Play safe and live long

by Jessi Marlatt

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), wearing a helmet during sports activities can greatly decrease the risk of “serious head injury and even save you life.” The CPSC website explains that “if you are wearing an appropriate helmet during a fall or collision most of the impact energy can be absorbed by the helmet rather than by your head or brain.”

It is important to remember that with helmets, one size does not fit all, and one types does not work for all activities. Though there are helmets made for each specific activity, there are some helmets that can be used for multiple activities. Be sure to know what you are buying and how you will be using it.

Having the right fit for a helmet is essential because, according to CPSC, a helmet that does not fit properly could either not help, or even increase the injury.

Each year in the United States there are over 150,000 head injuries due to bicycle accidents, nearly 20,000 from skateboarding, and close to 15,000 for both unpowered scooters and horseback riding. These are all popular activities within the Gunnison Valley so be sure to know your safety.

Water activities are also popular here, it is important to remember that no matter how good of a swimmer you think that you are, our mountain lakes and rivers are cold and hypothermia can set in within a matter of moments. Life jackets are not only for people who don’t know how to swim, they are for everyone engaging in water activities.

Personal safety is always important, but so it the safety of the wilderness. It is important, when building a campfire, that you have it in an enclosed fire pit and before leaving be sure that the fire is completely out. Smokey The Bear claims that “only you can prevent forest fires.” This is only partially true, because many forest fires are started from natural phenomena such as lightening, but Smokey does have a point.

The Gunnison Basin is an extremely dry climate, even throwing a lit cigarette out of a car window has the potential to start a raging inferno. Know what is burning, and don’t let it get out of hand is Smokey the Bear’s basic message.