Is your house easy to find during the day? Let me rephrase that question: Is your house easy to find at 3:00am on a dark foggy rural road?
Proper address identification:
Addresses are vital to emergency services. A fire engine, ambulance, or police car can be delayed several minutes trying to locate a correct address. Such time delays can mean the difference between life and death. Residents are responsible for two items that largely determine the ability of an emergency vehicle to find an address: (1) Correct address from the person reporting the emergency. Your address should be written on every phone in your house so that in an emergency, anyone calling in knows the address. (2) Large, legible address numbers on each building.
Condominium complexes, condominium developments, and oddly-addressed streets can pose problems for emergency vehicles. An address may be shared by several living units in some complexes. Residents in such complexes should prearrange a guide to help emergency vehicles find the correct address.
Next time you drive home, pretend you are a firefighter or police officer. How hard is it to find your address? We can't help you if we can't find you!
Fire Safety: Home Safety Check List
Homes today have numerous hazards that we overlook each day. Below is a home safety check list. Please print this list and walk around your home to see if you need to take any corrective actions. Remember fire safety is everyone's responsibility.
Do you have a smoke detector on every level of your home, and within 10-15 feet of your bedrooms?
Do you use an approved safety can for the storing of gasoline for the lawn mowers, snowblowers, snowmobiles, etc.?
Do you see that your space heaters are placed well away from curtains, furniture and any other household item that can catch on fire?
Are window blinds and curtains that are near stoves arranged to prevent them from blowing over the burners or flames?
Do you have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen? If so, is it charged?
Do you keep your basement, your attic, or other storage areas such as your garage free from trash, oily rags, old papers, mattresses, and broken furniture?
If you store your paint, varnish, etc., in your garage or other storage areas, are the containers tightly closed? Do you check to make sure they are not leaking?
Are stoves, grills, and other cooking equipment kept clean and free of grease?
To make sure that you do not overload the outlet, do not exceed the manufacturer's
recommended limit.
If you smoke or use a wood fire place, do you extinguish all matches, cigarettes and lighters carefully before disposing of them? And do you dispose of them properly?
Do you have a home escape plan in case of a fire? Do you practice the .E.D.I.T.H. Drill at home?
Do you practice fire drills at home?
Do all members of your household know how to call 911 in the event of an emergency?
Do all members of your household know what questions the emergency phone operator is going to ask in the event of an fire related emergency: What is your name? What is your address? Did everyone exit the home? Is anyone still inside the home? Is any one injured?. Please note that when you call 911 do so from a neighbors house, or a cell phone from outside the residence. We do not recommend that you call from inside your home. Also, all the above questions in this category are subject to change based on the emergency on hand.
Do all rooms have an adequate number of outlets to take care of electrical appliances?
