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How scared should you be?
Homeland Security Threat Level= YELLOW / ELEVATED
www.fema.gov
WINTER WEATHER SAFETY The trick is to stay warm, but not too warm So far, this winter hasn't been all
that much to contend with in--to use the meteorological term--our neck
of the woods. In fact it's been downright awkward for the
global-warming deniers. Still, many of us like to stoke up the
fireplace as a matter of season, if not temperature. The
International Association of Fire Chiefs conducted a survey of media
reports and determined that in just the first HALF of February 2007,
there were 59 house-fire FATALITIES in the United States, and that the
primary cause of these fatal fires are home heating devices.
Electric heaters, wood burners, kerosene
space heaters and fireplaces are the leading culprits, but these devices
are not inherently unsafe if used properly. Candles are a little
riskier by nature, but the fact is most of these
"winter-oriented" fires are preventable if key safety measures
are followed by a pound or two of common sense:
Maintain heating devices
according to the manufacturer's recommendations, and follow their
instructions for proper use
Don't Leave heating devices
unattended while in use, including while you sleep--and including if you
like to have a few Adult Beverages in the evening
Keep EVERYTHING (bedding,
drapes, furniture etc.) at least 3 feet away from these devices while in
use
Check your gas lines and
fittings for leaks. If they don't pass the "smell test,"
have them repaired
Keep an eye on the kids
around the fireplace. Kids love to fool with fire, and the results
of that can be astonishingly sad.
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Clean and maintain
chimneys & fireplaces--burn seasoned wood or "fake logs"
to keep creosote build-up under control. Creosote is the stuff
that usually catches in a chimney fire, and it should be cleaned
annually at least. You can hire someone to do this, or get
yourself a chimney cleaning tool at your local hardware store (Ingomar
VFC bought theirs at Trader Horn, but it's better if you keep your
chimney clean so that we don't have to do it for you after it catches
fire)
Use a screen or
fireplace glass in front of your fireplace to keep the spitzenspärks
INSIDE the firebox, not out on your rug or angora PJs
Candles are great for
setting fire to drapes--and to your bathrobe when you absently reach
over them. Same goes for the stove on which your cocoa water is
boiling. This goes triple if children or other pets are
around. They make some very realistic battery-powered candles
these days, which are flameless and safe
Got kids around?
Supervise, supervise, supervise. Can't stress that enough.
If all that seems bothersome,
then just remember to STOP, DROP, and ROLL when the time comes, which it
eventually will.
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If your home doesn't
have smoke alarms installed...why not? There's no excuse.
These things are cheap, readily available, and they SAVE LIVES EVERY
DAY. Get some. Try for one per floor and one outside
sleeping quarters. Maintain them--replace the batteries every
time you do the daylight-savings shuffle. Test them once in a
while using the "test" button they all have.
Carbon Monoxide gas
("CO") is colorless, odorless and very
poisonous. It sticks to your red blood cells and you may get a
lethal dose before you even begin to feel ill, and by then just
getting out into fresh air may not help much. CO alarms cost a little
more than smoke detectors, about $20 to start. Reread the first
bit of this bullet point to help you decide whether you
"can" or "cannot" afford a CO detector for your
home/family.
CO is produced by
inefficient or incomplete combustion, and builds up in homes due to
improper ventilation, which is an outstanding reason to check ALL of
your gas-burning appliances at least once each year to make sure
they're working aiight. If you don't know how to check for
proper function, then a call to the Furnace Man
Person is money well spent
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Make certain you have a
family escape plan, and remember to tell your family about it.
Practice it with them, even. Have a designated place nearby
where you'll all meet if you need to evacuate the house individually
(but preferably NOT in your own yard, which in the event of a house
fire will soon fill up with firefighters and equipment)
Once you get out of a
burning house, don't go back inside for any reason. Possessions can be replaced. You're not equipped to do search & rescue
in a burning building, and you'll probably die trying.
Home sprinkler systems
aren't free, but they have been shown to reduce the chances of death in a
house fire by 82 percent when working smoke detectors are also
present.
2008 LOTTERY CALENDARS On Sale Now
The Ingomar Fire 2008 "lottery
calendar" is a full-sized, 12-month calendar suitable for hanging
on the fridge or over your desk, with the usual days, dates, holidays
& observances...but with one important distinguishing feature: each
calendar has a unique three-digit number printed on it. Each day
on the calendar has a dollar amount printed in its block--ranging from
$25 to $100, depending on the day. Each day, we pay the amount
shown in the block to the owner of the calendar with a number matching
the Pennsylvania Daily Lottery Evening number for that day. As of
this writing, we've paid out over $5000.00 to owners of 2007
lottery calendars--and due to the vagaries of probability, several
people have had their number drawn two or even
three times!
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Even if you don't win the big bucks, each calendar is full of
fire-safety tips and money-saving coupons and offers from our sponsor
merchants. And as mentioned, this is a fully-functional calendar
with big empty date blocks where you can write things like
"proctologist, 9 a.m." or "kids go back to school!"
All this for only $20! They make great gifts and best of all, the
proceeds benefit your local fire company--since they're produced
in-house, none of your money gets
siphoned off by administrative costs. You can search
the official Pennsylvania Lottery Daily Number history by clicking here
On July 22, 2004 The National
Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as
the 9-11 Commission), an "independent, bipartisan commission created by
congressional legislation" released its public report, which is available
for download (at no charge) from this
site. The report is also available in bookstores nationwide and from the
US Government Printing Office.
note: 27 pages of the report on the
role of Saudi Arabia in 9/11 were classified by the White House and not
released to the public.
Thinking of having a backyard campfire? Burning a pile of leaves? As usual, there's
a right way and a wrong way to do these things in the Town of
McCandless--"right way" in this case meaning you avoid a visit
from a friendly policeman come to serve you with a friendly
citation. Click HERE to get the straight scoop from the Fire
Marshal concerning "Open Burns."
WEST NILE
VIRUS: Should You be Worried About it?
Short Answer: "No--with a but." Long Answer: "Yes--with an if."
For the full monty on the subject from the CDC, click
here.
We always
welcome visitors to our hall. If you or your group would like to visit, feel free to
drop in anytime you see the doors open. We're usually in the
building on Tuesday evenings, but if you'd like to set something up in
advance, drop an email to our Chief
or President.