Spreading The Word Of Safety

By Captain Pete Corte
MCFRS Fire Station #7

As a way to get out the word about checking smoke detectors; the fire fighters of Montgomery County, Chevy Chase Company 7 went to the CC Supermarket today to pass out reminder flyers about checking detectors and turning back the clock! Company 7 and the check out girls wearing their "fire helmets" passed out flyers as the patrons purchased groceries.

It Only Takes ONE To Save Your Life!

Feel free to download, print out, and hand out to friends, family, and neighbors!  Spread the word of fire safety.  Also feel free to forward along electronically via email, facebook, Twitter, etc!
What Time is It Color

What Time Is It? Time to Change Your Clocks and Check Your Smoke Alarms This Weekend

Simple task can be a potentially life-saving one 

Daylight savings time ends November 4^th and the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) is urging all residents to check the batteries in 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 Richard Bowers. “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 all levels of your home, including the basement and in all sleeping areas.

2.      Test smoke alarms each month to ensure they are working. Replace batteries annually, as needed.

3.      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).

4.      Retire old smoke alarms and replace with new ones every 10 years, or as recommended by the manufacturer.  

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

6.      Know your battery type. Smoke alarms equipped with 10-year batteries are becoming more common. Check your smoke alarms to see what type of battery it has. The 10-year batteries don’t need to be replaced annually, but the entire smoke alarm does need to be replaced every ten years.

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service will provide and install smoke alarm batteries at no cost to residents and will provide and install smoke alarms for residents that cannot afford them. Please call 311 for information and be sure to bookmark our website for year-round safety information at www.mcfrs.org/mcsafe and sign up to follow us on twitter.           

When Should You Replace Your Smoke Alarms?

If your smoke alarm was installed before October 19, 2002 it needs to be replaced!  To learn more, please CLICK HERE.

Keeping the Community Safe One Home at a Time

As some of you are aware, each Saturday the women and men of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue go door to door in their various communities handing out fire safety tips as well as offering to check smoke alarms to ensure they are working. Having working smoke alarms in your home/apartment can help you and your loved ones escape a deadly home fire by providing a vital early warning.

If during the check we find a smoke alarm is not functioning, we take immediate steps to correct this life safety issue by installing a new battery and/or smoke alarm.

The door to door program was initiated by Fire Chief Richard Bowers three years ago after a tragic year in which we lost 13 of our fellow residents in home/apartment fires. That, sadly, was our largest one year loss of life in over 30 years! In many instances there were no working smoke alarms in the home/apartment.

Below, you will find the number of homes we have visited over the last three years. Pretty impressive!

Grand Totals since program implementation through August 2012:

Homes Visited:                       44,870

Smoke Alarms Installed:        1,469

Batteries Installed:                  1,630

Time to Change Your Smoke Alarm Battery? Check It Out This Weekend As You Change Your Clock!

Rockville - - - Montgomery County firefighters will be hitting the streets this weekend reminding residents when they change their clocks and “Spring Forward” that it is the perfect time of year to check and replace the batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. In addition to changing the batteries this weekend, residents are urged to follow these simple steps to protect your life, your loved ones and your home:

• Dust or vacuum smoke alarms when you change the batteries, unless your smoke alarm is sealed and is a 10-year long life unit.  
• Test alarms once a month using the test button.
• Replace the entire alarm if it’s more than 10 years old or doesn’t work properly when tested.
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement, and both inside and outside of sleeping areas.
• Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout your home so that when one sounds, they all sound. Interconnected alarms are available at most stores that sell smoke alarms.
• Make sure everyone in your home understands the warning of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond.
• Involve your family! Take time to review your fire escape plans with your family and practice with a home fire drill. 

“Smoke alarm maintenance is a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths,” said Fire Chief Richard Bowers. “Children and senior citizens are most at risk and a working smoke alarm can give them the extra seconds they need to escape safely.”

If you need any assistance with fire escape planning or smoke alarms, call 311 to schedule a free evaluation by fire department representatives. To learn more about what you and your family can do to be safe, visit the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service website at www.mcfrs.org/mcsafe. 

It’s a fact: If your smoke alarm was installed before March 11, 2002

It needs to be replaced. 

Put A Finger On It! Time to Check Your Smoke Alarms

Checking your smoke alarms and batteries twice a year to ensure that they are working is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce tragic deaths and injuries from fire. In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire.

The men and women of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) urge ALL residents to check home smoke alarms on a regular basis. Fire Fighters will be out in the community on Saturday offering to check your home smoke alarms to ensure they are working.

“Put a Finger on It!” Fire Chief Richard Bowers recommends that all residents adopt a lifesaving habit by checking your home’s smoke alarms and batteries when changing clocks twice a year. Protect your family in the event of a home fire – change the battery if it is dead or at least yearly!

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service recommend that homeowners follow these tips to help prevent fires, deaths, and injuries:

* Install and maintain smoke alarms on every level of the home

* If your smoke alarm is older than 10 years, it needs to be replaced

* Properly dispose of all smoking materials

* Maintain and properly use gas and electrical appliances.

* Never leave food cooking unattended; turn off the burner if you leave.

* Keep matches and lighters away from children.

* Never leave candles burning unattended.

* Develop and practice a fire escape plan.

Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as two minutes to escape safely. Your ability to get out depends on advance warning from smoke alarms and advance planning—a home fire escape plan that everyone in your family is familiar with and has practiced.

Remember, when you change your clock, check your smoke alarms and batteries – put a finger on it!

What I Have Learned About The Smoke Alarm

By: Daniel the Intern

Here at the MCFRS, I hear about smoke alarms almost everyday and how crucial they are to surviving a fire.  Although they seem like simple, plastic devices that are stuck to the ceiling, they require a little more thought and maintenance than people give them.  Here are a few things to consider regarding smoke alarms in the home.

"Smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a reported fire in half."

Before any alarms are installed, consider hiring an electrician to install wires to connect all of the alarms together and to the home's electrical system (hardwired).  Remember that hardwired alarms, even though they receive power from the home's electricity, need a battery backup in case the power goes out.  There are also smoke alarms that can communicate wirelessly and are just as good.  Once they are communicating, all of them will go off together even if only one of them detects smoke.  This will dramatically decrease the time it takes for the occupants to realize a fire is in the home, especially if it is two floors away.

Another point to consider is installing both types of smoke alarms: ionization and photoelectric.  Ionization are better at detecting flaming fires while photoelectric are better at detecting smoldering fires.  Since no one can predict the type of fire that will start, it is suggested that both kinds are installed throughout the home.  However, there are dual sensor smoke alarms, which contain both sensors and are the ideal choice.

The placement of the devices can be very influential to their response times.  First of all, there must be alarms on every floor of the home.  It will take too long for an alarm to go off when the fire is a floor away and that can be disastrous.  Second, they should not be installed near vents or anything that is creating air movement.  A vent blowing air can push smoke away and will also increase the response time of the smoke alarm.  Finally, they must be placed inside and outside of sleeping areas.  It is devastating when a fire starts and smoke fills the home while all the occupants are sound asleep so it is crucial these are working at all times.  In fact, over half of all the American deaths in home fires “occur between the hours of 10:00pm and 7:00am, when residents are typically sleeping."

Once they are installed and working, they must be maintained.  It is advised to test each smoke alarm once a month, even if they are connected to the home's electrical supply.  If they use a 9 volt battery, even if they are hardwired alarms, the battery should be replaced at least once per year.  To make sure all the necessary steps are taken, make sure to check the instructions supplied by the manufacturer. 

A popular time to check the alarms is during daylight savings time, which happens to be this weekend.

Just hold down the button for a few seconds and if the alarm chirps, it is working.  However, if they are at least 10 years old, it is strongly advised that they should be replaced.  The bottom line is a smoke alarm with a dead battery is not a smoke alarm at all but a piece of plastic, and is endangering everybody in the home.

Keeping the Community Safe One Home at a Time

As many of you are aware, each Saturday the women and men of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue go door to door in their various communities handing out fire safety tips as well as offering to check smoke alarms to ensure they are working. Having working smoke alarms in your home/apartment can help you and your loved ones escape a deadly home fire by providing a vital early warning.

If during the check we find a smoke alarm is not functioning, we take immediate steps to correct this life safety issue by installing a new battery and/or smoke alarm.

The door to door program was initiated by Fire Chief Richard Bowers two years ago after a tragic year in which we lost 13 of our fellow residents in home/apartment fires. That, sadly, was our largest one year loss of life in over 30 years! In many instances there were no working smoke alarms in the home/apartment.

Below, you will find the number of homes we visited during September and October as well as the totals for the last two years. Pretty impressive!

September
Homes Visited: 492
Smoke Alarms Installed: 18
Batteries Installed: 11

October
Homes Visited: 734
Smoke Alarms Installed: 34
Batteries Installed: 40

Grand Totals since program implementation:

Homes Visited: 37,653
Smoke Alarms Installed: 1,158
Batteries Installed: 1,307

And the Survey Says?!

As I am positive all of you are aware, this past weekend we not only moved our clocks back one hour but ALL of us also checked to make sure our smoke alarms were working!

Hopefully you, your family and friends took a few minutes at some point over the weekend to perform this vital life safety check. This led me to wonder: how many of you out there did take the opportunity to check your alarms? In addition, how many of you discovered that one or more alarms were not working and took steps to correct that?

Toward that end, I have placed a very quick survey on the right side bar of the blog to perhaps answer my questions above. Please take a moment to click the answer that relates to your experience.

Also, if you found your alarms were not working and you were unable to fix the issue, please contact MC311 and request help. Our fire and rescue personnel will be more than happy to drop by and help you out. In addition, we provide free batteries and alarms to those who need them but can not afford them.

Put A Finger On It! Time to Check Your Smoke Alarms

Checking your smoke alarms and batteries twice a year to ensure that they are working is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce tragic deaths and injuries from fire. In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire.

The men and women of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) urge ALL residents to check home smoke alarms on a regular basis. Fire Fighters will be out in the community on Saturday offering to check your home smoke alarms to ensure they are working.

“Put a Finger on It!” Fire Chief Richard Bowers recommends that all residents adopt a lifesaving habit by checking your home’s smoke alarms and batteries when changing clocks twice a year. Protect your family in the event of a home fire – change the battery if it is dead or at least yearly!

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service recommend that homeowners follow these tips to help prevent fires, deaths, and injuries:

* Install and maintain smoke alarms on every level of the home

* If your smoke alarm is older than 10 years, it needs to be replaced

* Properly dispose of all smoking materials

* Maintain and properly use gas and electrical appliances.

* Never leave food cooking unattended; turn off the burner if you leave.

* Keep matches and lighters away from children.

* Never leave candles burning unattended.

* Develop and practice a fire escape plan.

Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as two minutes to escape safely. Your ability to get out depends on advance warning from smoke alarms and advance planning—a home fire escape plan that everyone in your family is familiar with and has practiced.

Remember, when you change your clock, check your smoke alarms and batteries – put a finger on it!

Put A Finger On It! Time to Check Your Smoke Alarms

Checking your smoke alarms and batteries twice a year to ensure that they are working is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce tragic deaths and injuries from fire. In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire.

The men and women of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) urge ALL residents to check home smoke alarms on a regular basis.  Fire Fighters will be out in the community on Saturday offering to check your home smoke alarms to ensure they are working.

“Put a Finger on It!” Fire Chief Richard Bowers recommends that all residents adopt a lifesaving habit by checking your home’s smoke alarms and batteries when changing clocks twice a year. Protect your family in the event of a home fire – change the battery if it is dead or at least yearly!

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service recommend that homeowners follow these tips to help prevent fires, deaths, and injuries:

* Install and maintain smoke alarms on every level of the home

* Properly dispose of all smoking materials

* Maintain and properly use gas and electrical appliances.

* Never leave food cooking unattended; turn off the burner if you leave.

* Keep matches and lighters away from children.

* Never leave candles burning unattended.

* Develop and practice a fire escape plan.

Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as two minutes to escape safely. Your ability to get out depends on advance warning from smoke alarms and advance planning—a home fire escape plan that everyone in your family is familiar with and has practiced.

Remember, when you change your clock, check your smoke alarms and batteries – put a finger on it!

Put a Finger On It! Change Your Clock, Check your Smoke Alarms & Batteries

Firefighters Going Door-to-Door this weekend 10/31/09
Checking your smoke alarms and batteries twice a year to ensure that they are working is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce tragic deaths and injuries from fire. In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire.

The men and women of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) urge ALL residents to check home smoke alarms on a regular basis.
“Put a Finger on It!” Fire Chief Richard Bowers recommends that all residents adopt a lifesaving habit by checking your home’s smoke alarms and batteries when changing clocks twice a year. Protect your family in the event of a home fire – change the battery!

Recent surveys conducted by fire fighters after serious fires and the door-to-door Safety in the Neighborhood campaign in Montgomery County have found that nearly half, 50%, of the smoke alarms checked did not work. That is alarming! Smoke alarms DO save lives!

2 – Change Your Clock, Check Your Battery

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service recommend that homeowners follow these tips to help prevent fires, deaths, and injuries:

* Install and maintain smoke alarms on every level of the home

* Properly dispose of all smoking materials

* Maintain and properly use gas and electrical appliances.

* Never leave food cooking unattended; turn off the burner if you leave.

* Keep matches and lighters away from children.

* Never leave candles burning unattended.

* Develop and practice a fire escape plan.

Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as two minutes to escape safely. Your ability to get out depends on advance warning from smoke alarms and advance planning—a home fire escape plan that everyone in your family is familiar with and has practiced.

Because fires can grow and spread so quickly, having working smoke alarms in your home can mean the difference between life and death. Once the alarm sounds, you may have as few as two minutes to escape. Smoke alarms are the most effective early warning devices available. Remember, when you change your clock, check your smoke alarms and batteries – put a finger on it!

NOTE:

Firefighters will be going door-to-door throughout neighborhoods this weekend in conjunction with the “Change Your Clock/Change Your Battery” initiative and the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service “Safety in Our Neighborhood” campaign. To date, in the past 10 months, nearly 28000 homes have been visited and more than 900 smoke alarms and over 1000 batteries have been changed or installed.

Montgomery County residents may schedule a home safety evaluation by calling the Home Safety Hotline at (240)777-2476.

NEWS ADVISORY

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 4, 2009

Montgomery County Fire Fighters “Spring into Action”
to Get Residents Ready And Creating a Culture of Preparedness and Safety

“Sounds of Silence – Could be Tragic”

The message is simple – check smoke alarms and have an escape plan.

A campaign will focus on all Montgomery County residents to be reminded to change the battery in their smoke alarm when they change their clock to reflect changing from daylight savings time to standard time this coming weekend on Sunday, March 8, 2009.

Get into a life saving habit – “Change Your Clock – Change Your Battery”.

Remember – the message is simple:

Develop an Escape Plan – Identify two ways out of each room in your home, identify a meeting place for your family outside, practice your plan at least twice a year when you change your clock. Once Outside – Account for all family members at your designated meeting place, call 911 from a safe location, never go back inside a burning building for any reason. Inform arriving firefighters if everyone got out and where the fire is located.

Spring Into Action – to get ready

Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives – Ensure you have a working smoke alarm on each floor of your home, additional smoke alarms can be placed in sleeping and kitchen areas, test your smoke alarms monthly, change the battery when you change your clock twice a year, if your smoke alarms are powered by your homes electrical system consider installing battery powered smoke alarms as a back up in case of a power outage. “Put a Finger on It” smoke alarms are effective only if they work!

Unfortunately, each year people die in residential fires that were started by preventable causes, such as unattended cooking, improperly discarded smoking materials, candles left burning unattended, space heaters, and child fire play. These are lives that can be saved. Smoke alarms save lives!

Citizens and residents that combine common sense fire and injury prevention habits with a working smoke alarm will increase the probability that even if a fire should ever occur in their home, that everyone will get out alive. Help us to help you, ensure you have at least one working smoke alarm in your home and plan an escape plan with your family. “Put a Finger on It.”
When home fire sprinklers are used with working smoke alarms, your chances of surviving a fire are greatly increased. Sprinklers are affordable - they can increase property value and lower insurance rates. In addition, a one-time property tax break is available for those who “retro-fit” their homes. Montgomery County is the largest jurisdiction in the United States to require residential sprinklers in all newly constructed homes.

Firefighters want all residents to know to always remember - If a fire starts in your home GET OUT and call 911 IMMEDIATELY closing the door to the room on fire as you go! DO NOT DELAY as fire doubles in size every minute.

For more information or if you are a Montgomery County resident and would like a FREE home safety evaluation call the Safety in Our Neighborhood – Home Inspection Hotline at 240.777.2476.