Bags on Heads?

Typically, Safety Goron Says: Don't put plastic bags over your head!

However, another safety-minded individual sent me this link, and when I got done speculating on the whether or not it is a joke (and it isn't) I thought it might be worth sharing.  Ladies and gentlemen, for your smoke-inhalation-prevention pleasure, I give you: The Smoke Escape Hood!

The idea, apparently, is to give the wearer time to breathe filtered air while escaping from a fire, which  is based on the fact that smoke inhalation is the leading cause of death in household fires. (Check out the CDC Fact Sheet on Fire Deaths and Injuries here.) I'm not quite sure how effective this device would be- note that the product description specifically notes that it does not filter toxic gasses - but apparently there is quite a market for these types of devices. I did a quick Google search for "smoke escape hoods" and came up with no less than ten different vendors of various products similar to this one. The primary market seems to be individuals in high-rise buildings, where evacuation may take up to 30 minutes.  I'm still not sure how I feel about encouraging people to put bags over their heads, but I'm open to dialogue. So, if anyone has insight, thoughts, myth debunking material, personal use testimony, or other commentary about this product, let's hear it.

Slingshots as Deadly Weapons

Courtesy of "Wired" magazine, I checked out "The Slingshot Channel" on YouTube over the weekend...and I think the only expression I can come up with to adequately describe how I felt watching these videos is (sadly) OMFG. The Coconut Massacre video is particularly awesome, in a macabre sort of way. It provides imagery that lets you imagine, without too much effort, what someone's skull might look like on receiving a head shot. These are not the tools of Dennis the Menace, that's for damn sure.

Seriously, the guy who builds these is majorly smart and inventive. These are so clearly weapons, and not toys, although many of them are so impractical it would be difficult to imagine them in a seriously dangerous setting. Well, dangerous to anyone not actively using or spectating on the use of them.  Anyway, I thought it was sufficiently awesome, albeit tinged with anxiety, to share. Check out The Slingshot Channel Blog using the link on the right, or visit the actual channel on You Tube, and let me know what you think the most awesome slingshot video is. Personally? I'm sticking with the coconuts.

Top 10 Myths about Cardiovascular Disease

Top 10 Myths about Cardiovascular Disease

I've been teaching a lot of CPR and First Aid lately.  As such, I've been encountering a lot of hard questions, so I've been doing some continuing education for myself to provide good resources to my students to learn more.  Today, I was browsing through the American Heart Association website looking for some statistics on CPR and I saw this article. I thought it was really interesting and thought provoking...especially for those of us who are in younger age groups that might think we're exempt from the concerns of cholesterol, heart disease, and healthy heart habits.

Take a few minutes to read about the myths of Cardiovascular Disease, and maybe make a difference in your life or the life of your loved ones.

Welcome, and "What is a Safety Goron?"

Welcome to my blog!

This blog is a very lighthearted attempt to discuss a very serious subject: homeland security, and more explicitly, the role of individual citizens therein. While the title may seem whimsical, the collection of articles, polls, resources, and advice that will (hopefully) collect here are all legitimate offerings that provide practical, real-world solutions for people, or provide information and insight (and often a request for discussions) on important homeland security-related topics. I decided to start this blog because I realized that my personal blog was directing more and more into my professional life, and I decided the two should really be separate.

So, what is a Safety Goron?

A Goron is a fictional race in the Legend of Zelda video game franchise that exists to eat rocks, challenge one another (and the occasional legendary hero) to demonstrations of great strength, and generally play with fire. They're also a safety-minded bunch of folk, who offer the player tips and tricks to remain safe during the course of the game. These tips come in many varieties of usefulness and absurdity, with a few of my favorites as follows:

1. If you roll forward when jumping from a great height, you won't get hurt.
2. Swing your sword while on fire to put out the flames.
3. Wearing a tunic made of red fabric will protect you from the heat of a volcano.

I've been known to nag people about safety habits. I get paid to do that. Unfortunately, I apparently sound like these fictional characters, because my siblings promptly christened me the "Safety Goron" after they played a Zelda game for the first time. The name was so appropriate I adopted it in good humor, and now I've bequeathed it to my blog.

So, I hope you'll join me on this adventure...life is always exciting, even when you're on fire.