Twin Tiers Residents Urged to be Safe While Removing Snow

Health officials are advising residents to be careful while removing snow from this first significant blast for the winter season.

Problems can range from overexertion to heart attack and stroke.

Officials say you should take frequent breaks, know your limits and lift with your legs to avoid a twisting motion that can injure your back.

Never reach into a running snow blower to remove a jam.  Every year during the winter season, emergency rooms see a spike in serious hand injuries as careless or forgetful residents get caught in the blower mechanism.

Also, when removing snow, remember it is illegal to blow or throw snow into the street. You can be ticketed and fined.

If there is a fire hydrant near your property, Emergency officials ask that you keep it clear of snow.

Again, heed the winter parking rules for your municipality.  They are in place to allow for road crews to clear the snow and for large emergency vehicles like ambulances or fire trucks to be able to get through.

While most municipalities traditionally give a grace period with warnings instead of real tickets, some police Monday said they were advised to write the real tickets now as road crews were having trouble getting snow plows down narrow streets.