Poison Proof Your Home

North Metro Fire Rescue District is joining the Poison Prevention Week Council in promoting National Poison Prevention Week—March 20 through March 26, 2011. North Metro is asking their Fire District residents to take a moment to focus on their home through the eyes of its youngest occupants or visitors.

The way children encounter space and items placed in our homes can change the way we store or position things. Caregivers should be mindful of safety tips to keep children safe from poisons. Children who are less than 6 years old are the most likely to be poisoned. In addition, grandparents who have young visitors to their home should also be conscious of where they store medications, chemicals, and poisonous plants.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests that the following poisonous products be kept away from children:

• Painkillers such as acetaminophen and similar medications
• Cosmetics such as perfume or nail polish, and personal care products such as deodorant and soap
• Cleaning products such as laundry detergent and floor cleaners

In addition, to avoid poisonings when taking care of children, be aware of the following tips (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services):

• All medicines and household cleaning products should be stored in locked cabinets, out of the reach and sight of children.
• Keep children where you can see them at all times, even when you go to answer the door or telephone.
• Never leave young children alone.
• Do not leave poisons on a counter or in an unlocked cabinet.
• Never carry something that can be poisonous, such as a medicine, in a purse where children may find it.
• Safety latches on drawers or cabinets, and child resistant caps on bottles, are helpful in keeping poisons out of the hands of children.

Parents and grandparents should teach their children to never touch or put anything in their mouths unless they know what it is. Remember, if you suspect that you or someone you know has been poisoned, immediately call the toll-free Poison Help line (1-800-222-1222), which connects you to your local poison center.

MAKING “SCENTS” FOR THE HOLIDAY

Break out the decorations for the holidays! But, this year, North Metro wants Broomfield residents to swap out traditional candles with some great new options. Candle fires have doubled in frequency since the 1990’s. One home candle fire is reported every 34 minutes in the United States with December being the peak month every year (National Fire Protection Association).

While candles have great aroma and add to a holiday atmosphere, an open flame in your home does present a hazard. But if you want to keep the tradition in your home—there are some great new options for you to still enjoy the scent or glow of a candle. There are now worry free, flameless candles sold that are battery operated. They come as a decorative votive holder and even flicker like real candles. Unless you look inside the holder—no one would know that they weren’t real! In addition, there are wax potpourri or candle warmers. These items are also run by electricity and have no flame. They warm a piece of wax releasing the aroma just like a real candle.

By removing an open flame, you can help avoid the top reason of how candle fires begin. More than half of all candle fires start when something that could burn, such as furniture, holiday decorations, or curtains, was too close to the candle’s open flame.

If I haven’t convinced you of these two great alternatives to traditional candles, then please accept the responsibility of burning candles safely in your home. Here is what you can do to reduce your household’s risk:

• NEVER burn candles in your bedroom.
• Extinguish all candles when
  leaving the room or going to sleep.
• Keep candles one foot away from things
  that can catch fire—books, curtains, clothing, decorations, etc.
• Use candle holders with a wide base that can catch all the dripping wax.
• Do not place decorative items around candles made from materials that can burn (this includes plastic or fabric rings).
• Extinguish and throw out taper and pillar candles when they get to within two inches of the holder.
• Extinguish and throw out votives before the last half-inch of wax starts to melt.

Remember if you have pets or children in your home it is important to pay extra caution with your candles. Since the candles may be fascinating to children, keep a watchful eye when they are around them and do not let them play with lighting or extinguishing candles. Handling fire should be taught to children—not used as a game.

In addition, a popular trend has been to allow pre-teen and teenage children to use candles in their bedrooms. This is the most dangerous room in a home to burn candles due to the type of combustibles found in a bedroom as well as the human factor. The human factor is that falling asleep while a candle is in use, is a reality. The national statistics confirm this unfortunate outcome— in 2005, thirty-eight percent of home candle fires started in the bedroom, resulting in 41% of the associated civilian deaths (NFPA). This outcome is one we can easily avoid by simply making it a household rule that no-one has candles (even as decorations) in their rooms.

Consider your options this year as you celebrate—and make “scents” for the holidays!

DOES YOUR SMOKE ALARM WORK?

It’s Daylight Savings weekend (November 7, 2010) and citizens are encouraged to change home smoke alarm batteries, in fact North Metro has some alarming facts to share! According to a survey conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), they estimate that approximately 16 million homes in the U.S. have smoke alarms that do not work.
These smoke alarms could work properly—if they had the proper maintenance by their home owners. However, due to missing batteries or dead batteries, these smoke alarms have been rendered ineffective.
“While it is great to know that most people have installed alarms in their homes, it is frustrating to learn that these life-saving warning devices aren’t being maintained,” said Wendy Forbes, Public Information Officer at North Metro Fire Rescue. “Testing smoke alarms once a month and switching batteries when we change our clocks can make all the difference in escaping your home during a fire emergency.”
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has found that people have a 51% greater chance in successfully surviving a fire with working smoke alarms that are properly installed. Some additional installation tips include:

• Install a smoke alarm on every level of your home.
• Be sure that a smoke alarm is near sleeping areas.
• Position wall-mounted smoke alarms 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling.
• Position ceiling-mounted smoke alarms at least 4 inches away from the nearest wall.
• Don’t install smoke alarms near windows, doors or forced-air registers where drafts could interfere with operation.
• To avoid false alarms—do not locate alarms where cooking-fumes, steam (i.e. shower), or automobile exhaust may trigger it.
• Be sure to maintain your hard-wired smoke alarms by using the battery back-up feature.
  

Once your smoke alarms are installed it is up to you to keep them working. Remembering to test these alarms is as easy as making a note on your home calendar.

WHEN IT COMES TO LEAVES—JUST BAG IT!

With autumn colors highlighting our yards, soon we will find ourselves outside raking up leaves and branches. What we do with these items makes all the difference—to the environment, people’s health, and our neighborhood’s overall fire safety.

One option is open air leaf burning, which cannot be done in the City and County of Broomfield or the City of Northglenn without burn permits from the Broomfield Health Department or Tri-County Health Department and North Metro Fire Rescue. While some people think this strategy of elimination is easier than mulching, bagging or composting, leaf burning can have some significant, negative impacts.

Environmentally, leaf burning has high concentrations of air pollutants. In fact, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in some areas the burning of leaves and brush causes much higher levels of air pollution than all other forms of air pollution combined (such as factories, vehicles and lawn and garden equipment).

Health-related impacts can also be felt by individuals suffering from asthma, lung disease, and heart diseases. The truth is that smoke generated by open burning can irritate the eyes, nose and throat of even healthy adults. Yet, children and older adults are more susceptible to the tiny particles breathed in from burning leaves. Some of the symptoms can include coughing, wheezing, chest pain and shortness of breath.

In addition, leaf smoke also contains chemicals such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and benzo(a)prene. The evidence of benzo(a)prene should be of particular concern since it is known to cause cancer in animals and is believed to be a major factor in lung cancer caused by cigarette smoke.

When burning leaves, naturally there will be a visibility reduction and the creation of a possible safety hazard. No one anticipates that his/her leaf fire will spread out of control, but open burns always contain some level of risk. And, this risk can impact neighbors as well as personal property and loved ones.

So, after you and your family have finished playing in the leaf piles, consider one of the following alternatives for your brush disposal:
Bag it up! Collect your yard debris for disposal. Avoid the pollution of an open burn while also reducing the risk of a brush fire from burning extra fuels (leaves, branches, etc.) in your yard.
Composting! This is a form of recycling that involves placing leaves and other organic materials in a pile or bin. You maintain some moisture and turn the pile periodically so that over time you can use the compost as mulch for your flowerbeds, shrubbery areas or garden.

NORTH METRO FIRE RESCUE “CARES ENOUGH TO WEAR PINK”

This October 25 – 28, you might notice something a little different about your North Metro fire fighters. Instead of wearing their traditional blue uniform, fire fighters will be wearing a specialty cancer awareness T-shirt with their uniform pants. North Metro is joining a national emergency responder campaign, “Cares Enough to Wear Pink.” Our objective is to help raise awareness for women to get a mammogram and show our support of those who are fighting against breast cancer.

North Metro wants to ask, do you “Care Enough to Wear Pink?” We want you to join us in supporting our community’s cancer fighters and survivors. Here is what you can do to be a part of the team:
1. Wear Pink in some form (a ribbon, a motivational bracelet, a shirt, a tie, etc.) for October 25 – 28.
2. Schedule a mammogram for yourself or encourage the women you love to do so!
3. Women over 40 can call (303) 318 – 3419 to schedule a mammography screening exam for October 27 with the St. Joseph Mobile Mammography unit that will be visiting North Metro District Headquarters at 10550 Huron Street from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

North Metro fire fighters also will be distributed a limited supply of Women’s Cervical and Breast Cancer Fact Sliders throughout the community. Contact North Metro at 303.452.9910 to request one be mailed directly to you!

Businesses Can Avoid a Second Visit: Correct Common Code Violations

North Metro Fire Rescue wants to help local companies avoid fire code citations during routine fire inspections set to take place over the next few months. The most common violations found during these visits are easy to fix and can be done by the company owners with little to no expense.

One of the areas of concern for fire fighters is exits from buildings. Business owners should be certain that exits (whether used by the public or employees only) are not blocked in any way. In addition, exit signs need to be working properly and are required in rooms or areas which require two or more exits.

Business owners can save time and money by conducting a simple walk-through of their space, prior to inspections, to ensure that they are operating in the safest manner for the public and employees that work daily in that environment.

The following checklist can assist businesses in adhering to the fire code and reducing the likelihood that the fire department will need to come back to check up on cited violations:
· There shall be no storage or other obstructions in front of exits.
· Storage should not be near heaters or heating devices.
· Combustible materials (storage) shall not be kept in boiler rooms, mechanical rooms, or electrical equipment rooms.
· Hoods, grease-removal devices, fans, ducts, and other appurtenances shall be cleaned at intervals necessary to prevent accumulation of grease.
· Kitchen hood fire-extinguishing systems shall be inspected and serviced bi-annually (every six months).
· Extension cords cannot be substituted for permanent wiring.
· Extension and flexible cords shall not be affixed to structures, extended through walls, ceilings, or floors.
· Fire extinguishers shall be in conspicuous locations, readily accessible, and immediately available for use.
· Fire extinguishers shall be serviced on an annual basis and have a current service tag attached.
· Fire detection, alarm, and extinguishing systems shall be maintained in an operable condition at all times.
· Fire and smoke barrier doors shall not be blocked, obstructed, or otherwise made inoperable.

If businesses would like an extended list sent to them or have additional fire code questions, they may contact the Fire District’s Fire Prevention Division at 720-887-8217.

DOES YOUR SMOKE ALARM WORK?

It’s Daylight Savings weekend (November 1, 2009) and citizens are encouraged to change home smoke detector batteries, in fact North Metro has some alarming facts to share! According to a survey conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), they estimate that approximately 16 million homes in the U.S. have smoke alarms that do not work.

These smoke alarms could work properly—if they had the proper maintenance by their home owners. However, due to missing batteries or dead batteries, these smoke alarms have been rendered ineffective.

“While it is great to know that most people have installed alarms in their homes, it is frustrating to learn that these life-saving warning devices aren’t being maintained,” said Wendy Forbes, Public Information Officer at North Metro Fire Rescue. “Testing smoke alarms once a month and switching batteries when we change our clocks can make all the difference in escaping your home during a fire emergency.”

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has found that people have a 51% greater chance in successfully surviving a fire with working smoke alarms that are properly installed. Some additional installation tips include:

• Install a smoke alarm on every level of your home.
• Be sure that a smoke alarm is near sleeping areas.
• Position wall-mounted smoke alarms 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling.
• Position ceiling-mounted smoke alarms at least 4 inches away from the nearest wall.
• Don’t install smoke alarms near windows, doors or forced-air registers where drafts could interfere with operation.
• To avoid false alarms—do not locate alarms where cooking-fumes, steam (i.e. shower), or automobile exhaust may trigger it.
• Be sure to maintain your hard-wired smoke alarms by using the battery back-up feature.
  

Once your smoke alarms are installed it is up to you to keep them working. Remembering to test these alarms is as easy as making a note on your home calendar.