Going on Vacation? Safety Starts Before You Leave Home

·         Never put your home address on your luggage tags. Write your phone number instead.

·         Make copies of all of your credit cards, important identification information, including your medical insurance cards. Take one copy with you (pack it separately from the cards themselves) and leave one copy at home.

·         Make sure all of the doors and windows to your home are secured and locked. It sounds like a no-brainer but many thieves gain access through unlocked windows and doors. 

·         Never post your travel plans on social media networks. The pictures of your non-stop fun and adventures are great – just wait until you return home to post.

·         Let your trusted neighbors know you’ll be away so they can keep an eye on your home while you are away.

·         Have your mail held at the post office and your newspaper delivery put on hold or ask a family member, friend or neighbor to pick them up for you.

·         Set automatic timers to turn your lights on.

A Safer Home Is Just A Click Away

As part of MCFRS’ on-going commitment to innovation and building a safer County, the Community Outreach Section of the Division of Volunteers Services & Community Outreach has launched a new, on-line tool designed to efficiently manage and streamline requests for home safety and smoke alarm checks for County residents.

Most fires in the home are preventable and the effects can be devastating.

It’s important that you know how to reduce the chances of a fire starting in your home and how to keep yourself, your family and your home safe from fire. This new tool will provide residents with a fast and convenient way to request a home safety visit.

What is a home fire safety visit?
Representatives from the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service will visit your home and offer advice on how to make your home safe and where appropriate smoke alarms should be located and installed for free.

Who is eligible?
Residents of Montgomery County may request a free home safety visit. The installation of free alarms is targeted to high risk individuals that include older people and senior citizens, individuals with mobility, vision or hearing impairments and residents who may have a disability or be economically challenged.

The on line tool can be easily accessed via desktop, web or mobile device. Go here to learn more: Schedule a Home Safety Evaluation 

Safety Saturday!

This may be a sight you will see in your neighborhood later today. Our Firefighters going door to door to hand out safety tips and offer to check smoke alarms! ‪

This is part of our Summer of Safety program.  Have a great, and SAFE, weekend!

Fire Chief Steve Lohr Kicks Off a “Summer of Safety”

Chief Lohr speaking to Fox 5 News June 19

On Thursday June 19th, Fire Chief Steve Lohr kicked off a “Summer of Safety” campaign that expands Safety In Our Neighborhood program and After the Fire initiatives.  This summer, MCFRS personnel will focus on weekly themes to highlight efforts on specific and relevant hazards like pool safety, BBQ grill safety, cooking safety, senior safety initiatives and others.  The goal of our “Summer of Safety” campaign is to more aggressively prevent the 9-1-1 call and maintain our residents focus on overall safety.

As Montgomery County’s elderly population steadily grows, we need to address an almost epidemic level of non-working smoke alarms and build awareness regarding important legislative changes to Maryland’s new Smoke Alarm Law. Too many County residents have lost their lives this year to tragic and preventable drowning events, pedestrian collisions and fires.  Fire Chief Lohr is asking each of you to join him in this Call to Action to do everything possible to prevent the 911.   

upon the impressive work being done thru the department’s

MCFRS urges each of you to check out our Safety in Our Neighborhood web site for resources.

The currently scheduled themes for this summer are below:

Saturday, June 21^st – Pool and Water Safety Week

Saturday, June 28^th –Leave Fire Works to the Professionals

Saturday, July 5^th – BBQ Grill Safety Week

Saturday, July 12^th – Home Escape planning week

Saturday, July 19^th – Child Passenger Safety

Saturday, July 26^th – Cooking Safety Week

Saturday, August 2^nd – Get Alarmed Montgomery County Week!  All emphasis on working smoke alarms

Saturday, August 9^th – Fair Week

Saturday, August 16^th – Senior Safety Themes

Saturday, August 23^rd – Back to School Safety Week – Pedestrian Safety 

Saturday, August 30^th – Summer of Safety Review Week

Safety First Check List

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service has designed the following safety checklist to promote safety in your home. At Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, we're committed to your safety and believe that education, along with a professional commitment from each of our fire fighters, is your family's best defense against fire. Please review these tips and eliminate any potential hazards in your home ~ it could just save your life.

1. Does your home have smoke alarms on each level of your home? Do you test them monthly?

A working smoke alarm doubles your chances of surviving a fire. Be sure to change the batteries yearly and if your smoke alarm makes a "chirping" sound, the batteries are low and need to be replaced immediately. Consider installing smoke alarms with "long-life" (10-year) batteries. Smoke alarm units should be replaced every eight to ten years according to manufacturer's instructions. Always test your smoke alarms immediately after returning from holiday or after a longer period of absence.

2. Does everyone know what to do in case of a fire?

Create a home escape plan, plan two ways out of every room, choose a meeting place outside where everyone will gather after they've escaped to take attendance and practice your plan with a fire drill today. Make sure that each escape route is as direct as possible.

3. Can we find you if we need to?

Are your house numbers clearly visible from the street? Please provide 5 inch numbers with contrasting background. Seconds count in an emergency.

4. Smoke kills - many people don't know that smoke from a fire is a major cause of fire-related deaths.

Instincts may prompt people to run to safety when they encounter smoke when crawling low under smoke is the best thing to do.

5. Cooking left unattended is the leading cause of home fires

Home-fire injuries often occurring within the first 15 minutes of cooking.

6. Call 9-1-1 and Do Not try to extinguish the fire.

A fire can double in size every 60 seconds and a delay in notifying 9-1-1 can cause further injury/death and property damage.

7. Smoking materials are the leading cause of fire deaths in the United States.

If you must smoke, designate an area to smoke and use large non-tip ashtrays, soak cigarette butts and ashes before discarding. These fires typically start when someone abandoned or improperly disposed of smoking materials. Never smoke in bed, when sleepy/impaired or on medication that makes you drowsy.

8. Don't overload electrical outlets/circuits.

Do not place cords under rugs. Replace any that are cracked, frayed or have loose connections.

9. Be vigilant when using candles.

Keep candles away from anything that can burn and put them out when you leave the room or go to sleep. Over the past decade, the number of candle fires has almost tripled.

10. Do you give space heaters space?

Keep fixed and portable space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn and follow all manufacturer instructions.

11. Do you put ashes from your fireplace or wood stove in a metal container for proper disposal?

Leftover ashes and embers can start fires long after the intended fire has gone out. Properly dispose of ashes in a metal container with a lid - never in a cardboard box, plastic trash can or bag. Store the container outside away from your house/combustible material and never in the garage.

12. Residential fire sprinklers save lives and property.

Sprinklers contain/control fires. Although smoke alarms are essential in every household, they're designed to detect, not control, a fire. Consider the tax benefits when retrofitting your home with residential fire sprinklers.

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue is committed to your safety ~ please help us by conducting a home safety check. Many things around the home can be fire hazards and taking the time to look and eliminate them will greatly reduce your risk.. 

Safety First Checklist

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service has designed the following checklist to promote safety in your home. Many things around the home can be fire hazards and taking the time to look for and eliminate them can greatly reduce your risk.  Please review these tips and help us by conducting a home safety inspection today. 

Do you have smoke alarms on every level of your home?  Install smoke alarms on every level of your home including basements and in all sleeping areas. Test and dust alarms monthly, replace batteries annually and replace any smoke alarms that are 10 years or older. Change the battery immediately if the unit starts making a “chirping” sound alerting you to a low battery.
    
Does everyone know what to do in case of a fire?  
Having a fire escape plan for you and your family and practicing it with a home fire drill can reduce the amount of time it takes to get out of your home safely. In your fire escape plan, have two ways out of each room, a prearranged meeting place outside and, most importantly, ONCE OUT – STAY OUT! Always call 9-1-1 from a safe location.

Can we find you if we need to?
Are your house numbers clearly visible from the street? Please provide 5 inch numbers with contrasting background.

Cooking left unattended is the leading cause of home fires. 
If you must leave the kitchen while cooking, turn off the heat. It’s a recipe for serious injury to wear loose clothing while cooking (such as long or dangling sleeves) or leaving flammable materials such as potholders, dishtowels or paper towels around the stove which can ignite easily. Heat cooking oils gradually and use extra caution when deep-frying. In the event of a fire, turn off the heat source and put a lid on the pan to smother the fire. Never throw water on a grease fire or attempt to move a pan that is on fire.

Smoking is the number 1 cause of home fire deaths. 
If you must smoke, smoke outside. Most home fires caused by smoking materials start inside the home. Use ashtrays with a wide, stable base that won’t tip over and place ashtrays on a surface that will not ignite. Dowse all smoking materials with water before disposal and consider using fire-safe cigaterettes that further reduce fire risk.     

Don’t overload electrical outlets/extension cords/circuits.
Don't overload extension cords by plugging in appliances that exceed the rating of the cord. Replace cracked or worn extension cords, don’t run extension cords under rugs or carpets or in high traffic areas and never plug one extension cord into another.

Use candles with care. 
Candle fires have almost tripled. Keep candles away from anything that can burn and extinguish all candles when leaving the room, going to sleep or leaving the house. Use a flashlight rather than a candle during power outages and consider using battery-powered candles that give the appearance of a flame without having an actual flame.      

Space heaters need space.  
Portable space heaters can quickly warm up a cold room, but they have been the cause of many serious home fires. Keep fixed and portable space heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn and follow all manufacturer instructions. Never dry wet clothing or shoes on space heaters and always turn heaters off when leaving the room or going to sleep.

Can your ashes!
Leftover fireplace ashes and embers can start fires long after the intended fire has gone out. Properly dispose of ashes in a metal container with a lid – never in a paper bag, cardboard box, plastic trash can or bag. Ashes should be kept in a metal container located outside and away from your house to cool. Your garage, house, or deck are dangerous locations for ashes to cool.  

Residential fire sprinklers save lives!Fire Sprinklers are economical, reliable and proven to be the best way to protect your family and home from the dangers of fire. Although smoke alarms are essential in every house, they’re designed to detect, not control or extinguish, a fire. Consider the tax benefits when retrofitting your home with residential fire sprinklers and may even reduce homeowner insurance premiums.   

Got one? GET ONE!
Free smoke alarms are available to qualified Montgomery County residents and free home safety evaluations are available to all residents. 

It Is Fire Prevention Week! Have Two Ways Out Of Your Home In Case Of Fire!

Did you know that this week, October 7 – 13, is Fire Prevention Week?  Of course here at MCFRS we think each and every week during the year should be fire prevention week!

This year’s theme is “Have 2 Ways Out.”  What does that mean?  It means that you and your family need to have a home escape plan in case of fire.  As part of that plan, you should identify at least TWO ways out of your home in case your first way out is blocked by fire or smoke.

To learn how to develop a home escape plan, please see below.  You can download, print out, and sit down with your loved ones to develop a home escape plan TODAY!

Fire Escape Plan Sheet for Web

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

Apartment Fire 14100 Block of Castle Blvd.

This past Saturday, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue units responded for a report of an apartment fire in the 14100 block of Castle Blvd.  Fire Units from Burtonsville Fire Station #15 arrived on the scene and did find a working fire in an apartment.

Click on the photo link from the fire are below to see the others:

Did You Know?

CPSC estimates an annual average of more than 386,000 unintentional residential fires, nearly 2,400 deaths and more than 12,500 injuries each year from 2006 through 2008.


Fire kills and injures!  Make sure you check your smoke alarms today!  Also develop a home escape plan for you and those you love!

What Every Family Needs to Know - take a couple of minutes to talk to your family about fire safety today!

No one wants to think about having a fire at home. But thinking about it and being ready for it can and does save lives. Having working smoke alarms in your home provides early warning if there is a fire. Planning and practicing a home fire drill can prepare you to get out safely. If you think your home is not at risk for a home fire, consider these statistics: every 60 seconds there is a fire in the United States, approximately 4,000 people die in fires annually, and about 80 percent of these deaths occur in the home.

Please take a couple of minutes to talk to your family about fire safety today!  Learn more here: Keep Your Family Safe!

Sincerely,

Chief Bowers and the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

Significant Fire & EMS Incidents From June 27 through July 3

Battalion 1 Incidents

• House Fire in a Detached 2 story structure used as a garage and 2nd floor game room/office. Fire Units arrived to find heavy fire on 1st and 2nd floors. 2nd alarm called for but not used. No reported injuries, no displacements, $150K damage to structure and $100Kto contents.

• Motor Vehicle Crash at Spencerville/Peach Orchard Rd’s – Fire units arrived to find a single-vehicle w/ one person trapped. One patient transported Priority 2 to Shock Trauma.

Battalion 2 Incidents

• Injury on the Billy Goat Trail @ the Potomac River. injured 34 yr old female who was removed by Strike Team 30.

• Garage Fire in the 7900 block of Paloma Ct - report of fire in the attached garage of a single family dwelling. Fire units arrived to find a fire in a trash can in the garage with no extension into the structure.

Battalion 3 Incidents

• Odor in the building in the 5500 block of Security Lane – Fire units responded for an investigation for an "odor of exhaust" in an 11 story (4 levels parking/7 levels business office) high rise office building. Found significant levels of Carbon Monoxide. Quickly located construction activity going on at the P-3 level with multiple gas powered equipment in operation - evacuated 75-100 occupants.

• Chemical Exposure in the 5 block of Mannakee St - Adult female transported to the burn unit via ambulance due to an exposure to a base chemical in a science lab. No damage to building and no operational changes to the classroom.

• Building Fire in the 15100 block of Southlawn Lane - Fire Units arrive to find heavy smoke from the front of a two story warehouse. Fire quickly controlled in coffee roasting machine and extensive smoke prolonged ventilation efforts. No injuries to civilian or Fire personnel. Estimates $25K damage to structure and $100K to contents and lost stock. Likely cause - machine failure.

• Motor Vehicle Crash at Great Seneca Hwy/ Muddy Branch Rd – Fire units on scene with car over the embankment about 75 feet of the road. One patient trapped with serious injuries and one patient with less serious injuries out of the vehicle. Trooper 3 was utilized and both persons were transported.

• Drowning – 18000 block of Cottage Garden Dr. – Fire units arrived to find a 22 month old in bath tub.

• House Fire in the 17100 block of Hughes Rd - Fire units arrived and found a fire above garage & electrical wiring for dryer. $3K in damage and fire confined to area of origin. Lightning strike was the cause.

• Injured Person on the Tow path between Edwards Ferry & Whites Ferry. Bicyclist struck by tree during storm. Fire units found the person DOA.

Battalion 4 Incidents

• Townhouse Fire in the 1600 block of Hugo Circle- Fire units arrived on scene and found smoke showing from the roof of end unit townhouse. Fire on the deck with extension to both floors and attic space from vinyl siding. Second Alarm dispatched and only a couple of the units used. Held fire to townhouse of origin. No injuries. $200K damage to structure and $100K for contents. Two adults displaced.

• House Fire in the 1900 block of Poplar View Ln- Fire units on scene with kitchen fire that was confined by the home fire sprinkler system. No injuries and only $4K in damage.

Battalion 5 Incidents

• Garage Fire in the 23000 block of Davis Mill Rd. Fire units found fire on exterior of garage w/ extension. No Injuries. Loss: $3K structure and $2K contents.

• House Fire in the 25000 block of Woodfield Rd. Fire units found significant fire in the house on three levels plus extension into attic. Two minor Fire Fighter injuries. Loss: $300K to the structure and $100K to the contents.

• House Fire in the 400 block of Fellowship Circle - Residential Duplex in Asbury Village w/fire in the kitchen of unit under construction. Units found small fire in the walls from a plumbers torch. No injuries/displacements. $1K loss.

• Building Fire in the 19200 block of Montgomery Village Avenue - Report of pillar on fire to the front of the occupied restaurant. Fire units found a wooden column on fire, which was quickly extinguished. Cause was improperly discarded smoking materials. $25K loss to structure and no injuries.

• Building Fire in the 700 block of N. Frederick Avenue - Report of fire on the roof. Fire units found roofers had started a small fire on the roof of a 3-story office building. Fire quickly extinguished & extensive overhaul with no injuries/displacements.

Home Safety Make Over

Last Saturday, April 30, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) partnered with Rebuilding Together Montgomery County (RTMC) and over 1,000 community volunteers to repair, rehabilitate and provide safety improvements in the homes of 31 low-income homeowners throughout Montgomery County.

MCFRS is equipped each of the homes with ten-year smoke alarms and other safety enhancements. A couple of photos from the day are below. Remember, working smoke alarms save lives!

MCFRS Senior Outreach Coordinator Matt Kelleher installing a smoke alarm.  Working smoke alarms save lives!

Captain Polikoff with members of Rebuilding America.  Members of Station 23 C-Shift are in the background.

TGIF Safety Tip

If your smoke alarm was installed on or before January 7, 2001 you need to replace it.  Smoke alarms should be replaced, regardless if they are working, every 10 years.   

Test your alarms weekly and have a home fire escape plan!

Have a SAFE weekend!

Bill

Candles + December = TWICE the Number of Home Candle Fires

Did you know that December has almost TWICE the number of home candle fires than an average month?

The various December Holidays are fast approaching and candles are in demand. See and hear a quick presentation on Candle Safety. Do not let your Holidays go up in flames!

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.

Holiday Safety

The holiday season is upon us and everyone out there knows what that means – an increased fire risk! You may want to call me Scrooge but, before you fault the messenger, please take a moment to review some of the important safety information below. No mater what occasion you observe it more than likely involves candles, cooking, and/or trees.

Our friends at the Home Safety Council have some fantastic tips, with some pictographs (like to the right), that highlight steps you should be taking to protect you and your loved ones during this special time of the year. Please take a moment to click on the links below and learn more so that you have a happy and SAFE holiday season!

Stay Safe!  Bill Delaney

Candle Safety

Trim the Tree Safely

Tips for Holiday Electrical Safety

Cooking

June is Home Safety Month!

Just a reminder that June is Home Safety Month! See what tools our friends at the Home Safety Council have to help you make your home safer!

Safety Guide

The Safety Guide includes tips to help you make your entire home safe. Whether you follow a room-by-room approach to home safety or are looking to make seasonal safety improvements to your home, the Safety Guide offers step-by-step tips and photos to help.