Don't Plug In Cars Inside Garages

Winnipeg's assistant fire chief is advising people against plugging in vehicles inside garages or running heaters. Bill Clark says anything from a frayed cord to something falling on the element of an in-car heater could spark a fire.  "I'm certainly not a fan of [plugging in while in a garage]. I mean, my car in the garage, I never plug it in," he said. "It's not a good idea, not a good idea at all." Numerous recent house fires have started in the garage.

Winter Survival Kit

Now that winter has finally arrived in Manitoba, West Park recommends all drivers carry a winter survival kit with the following items:

 Warm winter gloves, toque and boots
Blanket or extra clothing
Bag of sand
Shovel
Ice scraper and/or snow brush
Candy or chocolate bar for energy
Extra windshield washer fluid
First aid kit
Hardcopy local map (not just a GPS unit)
Flashlight and batteries
Flares
Waterproof matches
Battery jumper cables
A fully-charged cell phone

Besides West Park's recommendations for the winter emergency kit that were mentioned above, I also carry the following in my winter emergency kit:
Tow strap
Candles
Multi tool
Scarf/Balaclava

 My winter clothes are all old items I don't wear any more (or you could purchase at MCC), all of the tools are "extras", so everything stays put in the duffle bag I use as my winter emergency kit. There is no transfering of stuff from vehicle to vehicle or in and out of the house. The bag stays in my vehicle all winter long.  - Jer