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Fire Safety

Staying Safe While Staying Home

November 13, 2020 by Shauna Levy


Thanksgiving weekend typically signifies the kick-off to the winter travel season. This year, however, is different. In today’s age of COVID, many Americans are opting to stay home. And, while that precaution eliminates certain risks, as first responders are only too aware, others can arise. Chief Maitland of the Chappaqua Fire Department reports, “People are home more, everything within those homes is experiencing more usage and we are preparing for more calls.” Local fire departments are always poised to respond to “doomsday scenarios,” but by following simple tips, a warm home can be maintained at a safe temperature.

Home for the Holidays

Year-round fire safety is high on the community’s priority list, but holidays bring seasonal risk factors. To ensure that family celebrations go off without a hitch, Armonk Fire Department’s Chief Goulet advises, “Some of the biggest sources of danger are the most preventable. For example,” he says, “Don’t burn your food, don’t deep fry a frozen turkey and if you choose to deep fry, don’t attempt it too close to your home.”

Chief Maitland cautions that “the safest candle is the one that’s not lit.” Candles should be positioned in areas that are not in reach of pets, children or flammable items. Similarly, holiday lights require careful inspection and proper installation. Fire departments urge checking that correct fuses are being used, turning fairy lights inside and outside the home off when sleeping, ensuring that bulbs can’t come into contact with flammable materials and using power strips with built-in circuit breakers.

In the case that burnt toast does trigger a fire alarm, Chief Maitland recommends using the event as a learning opportunity. “Kids are like sponges and pick up on fire preparedness,” he says, adding, “Families often unwittingly undo the lessons children learn at school fire drills when they ignore false alarms. Once your alarm goes off, we’re coming no matter what. Use it as an opportunity to have a fire drill at home. Otherwise,” he warns, “when an alarm goes off in earnest, families may be programmed to ignore it.”

Generating Safety

As September demonstrated, storms can bring power lines down at any time of year, but winter is notorious for outages. Generators are prevalent in our communities, yet they come with their own hazards. Chief Maitland explains, “There’s a tremendous amount of human error when it comes to generators ranging from installation to improper usage.” During the past storm, Chief Goulet reports that his department responded to many carbon monoxide alarms stemming from generators and says, “Most were from actual carbon monoxide exposure. Just because a generator meets code doesn’t ensure it’s operating safely.”

Captain Santone, a 44-year veteran of the Millwood Fire Department, specifically points to portable generators, which typically come with short cords that position them less than three feet from homes. He says, “Generators really need to be far from homes, diverting exhaust fumes, which contain carbon monoxide, away from the structure. A long enough cord is essential.” Furthermore, generators that are too close to homes come with the added potential of spurring a fire in a home’s wood siding.  On the topic, Chief Maitland recommends exceeding code guidelines, saying, “I would put them so far from the house that there’s no possibility of fumes entering.”

Carbon monoxide’s reputation as the silent killer is well-earned. “This is what keeps me up at night,” Chief Maitland says, “We get approximately 75-90 calls per year resulting from carbon monoxide alarms and at least 15-20 of those would lead to deaths if we didn’t show up. I can’t stress how important it is to have carbon monoxide detectors installed on every floor of a home and, ideally, in each bedroom. If your alarm goes off, exit immediately. In my dream world, when we show up, the entire family is waiting for us a safe distance from the property.”

The Best Offense is a Good Defense

Educating the public is a top goal for each local department. The more the community understands about fire safety, the less of a drain is placed on these all-volunteer departments’ resources. Chief Maitland says, “There’s an overwhelming amount of education that comes into owning a home. We are a community resource and will even come to your home and give recommendations to create a safe environment.”

Chief Goulet concurs and notes that the Armonk Fire Department creates and distributes flyers advocating safety tips. Currently, they are promoting the “Close Before You Doze” initiative. “Today’s furniture burns faster than materials used in the past. This gives people a smaller window of time to escape in the case of a fire emergency,” he explains, saying, “It’s enlightening to learn how smoke can be minimized and how many minutes can be gained by simply closing bedroom doors at night.”

Captain Santone advocates for an annual heating system check-up. “A well-maintained heating unit is a fireman’s friend. Heating systems including fireplaces and chimneys should be regularly serviced and checked,” he says, adding, “When it comes to fireplaces, never assume that ash from a conventional chimney is cool. Embers can live for days deep within ash. Always dispose of ash in a metal container nowhere near the home.”

Persistence in a Pandemic

Our area fire departments have continued to work tirelessly throughout the pandemic to provide First Responder fire, rescue and EMS services. To safely do so, they made slight modifications to their routines. Chief Goulet explains, “During the start of COVID, we limited the number of people in training sessions. Eating is no longer permitted in the firehouse and our members wear PPE on calls. To date, none of our members have contracted the virus, even through the local uptick, so it seems like what we are doing is working.” Similarly, the Millwood Fire Department is taking extra precautions, often conducting front porch interviews before entering a structure. Captain Santone reports that in the uncommon event the department has needed to enter a home with COVID exposure, “we ask everyone to exit the structure, which they should do regardless of COVID, and we enter with our air packs; the same PPE we would wear in the case of a fire.”

Each of the firehouses will soon launch their annual year-end fundraisers. Donations are important, but these all-volunteer organizations rely mostly on participation.

For more information on joining your local fire department, visit: armonkfd.com, chappaquafd.org, millwoodfire.org.

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Armonk Fire Department, Chappaqua Fire Department, Fire Chiefs, Fire Prevention, Fire Safety, Home Safety, Millwood Fire Department, volunteer

Fireman’s Day Parade: Chance to Honor First Responders

August 25, 2019 by Charlotte Harter

On May 31, Pleasantville children and parents alike crowded the streets, excitedly watching our volunteer firefighters and their fire trucks parade through the town in the annual Fireman’s Day parade. However, being a volunteer firefighter isn’t just parades and celebrations. Our local volunteers work hard every day to ensure the safety of their community members. Whether they’re responding to a house fire, a carbon monoxide detector going off, accidents, or downed wires after a storm, the brave Pleasantville volunteer firemen selflessly sacrifice their time, and often safety, to keep their friends and neighbors out of harm’s way. Each year, the parade presents a way for the community to honor the men and women who risk their lives to keep everyone safe.

This year, the parade coincided with some local news pertaining to helping spur volunteer efforts. In order to make volunteer firefighting an equal opportunity for all who choose to be involved, NYS Senator Pete Harckham recently announced the passage of two new bills by the New York State Senate. These bills, S5418 and S5419, both aim to protect volunteer firefighter disability benefits in order to make sure that they will have access to critical disability benefits and medical treatments warranted by their duties. It is important that the NYS Senate passed these bills as it acknowledges the peril volunteer firemen put themselves into every day in order to save the lives of others. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the Pleasantville Fire Department, applications are available online through their website, pleasantvillefire.org.

Filed Under: Pleasantville Community Tagged With: Fire Safety, Fireman's Day Parade, Parade, Pleasantville, safety, Volunteer Firefighers

Residential Fire Safety Inspections by Fire Chief Pro

September 2, 2016 by The Inside Press

Screenshot 2016-09-02 11.17.04

– Do you have working Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detectors (not expired and installed in the correct location)

– Does your family have an escape plan?

– Are hazardous materials (flammables/poison) stored correctly?

– Is your Garage, Furnace Room, Hallways and Stairs, free from clutter and combustible materials?

– Is your fireplace safe and cleaned and inspected regularly?

– Are your electrical outlets overloaded?

– Are you getting the maximum discounts from your insurance company based on current or anticipated home safety measures? (Alarm Systems, Sprinkler Systems, Fire Resistive Construction, Etc.)

We will inspect your home from top to bottom, both inside and out, to ensure that, in the event of a fire or other life-threatening emergency, you and your loved ones have a protection plan that gets everyone out quickly and safely and minimizes fire damage caused by improper storage of materials, clutter, breaches in firewalls and other potential hazards.

Russell Maitland is a 34-year veteran of the Fire Service and served as a Chappaqua’s Fire Chief for 12 years. Russell maintains NYS Certifications as a Fire Officer, Fire Instructor and Fire Investigator. He has responded to thousands of emergency calls and his first hand knowledge and experience allows him to determine what really makes your home safe and secure, basing his safety plans on actual incidences, not speculations.

For more information or to schedule a Fire Safety Inspection contact Russell at 914-646-0346 or russellmaitland@verizon.net

A release from Russell Maitland, owner, RMS Fire Inspections

Filed Under: Sponsor News! Tagged With: Fire Safety, Inspection, Residential Fire

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