Useful Information and Tips

Install Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors / Alarms

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide DETECTORS can alert you to danger in your home in time for you to escape, even if you are sleeping. To wake up and survive a nighttime fire, you must have working detectors! You should install detectors in the following areas:

• Detectors outside each sleeping area (a common hallway, for example).
• Detectors on each level of your home if more than one story. (including the basement).
• An additional detector in each bedroom, as you should sleep with your door closed.

Placement of detectors is very important. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use these guidelines to help you

• Mount on the ceiling at least six inches from the wall or on a wall between six and twelve inches from the ceiling, but keep detectors about six inches away from the corner where the ceiling and wall meet (the corner is a “dead air space” where the detector won’t be in the path of smoke travel).
• For high pitched or “cathedral” ceilings, mount the detectors three feet from the highest point.
• Avoid placement in the path of ceiling fans, air conditioning or heater vents.
• Smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years.
• Test detectors once a month, following the manufacturer’s directions, and replace batteries once a year, or whenever a detector “chirps” or “beeps” to signal low battery power. A good time to replace your smoke detector batteries is when you reset your clocks for daylight savings time. Never “borrow” a detector’s battery for another use – a disabled detector can’t save your life.

Make sure children know what an alarm is. Children must know:

• Alarms warn them of danger.
• Get out of the house immediately when they hear the sound of the alarm.
• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors are not toys and should not be played with.
• Show your child how important these dangers are by testing your alarms every month.

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Before the Ambulance Arrives

After you have called 911, there are several things you can do until Emergency Responders arrive. These simple procedures will greatly aid the Emergency Responders and the patient they will treat.

• If you determine that the patient is pulseless and non-breathing, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but only if you have been trained in this life saving technique.
• Stay calm; do not get excited. This will reassure the patient that help is on the way.
• Make the patient as comfortable as possible.
• Gather all the medication that the patient may be taking. This will help Emergency Responders better determine the medical history of the patient.
• Move all furniture or obstacles out of the way so Emergency Responders have easy access to the patient. Make sure all pets are secure in another part of the house.
• Remember the time, this is very important. When was the last time you talked to the patient? How long has this medical condition existed? How long has the person been unconscious?

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Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Kit

Be prepared for an emergency situation, severe weather, or disaster.

Watch vs. Warning vs. Advisory
Following are the National Weather Service definitions for watch, warning, and advisory.
These terms form the basis for each product issued to the public.

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Emergency Disaster Kit

After a major disaster the usual services we take for granted, such as running water, refrigeration, and telephones, may be unavailable. Experts recommend that you should be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least three days. Store your household disaster kit in an easily accessible location. Put contents in a large, watertight container (e.g. a large plastic garbage can with a lid and wheels) that you can move easily.

Your basic emergency kit should include:

• Water – one gallon per person per day
• Food – at least a three day supply of non-perishable food
• A whistle to signal for help
• Manual can opener and other cooking supplies
• Plates, utensils and other feeding supplies
• First Aid kit & instructions
• A copy of important documents & phone numbers
• Warm clothes and rain gear for each family member
• Heavy work gloves
• Disposable camera
• Unscented liquid household bleach and an eyedropper for water purification. When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Personal hygiene items including toilet paper, feminine supplies, hand sanitizer, moist towelettes and soap.
• Plastic sheeting, duct tape and utility knife for covering broken windows
• Tools such as a crowbar, hammer & nails, staple gun, adjustable wrench and bungee cords.
• Blanket or sleeping bag
• Large heavy duty plastic bags, garbage bags and a plastic bucket for waste and sanitation
• Any special-needs items for children, seniors or people with disabilities. Don’t forget water and supplies for your pets.

Put the following items together in a backpack or another easy to carry container in case you must evacuate quickly. Prepare one “Go-bag” for each family member and make sure each has an I.D. tag. You may not be at home when an emergency strikes so keep some additional supplies in your car and at work, considering what you would need for your immediate safety.

• Flashlight
• Radio – battery operated or hand crank and if possible a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Batteries
• Dust mask
• Pocket knife
• Emergency cash in small denominations and quarters for phone calls
• Sturdy shoes, a change of clothes, and a warm hat
• Local map
• Some water and food
• Permanent marker, paper and tape
• Photos of family members and pets for re-identification purposes
• List of emergency point-of-contact phone numbers
• List of allergies to any drug (especially antibiotics) or food
• Copy of health insurance and identification cards
• Extra prescription eye glasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items
• Prescription medications and first aid supplies
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Extra keys to your house and vehicle
• Any special-needs items for children, seniors or people with disabilities. Don’t forget to make a Go-bag for your pets.

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Fire Escape Planning

When it comes to escaping fires, time is the biggest enemy and every second counts. It is important to have fire escape plans and to regularly practice those plans to help you get out of your home quickly.
Tips for Escape Planning:

• Practice escaping from every room in the house, both during the day and at night
• Every room should have two ways out
• With windows and doors equipped with security bars, make sure that everyone knows, understands, and has practiced how to quickly remove the bars
• Designate a meeting place outside away from the home (for example a front-yard tree or a sidewalk.) Take attendance and designate one person to phone the fire department by cell phone or a neighbor’s phone.
• Make sure everyone knows when and how to call emergency telephone numbers
• Remember to escape first, and then call the fire department. Do not try to save property; the most important thing is to GET OUT SAFELY!

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Fire Extinguishers

When used properly, fire extinguishers can be life and property saving.

Types of Fire Extinguishers:

A – Puts out fires in ordinary combustibles such as cloth, wood,
rubber, paper, and many plastics.

B – Extinguishers are to be used on fires involving flammable
liquids such as grease, gasoline, oil, and oil-based paints.

C -Suitable for electrical fires (e.g., fires involving appliances, tools, or
other equipment that is plugged in).

D – Used for combustible industrial metals.

PASS the test using your extinguisher:
Pull the pin at the top of the extinguisher that keeps the handle from
being accidentally pressed.
Aim the nozzle toward the base of the fire, standing approximately
8-feet away.
Squeeze the handle to discharge the extinguisher. If you release the
handle, the discharge will stop.
Sweep the nozzle back and forth at the base of the fire.

Use a fire extinguisher only if:

• You have alerted other occupants and someone has called
  the fire department.
• The fire is small and contained to a single object, such as a
  wastebasket.
• You are safe from the toxic smoke produced by the fire.
• You have a means of escape identified and the fire is not
  between you and the escape route.
• Your instincts tell you that it is safe to use an extinguisher

Only use an extinguisher if ALL of these points apply.
When in doubt, just get out!

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Medical Alert Vials

The SJFD “Medical Alert” Vials contains a questionnaire for vital medical information that you complete. The questionnaire goes into the Vial and is stored in your refrigerator door. Authorized EMS personnel will use this information in emergency situations. These complementary kits are available at the Clerk’s Office, the Fire Station or at our Annual Open House

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Sharps Dropoff

We now have the ability to take sharp containers from the general public for disposal in a approved container only. It can be dropped off at the Fire Department. No milk jugs, something like a tide jug is thick enough.