 Hi, I'm Tom Wood, trauma program manager here at MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland. And I'm Kelly Jenkins, the trauma prevention and outreach coordinator. Today we're going to talk about winter sports safety. While we want everyone to go out and enjoy the outdoors and exercise and be active, we also want to talk about some standard precautions and one of those is wearing a helmet. Helmets are recommended for any of the high speed or high impact activities such as snowboarding, skiing, hockey, speed skating or the motorized activities like snowmobiling or riding an ATV. The best kind of helmet to use for winter sports is just that, a helmet designed specifically for that sport. I'm often asked, can I wear a bike helmet or can my child wear a bike helmet on the slopes? And the answer is absolutely not. And the reason is because bike helmets have a lower crash standard than do something like a ski or snowboarding helmet. You want to make sure that it is one that has a label on the inside that is certified from one of three agencies, either ASTM, C-E-E-N, or Snell. You don't want to buy a helmet that's been used because you don't know it's crash history. You can wear a winter hat under your helmet as long as it doesn't interfere with the proper fit. You want something thin and snug that doesn't get in the way. Something that's bulkier that has a ball on top will get in the way and cause an improper fit. The most important aspect of wearing a helmet is making certain that it fits properly. And in order to fit a helmet such as a ski or snowboard helmet, either to fit it on yourself or a child, I like to open it up, make certain that the straps are straight, and then fit it snugly down on your head so that the upper edge is just above your eyebrows. When you're adjusting for a fit, you want to make certain that the helmet's not rocking side to side or that it's twisting. If it's doing either of those, then you want to consider another style or another size of helmet. The straps of the helmet should be adjusted so that one strap is in front of the ear or, in this case, the ear pad, and one strap behind. And then in some instances, not this one, but in some instances there will be a dial ring in the back and you want to tighten that ring up for a snug fit. A helmet should be replaced when there's obvious damage to it, when it's been in a hard crash such as striking a tree or a rock, or when it no longer fits. So we at Mid-Michigan encourage you to go outside, enjoy the outdoors, be active, exercise, but be sure to wear the gear.