you’re not working. Turn off your phone, log out of your email, shut off the television, and just slow down. Try reading a book or playing a game with the kids. The slower pace of life without technology can be reenergizing and it removes the burden of constantly checking in on things you can’t control.
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Most people assume nurses live healthy lives, but that isn’t always the case. The challenge posed by long hours, demanding shifts, and stressful encounters often leaves nurses worn out, and healthy eating sometimes takes a back seat in favor of easy eating.
Instead of stopping by the nearest fast-food restaurant on the way home from your next shift, think about the importance of eating well.
Tips and tricks for healthy eating
As a nurse, you need to commit to three things in order to take care of yourself: regular exercise, adequate sleep, and a balanced diet. Each of these feeds off the other, naturally, but you could argue that a balanced diet is the most important.
Here are some of the most vital tips for maintaining a healthy, balanced diet while pursuing the responsibilities of a busy nurse.
Never skip a meal. When you’re working an eight- or 12-hour shift, it can be too easy to skip a meal. However, you mustn’t forget how important it is to eat regularly. Not only do meals dispel hunger, but they’re also essential for giving you energy and focus. Instead of relying on your stomach to tell you when it’s time to eat, make a habit of eating a small meal every four to six hours whenever you’re on call.
Don’t binge eat. As a result of skipping a meal, you may try to overcompensate by binging on a single large meal. Unfortunately, your body doesn’t operate this way. It can’t handle so many calories at one time. If you do happen to miss a meal, simply move on and make a point of not missing another.
Slow down. When a shift is super-hectic or busy, it can be challenging to relax during a break. But try to avoid rushing your meals. Your body needs time to digest the food you give it, and rushed eating can lead to heartburn and an upset stomach.
Avoid vending machine food. Vending machine food is quick, easy, and convenient, you know it’s rarely good for you. To combat the temptation to purchase junk food out of machines, bring your own snacks with you to work. Not only are your healthy alternatives good for you, but you’ll save money in the long run.
Cut back on fat and sugar. You have to cut back on saturated fats, processed foods, and items that have a high sugar content. Not only do these increase your chances of developing heart disease in the future, but they can also cause you to feel groggy in the present.
Drink plenty of water. Mayo Clinic suggests female nurses need around nine cups of non-caffeinated beverages per day, while men need roughly 13 cups. Though these are merely guidelines, you should aim to hit these marks as a bare minimum. Not only does water keep you energized and healthy, but it also enables your body to flush harmful toxins out of its systems.
Get plenty of rest. Did you know that sleep-deprived people tend to be hungrier than those who get adequate amounts of rest? By getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night, you’ll end up being less hungry during the day.
Go for superfoods. When you don’t have a ton of time to plan and cook meals, it’s a smart move to pack as much vitamins and nutrients into your food selections as possible. For optimal results, shoot for a diet that’s rich in superfoods such as kale, nuts, sweet potatoes, spinach, and yogurt. Other wise choices include wild salmon, almonds, avocado, and organic coconut oil.
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GREENBELT, Md. – The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) today launched the department portal component of its new Make Me a Firefighter volunteer recruitment campaign. Departments can now sign up at https://portal.nvfc.org to join the campaign and showcase their volunteer opportunities.
Volunteer firefighters make up 69 percent of the nation’s fire service, yet the number of volunteers has declined by about 12 percent since 1984. At the same time, call volume has nearly tripled. In addition, the average age of the volunteer fire service is increasing as departments are finding it difficult to reach millennials – those within the 18-34 age range.
To help departments counter these trends and increase the number of volunteers, the NVFC was awarded a SAFER grant from FEMA to conduct a nationwide recruitment campaign. The first component of the Make Me a Firefighter campaign consists of a department portal where volunteer and combination fire departments can register for the campaign and post their volunteer opportunities. Starting August 1, the NVFC will launch a public web site allowing potential volunteers to search for opportunities and connect with their local department.
This summer and fall, the NVFC will also be releasing resources through the campaign to help local fire departments recruit members. This includes recruitment ads and materials that departments can customize and localize using an online materials generator; tools to help departments reach target audiences such as millennials, women, and minorities; and training to assist departments in conducting a successful recruitment program. NVFC research has shown that there is strong interest in volunteering among millennials and minority audiences, and helping departments reach these largely untapped markets is a main goal of the campaign. Register for the campaign now at https://portal.nvfc.org so you will have access to these tools as they are released.
“Recruitment is a challenge for many volunteer and combination departments across the country,” said NVFC Chairman Kevin D. Quinn. “Yet our research shows that 44 percent of millennials are interested in volunteering with their local department. Many simply don’t know the need for volunteers exists. The Make Me a Firefighter campaign will help build awareness among the public as well as provide departments with the tools and resources they need to recruit to this and other target audiences.”
Learn more about the Make Me a Firefighter campaign and the department portal by watching this video, and share it with others facing recruitment challenges: https://youtu.be/vhfk6lEyNKw
About the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)
The NVFC is the leading nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire, EMS, and rescue services. The NVFC serves as the voice of the volunteer in the national arena and provides invaluable resources, programs, training, and advocacy for first responders across the nation. Learn more at www.nvfc.org.
Few jobs are as demanding as night shift nurse. Although the duties are no different for nurses as night from what day workers have to do, the unusual hours present unique challenges.
Knowing how to handle this situation properly can ensure that you live a happier and healthier life, as well as perform better on the job.
The challenge of the night shift
Studies and statistics have shown that shift work isn’t good for the human body — especially night shifts. That’s because they upset the body’s natural circadian rhythm, which tells the body when it’s time to rest and recuperate.
Research suggests that people who work night shifts for 10 years or more often suffer from memory loss, cognitive deficits, and an array of other mental deficiencies. In addition, other studies have pointed to hourly shift work as a possible factor in heart attacks.
While short-term night shift work is unlikely to cause any permanent damage, these discoveries indicate that it’s vital to pay attention to how you handle unnatural work shifts.
Helpful tips for surviving the night shift
Obviously, working on the night shift shouldn’t be a long-term proposition. As a new nurse, however, you’ll likely be asked to handle a few night shifts each month.
How you tackle these assignments — before, during, and after — will dictate whether or not you succeed. Here are several tips to help youprepare for proper handling of night shifts:
Stay busy. Although night shifts can be slow, it’s useful to stay active, and find constructive tasks to perform, if you can. The last thing you need to do is doze off. This will further complicate your body’s circadian clock and will leave you feel groggy and disengaged, not to mention the potential danger to your job security.
Be wary of 4 a.m. Research suggests that for most night shift workers, fatigue and drowsiness peak at 4 a.m. With that in mind, you should avoid scheduling critical tasks at this time, and try to give yourself a boost with physical activity.
Use caffeine cautiously. While you may enjoy the initial kick that caffeine gives you, it’s best to use caution when it comes to depending on coffee, soda, and energy drinks. Caffeine often comes with negative side effects that leave you feeling jittery. It also stays in your system much longer than you might think and can keep you awake hours after your shift when you should be sleeping.
Keep your home dark. In your bedroom at home it’s a good idea to invest in blackout curtains. You need to keep your house as dark as possible during the day to avoid sending the wrong signals to your brain. Otherwise, your body will naturally respond to sunlight by waking up.
Don’t forget about exercise. You mustn’t neglect exercise just because you’re working a night shift. Many nurses like to go for a jog, do yoga, or lift weights a couple hours prior to starting a shift. While you may initially feel more tired, the exercise will invigorate your muscles and keep you engaged over the long run.
Get home safe. Did you know that almost 20 percent of all serious car-crash injuries are directly attributable to drowsy or sleep-deprived drivers? On your way home from a night shift, be sure to stay alert and keep aware of your surroundings. If you find it too difficult to drive home after a shift, catch a ride with a coworker or call a friend. It’s not worth risking your life just to get home.
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Hurricane season began June 1. Are you ready? The nation’s top emergency managers warn that millions of Americans from the Gulf Coast to the Eastern Seaboard as far north as Maine are in danger. Southern California has even experienced tropical storms, giving the West Coast a reason to be concerned.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has developed new maps to show the danger. They also have a list of hurricane preparedness tips that include:
