Candle Fire Safety

With the holidays fast approaching and the increased usage of seasonal decorations, it is important to focus on candle fire safety and prevention. Because the majority of candle fires result from human error and negligence, candle fires and their associated casualties are preventable.

• If possible, avoid using lighted candles.


• If you must use candles, ensure they are placed in sturdy holders.


• Keep candles away from children and pets.


• Be sure to extinguish candles after each use.


• Never leave burning candles unattended.

In the event of a fire, remember time is the biggest enemy and every second counts!

Escape first, and then call for help. Develop a home fire escape plan and practice it frequently with your family. Designate a meeting place outside. Make sure everyone in the family knows two ways to escape from every room.

Never stand up in a fire, always crawl low under the smoke, and try to keep your mouth covered. Never return to a burning building for any reason: it may cost you your life.
Finally, having a working smoke alarm dramatically increases your chances of surviving a fire.

For more information:

http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/focus/

Mike

EMS activity for actors

On Thursday, November 5 the current EMS Academy will need actors to participate for their EMS final exam. This is an outstanding opportunity to not only help out the Fire Dept. but come away with some excellent knowledge. Located at the Fire & Rescue Academy 1730 to 2230, contact Don Melick emsking@verizon.net

Change your clock, change your battery

This Saturday night, as you are packing up the Halloween candy, be sure to turn your clock back. WHile doing so, also change out the battery in your smoke alarm. Also, if your alarm is close to 10 years old, replace it.

For more information on smoke alarms, visit the USFA website:

http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/focus/smoke_alarms.shtm

Mike

Halloween Fire Safety

Halloween is fast approaching and here are a few fire safety tips to help make the spooky season a lot less scary.

Buy only costumes, wigs and props labeled flame-resistant or flame-retardant. If you are making your own costume, choose material that won't easily ignite if it comes into contact with heat or flame. Avoid using billowing or long trailing features. If your child is wearing a mask, make sure the eye holes are large enough so they can see out.

Provide children with lightweight flashlights to carry for lighting or 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 heaters.
It is safest to use a flashlight or battery-operated candles in a jack-o-lantern. If you use a real candle, use extreme caution. Make sure children are watched at all times when candles are lit. When lighting candles inside jack-o-lanterns, use long fireplace-style matches or a utility lighter. Be sure to place lit pumpkins well away from anything that can burn including trick-or-treaters, doorsteps, walkways and yards.

Remember to keep exits clear of decorations, so 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. (Have them practice stopping immediately, dropping to the ground, covering their face with hands, and rolling over and over to put the flames out.)

Use flashlights as alternatives to candles or torch lights when decorating walkways and yards. They are much safer for trick-or-treaters, whose costumes may brush against the lighting.

If your children are going to Halloween parties at others’ homes, have them look for exits and plan how they would get out in an emergency. We know training and exercising your kids to exit a structure which may be on fire is part of your home safety plan, but it is important to emphasis they need to do this on their hands and knees after they have identified a way to get out. Haunted Houses are specifically designed to disorient people, and with open candles, candles in pumpkins and mulitiple extension cords in use, it is imperative to find a way to exit as soon as you enter.



Lastly, be sure to brush your teeth after eating all that candy.





Mike

THANK YOU ACTORS!

CERT classes 40 & 41 conducted their final exercise of their training Saturday. They were supported with 78 actors who came out in the rain to simulate a mass disaster. The CERT students were most appreciative of the time donated and the acting abilities of these volunteers. The weather just made the drill so much more realistic. A special shout out to Robinson Secondary School for such a great turn-out. We hope you all enjoyed the day and you will consider taking a CERT course in the future, as well as being an actor again. Thanks for your help!

Upcoming actor opportunities

Our actors are always in demand and we receive a constant stream of requests for their help. These opportunities not only help train first responders, but as an actor you always come away with a bit of knowledge--win-win. Consider volunteering.

These are the upcoming opportunities available:

OCT 29 - 0900-1700 Fort Belvoir, past events have been awesome, contact Michael Guditus, Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management 571-350-1011 for details.

NOV 6-8 - 1900-0100 Urban Search & Rescue, Three days/nights of fun with our nationally recognized rescue teams and dogs. Lots of different shift times. Contact (Capt) Ramiro.Galvez@fairfaxcounty.gov or Rick.Schmidt@fairfaxcounty.gov for information by no later than Nov 2.

NOV 14-VRE Emergency Simulation Drill, rescue on a train! For details gotrains@vre.org

****H1N1,MRC and CERT-important clinic operational changes for you***

Dear CERT and Fire and Rescue Volunteers:

I would like to thank everyone for stepping up and volunteering their time to help with the H1N1 vaccination clinics.
As you can see from the email below, the Health Department has had to change their distribution plan. As of now, there will only be one Vaccination Clinic held at the Government Center on Saturday, October 24th, open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Due to the anticipated crowds, MRC is still in need of CERT volunteers from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

If you would still like to volunteer, please send an email to Dana Powers at dana.powers@fairfaxcounty.gov indicating that you are willing to help out. Please specify the hours that you are available to be there.In addition, please include your CERT class number and a valid phone number. As with the previous request, CERT basic, CERT 2 and CERT 3 members are elgible to participate.

At this time, we do not have a point of contact or any other specific information relating to this event. The Medical Reserve Corps will keep us informed as plans progress.

Thank you again for your help with this very important operation.


Jeffrey F. Katz
Volunteer Liaison
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue
jeffrey.katz@fairfaxcounty.gov

On the evening of October 16, the Fairfax County Health Department was informed about 2009 H1N1 vaccine production delays, which has impacted the entire nation and resulted in uneven availability. As a result, the Health Department has had to adjust mass vaccination plans to match the limited supply of vaccine currently available, which is significantly less than anticipated.


The Health Department currently does not have enough vaccine available for the vaccination effort we planned to hold in the ten schools on October 24 and 25. Instead, the amount of vaccine currently available will be distributed to children (age range to be defined later this week) and pregnant women on Saturday, October 24 at the Fairfax County Government Center, located at 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035 .