Winter Safety

There are many precautions and steps you can take to keep safe this winter such as:

• Clear snow from the rooftop. Snow built up on your roof can act like a sponge absorbing water on your roof causing added stress on the structure and can also cause leaking.
• Flat roofs are especially at risk and too much water weight on the roof can lead to a collapse.
• Snow can be removed with snow rakes that are sold at most hardware stores.
• The links are from mass.gov provide useful facts and tips to keep you and your family safe this winter.

Ice

Be careful on the ice this winter. With the changing weather we get in New England (especially the past few years), ice can be thick enough to skate on one day and be to thin the next. Ice should be at least 4 inches thick to safely walk or skate on. Five inches is safe enough for snowmobiles and ATVs. For cars and small trucks ice should be 8 inches to 12 inches, and 12 inches to 15 inches for medium-sized trucks. A simple way to check is with a cordless drill and a tape measure.

Ice can be very different throughout a single body of water. Ice can be 1 foot thick in one place and 1inch thick in another place. Be sure to check the thickness of the ice at least every 150 feet. Any ice that is 2 inches or less-stay off.