Headed on a roadtrip for spring break or just for the weekend? Before you hit the road, check out AAA’s Triptik Travel Planner.

The Triptik Planner allows you to map out the best routes; find detailed driving instructions; find nearby hotels, gas stations, restaurants, roadside attractions and other points of interest. You don’t have to be an AAA member to use the planner but you might not receive discounts at the suggested road stops along the way.

Even if you’re not planning a road trip anytime soon, the Triptik Planner might be a great site to bookmark for future use!

• AAA’s Triptik Travel Planner
• More car travel tips…
• Additional car travel links…

A high number of house fire fatalities have occurred since the beginning of February, according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs is offering these lifesaving suggestions:

• Check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to be sure they are working properly.
• Have an escape plan with a meeting place.
• Once you exit your home, DO NOT return. Too many people lose their lives going back into a burning home.
• Stoves are not made for heating homes.
• Supplemental heating devices should be used and maintained in accordance with manufacturer recommendations. Keep combustibles clear. Do not leave supplemental heating devices unattended.
• If you are burning wood in your fireplace, make sure your chimneys are properly maintained. That goes for your furnace, as well.
• If candles are necessary, use them in a safe environment in a fireproof container and away from children. Do not leave them unattended.
• And for the long term, consider getting a residential fire sprinkler. According to statistics, the risk of death by fire is reduced by 82 percent when smoke detectors are accompanied with residential fire sprinklers.

Additional fire safety prevention tips…

Emergency preparedness skills can include a lot more than just basic first aid and CPR.

The national Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, for instance, educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their local community and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

By completing the CERT program, you’ll not only learn skills to help yourself and your family, you’ll also learn how to help your neighbors and community.

For example, J.J. Surbeck, President of the CERT program in Encinitas, California, got involved with CERT due to his current geographical location (potential earthquakes). Below is my interview with J.J. from earlier in the week: he explains what CERT is, how he got involved and the lifesaving skills you can learn through the CERT program.

• What is CERT? Part 1.mp3 (click on the link to listen)
• Most areas have a CERT program: Learn more about CERT and find training programs in your area
• More emergency preparedness tips…

Check back next week to listen to the second part of this interview. Have any questions or comments? Post them in the Comments section below!

Want to link directly to the podcast page? Click here and copy the URL.

If you’re a caregiver, family member or a senior who needs help finding senior care resources, the government has a free service available called the Eldercare Locator.

The Eldercare Locator is an online public service offered by the U.S. Administration on Aging, which links older Americans and their caregivers with local and state area agencies on aging and other related community programs.

You can also speak to an Eldercare Locator information specialist by calling toll-free at 1-800-677-1116, 9am to 8pm (ET) weekdays.

• Eldercare Locator
• Senior Living tips

I went away on a ski vacation this past weekend and was sharing a room with three other people. We only had three key cards originally so I headed down to the desk the next morning to ask for an additional one.

I simply stated the number of the room I was in and I was given an extra key card - no questions asked. I didn’t have to show I.D. or another room card - nothing. I do probably look like a honest person, but who’s to say I’m not? The whole situation really made me wonder about hotel security in general.

So I went on a quick look around the Internet and found a few good resources on hotel security for your next trip:

• Hotel Motel Security Advice
• Hotel Safety Tips for Travelers
• Hotel Tips

Have an interesting hotel story or tip? Share it in the Comments section below!

A child care state report card released on March 1st claims that states fall short of meeting basic requirements needed to protect the health and safety of children in child care.

The report, compiled by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), claims out of 150 possible points, the average state score was only 70 points.

From the NACCRRA survey:

• Only two states (Illinois and Nevada) require a full background check of child care staff.
• Only eight states address all 10 basic health and safety benchmarks, such as fire drills, administration of medication, prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, diapering and hand-washing, and safe playground surfaces.
  
• Four states either allow or do not specifically prohibit corporal punishment.
  
• Only three states conduct quarterly inspections of child care centers; eight do not even conduct inspections annually.
  
• And, 21 states have no minimum educational requirement for child care teachers.

Curious about how your state measures up? Visit naccrra.org to see the official rankings.

More child care center tips…

The tornado that hit Enterprise High School in Alabama also hit a hospital and damaged many homes. This natural disaster is an unfortunate reminder of how important it is to talk to your family about emergency preparedness - so they can be prepared no matter where they are when the disaster hits.

Do you know the emergency plan for your kid’s school or child care center? What about your workplace? What about other areas where your family spends time (church, sports activities, gym)?

Take a few moments this weekend to sit down with your family and review what to do in the event of an emergency. Don’t have a plan? Here are a few resources to get you started:

• Create an Emergency Exit Plan
• Create a Home Disaster Preparedness Kit
• Get Ready For Disasters…

Ever seen a little red and white square box in a hallway with red letters that spell AED?

AED stands for automated external defibrillator - a device that helps restart the heart after it stops. Like CPR, using an AED device could help save a life in an emergency situation.

Along with first aid and CPR classes, the Red Cross offers courses in AED training. Here Courtney Johnson from the Twin Cities Area Chapter of the American Red Cross talks about the skills one can learn through their emergency training programs: