By Bill Wilson, Boulder City Review

Spring has sprung and with it people are coming out of their winter lairs and into the great outdoors. Nicer weather means more hikers, campers and mountain bikers. The mountains that surround our fair hamlet are a big draw for thousands of people from all over the world.

Unfortunately these same mountains are peppered with abandoned or inactive mines. Though exploring an old mine may be tempting for some, ignoring the potential danger it brings can be disastrous. The following are hazards that can be found in the abandoned mines around Boulder City.

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By Bill Wilson, Boulder City Review

Every year at this time emergency rooms and quick cares are clogged up with people who have contracted the influenza virus or “flu.” This year, certainly, is no exception. Of course, prevention of the flu is preferable to actually catching and then having to “get over” it. So, gentle reader, continue on and know thine enemy.

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By Bill Wilson, Boulder City Review

I know I wrote this article for the July 28 edition of this paper, but considering that we are still having temperatures in the 100-plus range in September, I thought it would be of interest to run this article again.

As the article on the front page said last week, it is usually tourists who suffer from heat-related issues, but locals are not immune.

The Boulder City Fire Department traditionally sees an increase in heat-related emergencies during the summer. Educating yourself is a sure way to keep from succumbing to the heat of the Mojave Desert. Know the meaning of the following terms:

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By Bill Wilson, Boulder City Review

With the 10th anniversary of the horrors of Sept. 11 and Hurricane Irene fresh in our minds, they can serve as reminders that can leave anyone worried about what might happen in the future.

Many Americans who once had a this-can-never-happen-to-me attitude are recognizing that disasters, natural or man-made, are a very real threat.

Your family will cope best by preparing for a catastrophe before it strikes.

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By Bill Wilson, Boulder City Review

In the previous weeks we have talked about flash flood and lightning safety. This will be my final article, in a series of three, dealing with our monsoon season. When the sky turns dark and it starts to rain, any rescue call our fire department gets is likely to be a motor vehicle accident.

It is critical to make sure you can see and be seen.

Safe driving website Smart Motorist offers the following suggestions for safer driving in wet weather. In stormy conditions, it is more difficult to see other vehicles, road signs and the road itself.

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By Bill Wilson, Boulder City Review

The hard-packed soil of the Mojave desert provides little water seepage. Gathering water on the grand surface, even from the smallest of rain showers, can cause flash flooding.

Small trickles of water down drainage ditches, streets, canyons, and creeks can quickly (within minutes) turn into a raging torrent of water. The following suggestions from the Boulder City Fire Department can help keep you safe.

* Always be alert to radio and television flash-flood warnings and reports. This is especially important when hiking/camping in desert canyons.

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By Bill Wilson, Boulder City Review

From a child’s point of view, brightly colored bottles of detergent can look like Kool-Aid and shiny, round pills can look like candy.

But because children are smaller and have faster metabolism than adults, just a taste can be enough to make children ill, or even kill them.

Poison control centers in the United States receive 1.2 million calls each year as a result of unintentional poisonings involving children ages 5 and under. Nearly 90 percent of these toxic exposures occur in the home, and 60 percent involve non-pharmaceutical products such as cosmetics, cleansers, personal care products, plants, pesticides, art supplies, alcohol and toys.

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By Bill Wilson, Boulder City Review

As I look at my calendar and see the upcoming summer, I am reminded of longer days, ice cream-truck music, baseball, swimming and that most glorious of all American family activities, the barbecue.

To have a safe and happy summer the following safety rules should be remembered.

It is the position of the Boulder City Fire Department that Barbecuing on an enclosed or partially covered patio does, in fact, constitute a fire hazard and, therefore, is not allowed by code within the city of Boulder City.

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By Bill Wilson, Boulder City Review

It only takes a few seconds to change the lives of a family forever. Too often we hear people say, “I only turned my back for a few seconds.”

Unfortunately, that is all the time needed for a child to drown. Here are some astonishing facts about drowning:

*The vast majority of drowning deaths occur in the family pool.

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By Bill Wilson, Boulder City Review

Responsibility for fire safely of any apartment or condominium complex lies with each and every resident. To keep your building as fire safe as possible, you must learn the right thing to do if fire breaks out.

How do most apartment and condo fires start? Smoking is the number one cause of all fatal apartment fires, and nearly a third of them are caused by smoking in bed.

Another common cause of apartment fires is heating equipment. Fires start when people leave combustibles, such as paper or clothing, too close to heaters or stoves. Improper use of space heaters is another leading cause of fatal fires.

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