As our nation moves back to Standard Time beginning this weekend, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) encourages you to mark the occasion as a time to test your home smoke alarms and replace the batteries if more than one year old.

Every day in the United States, needless home fire deaths occur. Working smoke alarms significantly increase your chance of surviving a deadly home fire. A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you're awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert scanning the air for fire and smoke.

In addition to changing your smoke alarm batteries this weekend, the USFA recommends following these simple steps to protect your life, your loved ones, and your home:

Dust or vacuum smoke alarms when you change the batteries.

Replace the entire alarm if it's more than 10 years old or doesn't work properly when tested.

For the best protection, equip your home with a combination of ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor alarms.

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.

Finally, prepare and practice an escape plan so that you and your loved ones can get out of your home safely should there be a fire. Plan to meet in a place a safe distance from the fire and where first responders can easily see you.

For more information on smoke alarms, fire escape planning, and fire prevention, visit the USFA website at www.usfa.fema.gov/smokealarms.

I know some communities have already had trick-o-treat events but with today being Halloween and several communities having trick-o-treat events tonight I thought it would be a good occassion to mention Halloween Satety Tips for everyone.   We have already suffered with the loss of one individual as a result of a tragic accident in the South Central PA area on thrusday related to vehicles and trick-o-treaters so lets be extra careful tonight and keep our future generation of leaders safe as they enjoy this fun time this evening.

• When Choosing a costume, stay away from billowing or long trailing fabric,  If your child is wearing a mask, make sure the eye holes are large enough so they can see out.

• .Provide children with flashlights to carry for lighting or glow sticks as part of their costume.

• Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper are highly flammable.  Keep these and other decorations well away from all open flames and heat sources including light bulbs and heater

• It is safest to use a flashlight or battery-operated candle in a jack-o-lantern.  If you use a real candle, use extremem caution.  Make sure children are watched at all times when candles are lit.  When lighting candles inside jack-o-lanterns use a long fireplace style match or utility lighter.  Be sure to place the lit pumpkin well away from anything that can burn and far enough and out of the way of trick-or-treaters, doorsteps, and walkways.

• Remember to kepp exits clear of decorations so that nothing blocks escape routes.  

• Tell children to stay away from open flames.  Be sure they know how to stop, drop, and roll if their clothing catches fire.  (It is a good practice to also have the practice stopping immediately, dropping to the ground, covering their face with their hands, and rolling over and over to put out the flames).

You may also print out the Halloween Safety sheet from the NFPA at:

  http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/pdf/public%20education/halloweensafetytips.pdf

As many of you know I asked many of you to vote for me back in September as I was entered into a contest sponsored by Service 1st Restoration for the "Hottest Of" Disaster Recovery Charity 2012 Calendar. 
 
Thanks to every one's assistance I was selected to be one of the individuals to be featured in the 2012 calendar.  
 
This past week the calendars arrived and are available for purchase.    Each calendar cost $15 with 50% of your cost going to Northeast Fire & Rescue Company 20 and 50% going to the Red Cross Disaster Charity.  
 
Calendars are available from me by contacting me direct via email or via cell phone at 717-729-3633.  You may also fill out and send in this Order Form to purchase your own calendar.
 
I would like to thank you for your support in voting for me and your support of Northeast Fire & Rescue/American Red Cross by considering the purchase of a calendar. 

Many may think that Carbon Monoxide and fire prevention are not related but in fact many fire service organizations across the nation responde to and assist with several carbon monoxide alarm incidents every year.   CO Alarms are just as vital in a home as a smoke alarm.   Below is some facts and informaiton on the importance of CO alarms and the dangers of CO exposure. 

Although the popularity of carbon monoxide (CO) alarms has been growing in recent years, it cannot be assumed that everyone is familiar with the hazards of carbon monoxide poisoning in the home.

Often called the silent killer, carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel are potential sources of carbon monoxide. Vehicles or generators running in an attached garage can also produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.

Facts & figures

• The dangers of CO exposure depend on a number of variables, including the victim's health and activity level. Infants, pregnant women, and people with physical conditions that limit their body's ability to use oxygen (i.e. emphysema, asthma, heart disease) can be more severely affected by lower concentrations of CO than healthy adults would be.
• A person can be poisoned by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter amount of time.
• In 2005, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 61,100 non-fire CO incidents in which carbon monoxide was found, or an average of seven such calls per hour.  The number of incidents increased 18 percent from 51,700 incidents reported in 2003. This increase is most likely due to the increased use of CO detectors, which alert people to the presence of CO.

CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.

For additonal informaiton on Co Alarms and CO poisioning click on the NFPA website at http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1706&itemID=41143&URL=Safety%20Information/For%20consumers/Fire%20&%20safety%20equipment/Carbon%20monoxide/Reports%20and%20statistics for more informaiton.