Fire House Facts
Date:
10/21/2009Summary:
Sunday October 11, 2009 through Saturday October 17, 2009Contact:
The Yuma Fire Department responded to 206 emergency calls for service
- 10 Commercial Assignments
Including: Burning food on a stove while the occupant slept in an apartment, an oven fire at an apartment, a trash can on fire on the back porch of a residence, a commercial hood activation, and various alarms - 18 Motor Vehicle Crashes
Including: 1 involving a pedestrian, 1 involving a house, 2 involving a pole, 1 head on collision, and 1 involving 3 vehicles - 1 Hazardous Materials Responses
Including: A call for the smell of gasoline outside - 1 Mutual Aid Assignment
Including: A water tender response to assist another agency - 158 Other Medical Emergencies (serious to minor)
Including: 5 for difficulty breathing, 13 for chest pain, 18 fall victims, 6 unconscious people, 5 seizure cases, 4 diabetic emergencies, 3 possible strokes, 1 allergic reaction, 10 patients with mental problems, 4 calls for a child locked inside of a vehicle, and misc. other illnesses and injuries - 18 Special Duty, Public Assistance, and Residential Assignments
Including: A fire in a bedroom started by a 5 year old, an explosion at a residence that resulted in a fire, smoking food on the stove that set off an alarm, 2 vehicle fires, and various alarms
Smoke Alarms Save Lives
Every year more than 3000 people die in fires in the United States. It is estimated that half of those that died may have lived, if there had been a working smoke alarm in the home. Most homes these days are equipped with smoke alarms, but due to poor maintenance (often batteries are found to be dead or disconnected) many of these alarms fail to work properly when a fire occurs.
Batteries should be replaced at least once a year and alarms should be tested monthly. Combine these tests with doing home fire drills (your kids do them at school and they are just as important at home!) and your children will be more likely to recognize the sound of the alarm and take the proper action in a real emergency.
It is recommended to do your annual battery replacement in connection with some annual event. In many parts of the country that is when they change clocks back to standard time in the fall. There are even long life 10 year lithium batteries now available to install in smoke alarms. It is also recommended to replace smoke alarms every 10 years.
Smoke alarms save lives, and they are some of the cheapest insurance you can buy, but they will do no good if they are not working properly. For more information about fire and injury prevention, contact the Yuma Fire Department Public Information Office at 373-4855.
