Dear Island Neighbors, 

Happy Holidays!

I hope your shopping, decorating, cooking and travel plans are all going well. Not to put a damper on things, but our fine public safety professionals would like me to share some tips to stay safe during the season.

PERSONAL SAFETY
Thanks to Chief of Police Glenn Meadows for the following security advice:

If traveling, ask a neighbor to pick up packages left on your porch, mail and newspapers, to avoid tempting porch pirates and advertising that the occupants are away. Similarly, don’t post your travel plans on social media. Consider putting a few lights on timers so the house will look lived in.

If you’ll be away, you can ask our police to put your house on watch status. Fill out the form here ( https://bit.ly/SIPDHouseWatch  ). You can email a scan of the completed form to Chief Meadows at Gmeadows@sullivansisland.sc.gov or drop it off at Town Hall.

When shopping, stay aware of your surroundings, and keep your purchases out of sight in your trunk or under a cover in your car. When out and about, trust your instincts; if something feels wrong, leave immediately.

Be aware of online deals that seem too good to be true, and double-check any emails or online ads with special offers or requests for charitable donations.

FIRE SAFETY
Fire is always a concern this time of year. Fire Chief Anthony Stith and Assistant Chief Amanda Hawver offer this guidance:

If you have a real Christmas tree, keep it “well-hydrated” (watered daily) and away from any heat source.  After Christmas, as soon as it dries out, show it to the curb. Artificial tree? Do not use electric lights on metallic trees.

Have your chimney cleaned annually and always use a fireplace screen. Never burn wrapping paper or evergreen boughs in the fireplace. 

Don’t overload electrical outlets by plugging too many lights or devices into any one outlet. Check the cords and bulbs before plugging in your holiday lights. Don’t use indoor lights outdoors. Keep your outdoor cords above ground.

Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and verify that your fire extinguishers are charged. And keep them very handy even if it offends your sense of holiday design...c’mon, they’re red, they’ll fit right in with everything else.

Never leave cooking unattended. If a small grease fire occurs, slide a lid over the pan and turn off the burner.

If planning to fry a turkey for any holiday celebration, you do not want this to be a “Hey Y’all, Watch This” event. Do the frying away from your house, and not under it or any other structure (or low-hanging tree). Make sure the level of oil in the pot can accommodate the turkey without spilling over and causing a conflagration. Check that the turkey is fully defrosted before adding it to the oil, otherwise the water released when it quickly defrosts will cause an instant boil-over. Do not try any of this without watching several turkey-frying-safety videos and having that fire extinguisher nearby. And NEVER leave the setup unattended once the heat is on.

NEW YEAR’S DAY POLAR PLUNGE!
The 31st  Annual Polar Plunge event, originated and promoted continuously by Dunleavy’s Pub, is now a treasured Island New Year’s Day tradition. The actual Plunge into the water is 2:00 PM on  Thursday, January 1, but folks will begin gathering and celebrating well before that. The slow trek to the beach will begin around 1:30; don’t underestimate how long it will take.

Many of our Island restaurants will be participating with special outside service for food and beverage. Please be careful driving through the commercial district. Town staff has planned for a newly modified traffic pattern from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm on New Year’s Day, with the following closures:

• Station 22.5- Between Middle Street and I’On Avenue
• Station 22- Between Middle Street and I’On Avenue
• Middle Street eastbound (toward Isle of Palms) lane- Between Station 22 and Station 22.5

For people using ride share services for the event, a mandatory drop-off and pick-up lane will be located on the north side of Middle Street east of Station 22.5, to avoid unnecessary congestion.

Please recall that the “Reason For The Freezin’” is to raise funds for the 
Special Olympics South Carolina. PLEASE BRING CASH to contribute to the many Special Olympics volunteers. If you can’t attend, you can donate at: https://so-sc.org .

If you plan to actually join (vs. watch) the plunge, here is a tip from painful personal experience: Wear some kind of dunkable footwear. Running barefoot over hard-packed little sand ridges gets painful quickly, especially in the cold.

Wear your wackiest costume. Come on out to see hundreds of your neighbors go off their meds all at once, at a great family event.

HAVE A FINE SEASON!

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

See you around the Island!

Pat O’Neil
Mayor
843 670 9266
oneilp@sullivansisland.sc.gov