Frost

A severe frost may cause problems with heating, freezing of water pipes and lines, and power outages. All this can create a fire hazard. Make sure that your family members can see and anticipate the risks.

Extremely cold weather

• Use a wood-fired heat source one oven full at a time, two to three times a day.
• Do not close the damper too early.
• Ensure that electric heaters do not overload the electrical system.
• Wrap the pipes with additional insulation to prevent the risk of freezing.
• Use heating cables or a heat blower to warm up frozen pipes. Do not warm frozen pipes with open flames.
• If you can, stay in the room.
• When going out, dress warmly and in layers. Pay attention to particularly sensitive body parts.
• In the case of an unavoidable car drive, fill the tank with fuel. Take with you a charged mobile phone, warm clothes, and a warm drink.

In case of frost damage:

• Take the injured person quickly to a warm place and start to warm-up them up slowly. Call 112 immediately in case of consciousness disorders and cardiac arrest caused by deep hypothermia. Then start resuscitation: release the respiratory tract and start an indirect cardiac massage.
• In the case of deep hypothermia start warming from inside to outside. Inhaling warm vapors or drinking warm liquids helps the body to warm up.
• The first sign of frozen limbs is a pain. This can be alleviated by active movements and massage.
• After the frost damage, do not go to the sauna. A sudden rise in temperature can be life-threatening.
• Frozen hands and feet should not be placed in hot water. The abrupt change in temperature may damage the tissues.
• In case of a cold wave, keep in touch with the disabled or an elderly neighbor, as well as relatives and friends living in solitary rural areas.
• Domestic animals also need more care than usual. If possible, let the dog come inside. Outside, give the dog warm food several times a day. Make sure that the dog has shelter from wind and that it would not have to lie on the bare snow.