Beach Park Fire Department

nbspFireplacespHave your chimney inspected by a professional at least once a year and have it cleaned if necessary. Always use a fire screen and burn only material appropriate for fireplaces. Never burn trash or paper in a fireplace burning paper can float up your chimney and onto your roof or into your yard. Remove ashes in a metal container. Never store ashes in your home. Add wood to fireplaces carefully sparks can fly into the room while the screen is open.ppCandlesppBefore you light them put candles in non-tip candle holders. Never burn candles near a Christmas tree or combustible decorations or displays. Keep candles well away from curtains and other combustibles and never put candles in windows or near exits. Dont leave candles burning unattended or within the reach of small children. Extinguish candles before you leave a room or go to bed.ppCarbon MonoxideppstrongWhat is itstrongbrCarbon monoxide CO is an invisible odorless gas that is produced by burning common fuels. In the home heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel are potential sources of carbon monoxide. Vehicles or generators running in an attached garage or near a window or door can also produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.ppstrongWhat is the Danger strongbr- CO enters your body through breathing.br- CO poisoning can be confused with the flu food brpoisoning and other illnesses. Symptomsbrinclude headache nausea dizziness light-headedness and shortness of breath.br- Extremely high levels of CO can cause death within minutes. A person can be poisoned by a small amount ofbrCO over a long period of time or by a large amount of CO over a short period of time.ppstrongIf the CO Alarm Sounds…strongbr- Move outdoors and account for everyone in the home.br- Call 911 from the fresh-air location. Remain at the fresh-air location until Emergency personnel arrive to help.br- If the alarms trouble signal sounds check for low batteries.ppstrongReducing the Carbon Monoxide Riskstrongbr- Have your fuel burning home equipment fireplaces furnaces wood and coal stoves space and portable heatersbrinspected by a professional every year.br- Keep dryer stove furnace and fireplace vents clear of ice snow dirt leaves and other debris.br- Never use your oven to heat your home.br- Only use barbecue grills and generators outside away from all doors windows and vent openings. Never usebrthem in the home or garage or near building openings.p

pMost home fires occur in the kitchen while cooking and are the leading cause of injuries from fire. Common causes of fires at night are carelessly discarded cigarettes sparks from fireplaces without spark screens or glass doors and heating appliances left too close to furniture or other combustibles. These fires can be particularly dangerous because they may smolder for a long period before being discovered by sleeping residents.ppHome fires are preventable The following are simple steps that each of us can take to prevent a tragedy.ppstrongCookingstrongpulliStay in the kitchen when you are frying grilling or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time turn off the stove.liliWear short close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking.liliDo not cook if you are sleepy have been drinking alcohol or have taken medicine that makes you drowsy.liliKeep children away from cooking areas by enforcing a kid-free zone of 3 feet around the stove.liliPosition barbecue grills at least 10 feet away from siding and deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.liulpstrongSmokingstrongpulliIf you smoke smoke outside. Most home fires caused by smoking materials start inside the home. Put your cigarettes out in a can filled with sand.liliMake sure cigarettes and ashes are out. The cigarette really needs to be completely stubbed out in an ashtray. Soak cigarette butts and ashes in water before throwing them away. Never toss hot cigarette butts or ashes in the trash can.liliCheck for cigarette butts. Chairs and sofas catch on fire fast and burn fast. Dont put ashtrays on them. If people have been smoking in the home check for cigarettes under cushions.liliNever smoke in a home where oxygen is used even if it is turned off. Oxygen can be explosive and makes fire burn hotter and faster.liliBe alert – dont smoke in bed If you are sleepy have been drinking or have taken medicine that makes you drowsy put your cigarette out first.liulpstrongElectrical and Appliance SafetystrongpulliFrayed wires can cause fires. Replace all worn old or damaged appliance cords immediately and do not run cords under rugs or furniture.liliBuy electrical products evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories UL.liliIf an appliance has a three-prong plug use it only in a three-slot outlet. Never force it to fit into a two-slot outlet or extension cord.liliUse electrical extension cords wisely never overload extension cords or wall sockets.liliImmediately shut off then professionally replace light switches that are hot to the touch and lights that flicker.liulpstrongPortable Space HeatersstrongpulliKeep combustible objects at least three feet away from portable heating devices.liliBuy only heaters evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories UL.liliCheck to make the portable heater has a thermostat control mechanism and will switch off automatically if the heater falls over.liliCheck with your local fire department on the legality of kerosene heater use in your community.liliOnly use crystal clear K-1 kerosene in kerosene heaters. Never overfill it. Use the heater in a well-ventilated room.liulpstrongFireplaces and WoodstovesstrongpulliInspect and clean woodstove pipes and chimneys annually and check monthly for damage or obstructions.liliNever burn trash paper or green wood.liliUse a fireplace screen heavy enough to stop rolling logs and big enough to cover the entire opening of the fireplace to catch flying sparks.liliMake sure the fire is completely out before leaving the house or going to bed.liliStore cooled ashes in a tightly sealed metal container outside the home.liulpstrongChildrenstrongpulliTake the mystery out of fire play by teaching children that fire is a tool not a toy.liliStore matches and lighters out of childrens reach and sight preferably in a locked cabinet.liliTeach children not to pick up matches or lighters they may find. Instead they should tell an adult immediately.liliNever leave children unattended near operating stoves or burning candles even for a short time.liliCheck under beds and in closets for burned matches evidence your child may be playing with fire.liulpstrongMore Prevention TipsstrongpulliAvoid using lighted candles.liliNever use the range or oven to heat your home.liliReplace mattresses made before the 2007 Federal Mattress Flammability Standard. Mattresses made since then are required by law to be safer.liliKeep combustible and flammable liquids away from heat sources.liliPortable generators should NEVER be used indoors and should only be refueled outdoors or in well ventilated areas.liulpp

pOctober is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.nbsp Every year the Beach Park Fire Department sells t-shirts and hoodies to help support this cause.nbsp If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt or hoodie they are available at our Station 1.nbsp For additional info please contact us at 847 662-2642.ppT-Shirts SMLXL 12.00ppHoodies LXL2XL 20.00ppZip-up Hoodies LXL 30.00p

pIn 1980 the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association adopted a new program called Keep the Wreath Red. This program was founded by the Naperville IL Fire Department in 1954. Keep the Wreath Red has become an annual event with fire departments participating all across Illinois. This program is designed to focus an awareness of safety while decorating our homes for the holidays.How the programs works is quite simple the local fire department places a wreath on the front of their building and lights it with a string of red lights. The wreaths remain lit twenty-four hours a day throughout the holiday season. Whenever a fire occurs that is a result of holiday decorations a white bulb replaces a red bulb on the wreath. This serves as a constant reminder to practice safety while installing and displaying holiday decorations.Some suggestions to help make this holiday season safer arepp- Keep the use of extension cords to a minimumpp- If extension cords must be used make sure they are free of cracked or split insulation and have appropriate grounding plugs in placepp- Keep all electrical wiring out of walkways or places where they may become pinched or wornpp- Read the packaging for all lights to be sure you are not overloading your electrical circuits- Check the electrical wiring often for possible problemspp- Do not use candles on or near combustible decorations- Do not leave burning candles unattendedppBeach Park Fire Protection District December 2014p

pIn addition to replacing the smoke detector batteries every six months or so you should also consider replacing the entire smoke detector 5 to 7 years. brstrongSmoke detectors beep or chirp not just when they needed a new battery but also when the smoke detector needed to be replacedstrong.brbrSmoke Detectors….. Lets go through a quick checklist of things you can do to try to figure out why your smoke detector is chirping regularlybrbrstrong1. Is there SmokestrongnbspIf there is smoke get out of the house. If there is no smoke go to step 2brbrstrong2. Check the BatteriesstrongnbspObviously this is the first thing to check and replace. Dont use rechargeable or cheapy batteries here. All the smoke detectors Ive ever seen want alkaline batteries. I dont usually splurge for name brand batteries but I do for my smoke detectors. Use a new fresh pack from the store. Really. It does make a difference.brbrstrong3. Check the Expiration DatestrongnbspAs you just read smoke detectors and other devices like them usually have expiration dates. Even if youre off by a year or so youre probably better off replacing the whole unit ahead of schedule.brbrstrong4. Clean It OutstrongnbspYes smoke detectors usually mount on the ceiling or in high places but that doesnt mean they are immune from dust collection cobwebs or even nesting bugs and spiders. When you have your smoke detector down you can try blowing it out with a can of compressed air.brbrstrong5. Read the ManualstrongnbspDont still have the manual You can find most online now if you use Google and search for the brand of the smoke detector as well as the model. Still cant find it Go to step 6.brbrstrong6. Call the ManufacturerstrongnbspThis is sort of a last resort and they will likely tell you to do some of the same things that are listed here. That being said they might have some other tricks or they might know if a particular batch of smoke detectors had any issues or recalls.brbrstrongIf you need any assistance please call the fire station at 847-662-2642.strongbrbrnbspp