Champion for Children’s Safety Recognized

One car seat at a time, she’s making a big difference

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service is proud to announce that Emilie Crown, Manager of Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service’s nationally recognized Car Seat Safety Program, was selected to receive the prestigious Barbara A. Foley Quality, Safety and Injury Prevention Award. The award recognizes individuals who exemplify exceptional innovation, dedication and advocacy in the field of emergency services.

Emilie has been leading the way in advancing safety for children for over 36 years. Initially as an Emergency Department nurse before bringing her talents to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service to lead the department’s car seat safety program. She is the State’s only certified instructor for Safe Travel for all Children, a course that includes the travel needs of children with special healthcare needs. Emilie is well-known throughout the region for her contributions, tireless efforts, leadership and deep commitment to the safety and well-being of Montgomery County’s youngest residents and she leads the way in educating parents, caregivers and first responders on the importance of car seat safety. Over 150,000 seats have been inspected and installed in Montgomery County since the beginning of the program in 2000.

“Emilie’s efforts have been outstanding and she works tirelessly for the residents of Montgomery County,” said Fire Chief Scott Goldstein. “National research shows that three out of four car seats are used incorrectly. The goal of the car seat program is to educate on the proper use of car seats, booster seats and seat belts and to ultimately save lives. Emilie has also played a pivotal role in educating legislators on the importance of car seat laws designed to protect children. If you’re looking for a passionate educator and advocate for children’s safety, look no further.”

The award is one of the highest awards presented by the Emergency Nurses Association and was presented to Mrs. Crown on September 17, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. For more information about Montgomery County Fire & Rescue's Car Seat Program visit www.mcfrs.org/mcsafe.

About the Emergency Nurses Association 
The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) is the premier professional nursing association dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing through advocacy, education, research, innovation, and leadership. Founded in 1970, ENA has proven to be an indispensable resource to the global emergency nursing community. With more than 42,000 members worldwide, ENA advocates for patient safety, develops industry-leading practice standards and guidelines, and guides emergency healthcare public policy. ENA members have expertise in triage, patient care, disaster preparedness, and all aspects of emergency care. Additional information is available at www.ena.org.

What Time Is It?

Time to CHANGE your clocks & CHECK your smoke alarms this weekend
   

Simple task can be a potentially life-saving one!

Daylight savings time ends November 6^th and the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service is asking all residents to check their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they are working when they change their clocks this weekend.   

“Home fires injure and kill thousands every year,” said Fire Chief Scott Goldstein.  “Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. I encourage everyone to test their smoke alarms, replace any alarms that are 10 years or older and conduct a home fire drill this weekend.”

The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. when most families are sleeping. A working smoke alarm dramatically increases the chance for survival and provides advance warning of a fire resulting in more time to react and put a home escape plan into action. 

Help keep your family safe by following these fire safety tips:

1.      Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement, and in all sleeping areas.

2.     Do you know if your smoke alarm is impacted by Maryland’s new law? Battery-only smoke alarms need to be replaced by 1/1/2018 with new smoke alarms that have sealed in, 10-year long life batteries.   

3.      Retire old smoke alarms and replace with new ones every 10 years. Like any electronic device, smoke alarms wear out over time and need to be replaced. The life expectancy of smoke alarms is 10 years. Smoke alarms work by sensing smoke particles and after 10 years, the smoke sensors lose their sensitivity. The test button only confirms that the battery, electronics and alerting system are working; not that the smoke sensor is working.

4.      Plan and practice home fire drills regularly. Decide in advance who will help family members that may need assistance escaping (young children, older adults or people with disabilities).        

6.      Make sure children recognize the sound of your smoke alarm and how to respond to its signal.

7.      Know your battery type. Sealed smoke alarms equipped with 10-year batteries are becoming more common and the batteries do not need to be replaced if they are sealed into the unit. Check your smoke alarms to see what type of battery it uses. While 10-year, long-life batteries do not need to be replaced annually, the entire smoke alarm unit does need to be replaced every ten years.Hard-wired smoke alarms, not affected by the new law, should have a battery backup and like all smoke alarm units need to be replaced every 10 years.

Got questions? Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service conducts free home safety checks of smoke alarms for residents at no cost. Please call 311 for information or visit our website for info as well as year-round safety information at www.mcfrs.org/mcsafe.