All About Safety

Wayne Gargus, Chapter Educator

These articles are extracted from Wayne's contributions to our newsletters.  They are worth your careful consideration.

Extracted from November 2007 Newsletter

GOOD TIPS FROM THE NOVEMBER 07 AMA MAGAZINE: SHOCKS: How many times in the past year have you carried a passenger on your motorcycle? How many times did you adjust your rear shock to compensate? OK. You probably didn’t change it from when you ride solo and you’re in the company of thousands of other motorcyclist. It’s a simple step that will make your bike handle better, and it will keep your headlight beam adjusted better. Don’t forget to change it back when you ride solo again.

 OVER THINKING IT: You may have heard this tongue-in-cheek bit of advice for what to do when an animal jumps out in front of you while riding down the road. “If you can eat it in one sitting,” you’re safer to go ahead and hit it. If it’s bigger, swerve. Of course, a single platitude will never cover every situation, but the underlying lesson is valid. Give some thought to the best way to deal with smaller animals, as well as larger ones, before you’re confronted with them. In many situations, swerving or braking hard can put you at greater risk than going straight. In others, evasive action is required. The key is in knowing the difference.

 HOW TO RIDE WITH DIABETES: Over 14.6 million Americans have diabetes. The most common form among adults is type 2, and Hypoglycernia (low blood sugar) is one of the effects of type 2 on adults which should be of major concern to you as a motorcyclist. You should always carry a source of glucose that your body can quickly absorb. Hard candy, glucose tablets, or fruit juice is good for this. You should never ride when you are experiencing any form of light-headedness, tingling in your arms and legs, cold sweats, headache, or general weakness, React quickly if you are experiencing any of these common signs of low blood sugar. With a little self-discipline and forethought, diabetes is an inconvenience that can be effectively managed allowing you many hours on your favorite M/C.

 SEE ALL OF THE NEW MOTORCYCLE MODELS UNDER ONE ROOF: The 2008 International Motorcycle Show in Atlanta will be Jan. 18-20, 2008. What are the hot trends in motorcycling? Are custom sport bikes in? Are cruisers still going strong? What about new models for 2008? How about new gear? What can’t you live without, either for you or your bike? You’ll find answers to all these questions at this 27th annual show.

 Winter is fast approaching and with it comes the necessity of increasing our awareness of road hazards. Fallen leaves on the roadway can be very slippery as can sand and gravel washed onto the roadway. According to a Oct. 22 report in the Birmingham News, Autumn also raises the danger of accidents with deer. Mating season and cooler temps will put more deer on the roads from Oct. through Dec. In 2006, there were 2,640 crashes in AL involving vehicles & animals with 95% of the animals being deer. Jefferson County ranked 3rd in the number of vehicle vs animal crashes in 06. Deer are on the move during the day as well as night, but nighttime poses the highest risk to us because they are so difficult to see and usually jump in front of us before we have a clue of their presence. A state trooper warns drivers not to honk horns at deer and motorist should safely apply brakes and avoid swerving. “Deer and dogs move,” “Trees don’t,” he said. Just last month, north of Opelika in Lee County on Sept. 16, 2007, a bizarre crash killed 2 people. A motorcyclist struck a deer, then a second motorcycle hit the first cycle, sending a passenger into the roadway where she was run over by a car. Be extremely alert as you ride in areas where deer are likely to be.

 As the temperatures drop, the dangers of static electricity increase. As we’ve discussed several times, getting back inside your car while the fill nozzle is set on automatic stop, is not recommended. When you get out of the car seat, your body is charged with static electricity, so touch metal on the car before touching the gasoline nozzle to discharge the static outside the area of gasoline vapors. Likewise, fueling your M/C while you or your passenger are sitting on the seat is very dangerous. Also, using a cell phone while fueling any vehicle or when standing in the immediate area of the fueling operation, can be dangerous as well. Static Electricity is very real and will “Zap” you without notice. Both the rider and co-rider should protect yourself from the elements. Wind, cold, and rain make you tire quickly, so dress warmly, take frequent breaks, and keep yourself hydrated. Living in the South, we don’t ride as often during the winter months, so be aware that your riding skills may become a bit dull due to lack of riding, so re-think your techniques and practice at every opportunity. It’s wise to use some type of anti-fog solution on your windshield and helmet face shield to minimize them from fogging over during sudden changes in temperature. Don’t use Rain X on plastic. Make sure the product you use is designed for M/C windshield use.

 If we ever get any rain, pot holes will become more numerous. Remember too, that the road is slickest when it first begins to rain and the oil on the surface of the road is picked up and floats on top of the water. Reduce speed and lessen your chances of skidding of any type of wet surface. That black streak down the center of each lane is oil and should be avoided as much as possible. If there is ice on the roadway, the M/C should be in the garage. Pay close attention to road signs which warn that bridge surfaces may ice before the roadway. Riding a motorcycle safely is a year round process.

 FOOD FOR THOUGHT: TIME: “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” Carl Sandburg. Imagine there was a bank that credited your very own account each morning with a large sum of money. But, it carried over no balance from day to day. Every evening it deleted whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out all of it, of course. Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it makes a new deposit for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the “tomorrow.” You must live in the present on today’s deposits. So you must invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success. Time is a truly mysterious quantity. When you are enjoying yourself, it flies past; when you are waiting for a bus, it drags by – isn’t that true? But time is the stuff from which our dreams are crafted. We must first have our dream, of course, but then our actions cause our dreams to become reality – and our actions are subject to the constraints of time. Everyday you are blessed with a fresh 24 whole hours to do what you please. If you invest your time wisely, you will turn your dreams into reality; if you squander this precious resource, you will forever be just a dreamer.

 RIDE WITH THE EYE OF AN EAGLE

Article extracted from October 2007 Newsletter

Chapter N Safety Article …October, 2007…By Wayne Gargus, Chapter Educator

 On August 25, 10 of us attended a 4 hour CPR course taught by a fellow firefighter of Skip Kittrell, Mr. George Duncan. It was an excellent way to spend a Saturday afternoon learning how to administer life saving resuscitation according to the newest methods. George did an excellent job and we all learned a lot. It was a bit disappointing that more of you didn’t take advantage of this opportunity. To stand by and not be able to administer aid to a friend, family member, or total stranger for that matter, is a helpless feeling I hope I never encounter. According to an article in the August, 2007 issue of Parade magazine, some 900 people in the U.S. die suddenly every day before they can get to an emergency room. In most cases, the cause is cardiac where the heart either stops beating or beats too rapidly to pump out enough blood to sustain life. Unless there is someone right there and then who knows how to resuscitate an unconscious person, the victim dies within minutes.

 Experts are continually reviewing the most effective ways to perform CPR. The current recommendations emphasize that, for cardiac victims, chest compressions are more important than mouth-to-mouth breathing. That’s because the compressions are what actually keep the heart pumping and the blood flowing. Properly done, CPR can save a life. Here’s what to do for an unconscious person:

 • Shout at the victim. If there is no response, start CPR immediately. Do not leave to call 911- have someone else do so. If there is a defibrillating device in the area, have it brought over quickly, but do not stop the CPR while you’re waiting for it.

 • If the victim is not breathing, tilt his or her head and chin up to open the airways.

 • Then deliver two mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths, each one second long. These breaths should result in a visible rise in the chest.

 • Compress the center of the chest with the heel of your hand. You must do it very hard and very fast, 30 compressions within 18 seconds. Let the chest recoil after each compression. NOTE: This is the procedure for adults. Children and infants require softer compressions, especially infants. Just one reason why you should take the course.

 • After this cycle of 30 chest compressions, deliver two more rescue breaths. Continue this sequence until defibrillating equipment arrives, the victim responds, or paramedics take over.

 RECOGNIZING A STROKE

 A Neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours, he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke…totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and getting to the patient within 3 hours, which is tough.

 A TRUE STORY:

 Susie is recouping at an incredible pace for someone with a massive stroke all because Sherry saw Susie stumble - - that is the key that isn’t mentioned below – and then she asked Susie the 3 questions. So simple – this literally saved Susie’s life. Some angel sent it to Suzie’s friend and they did just what it said to do. Suzie failed all three of the questions so 911 was called. Even though she had a normal blood pressure reading, and it did not appear to be a stroke as she could converse to some extent with the paramedics, they took her to the hospital right away. Thank God for the sense to remember the 3 steps. PLEASE READ THIS AND LEARN: Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now, doctors say a by stander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

• 1. Ask the individual to SMILE.

 • 2. Ask him/her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

  • 3. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE, coherently.

 If he/she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

 After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness, and speech problems, researchers urged the public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association’s annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage. (Copied from the AL District Website 8-23-07) www.alabama-gwrra.org

 The above stroke information was not taught at the CPR class. This is just one of many items that will be taught at the First Air Course to be taught by the same instructor and at the same location on Saturday October 27, 2007. You can attend this even if you didn’t attend the CPR class. I hope everyone in Chapter N will give this matter your most serious attention. See Wayne to get your name on the list.

 LIFE IS SHORT. It takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them.

 WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS; THEY BECOME WORDS: • Watch your words; they become actions. • Watch your actions; they become your habits. • Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

 HAVE YOU EVER BEEN MAD ABOUT BEING MAD?? In case you missed it, you need to read Gordon Murphy’s article on page 7 of the Oct. 07 issue of Wing World. He makes a good point about why mental conditioning and preparation are so important when riding a M/C.

 OTHER THOUGHTS TO PONDER: Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind. You can’t change the past but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future. God always gives his best to those who leave the choice with him A hug is a great gift…one size fits all. It can be given for any occasion and it’s easy to exchange. Laughter is God’s sunshine. Take time to laugh for it is the music of the soul. If anyone speaks badly of you, live so that none will believe it. Do what you can, for who you can with what you have, and where you are. Wishing your day be filled with love and peace!!

RIDING SAFELY IS AS SIMPLE AS ABC…..ALWAYS BE CAREFUL

 

 

 

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