Fire House Facts
Date:
11/17/2009Summary:
Sunday November 8, 2009 through Saturday November 14, 2009Contact:
The Yuma Fire Department responded to 208 emergency calls for service
- 7 Commercial Assignments
Including: A stove fire in an apartment caused by unattended cooking in which a smoke alarm alerted occupants, and the sprinkler system extinguished the fire, a water leak at a business, an overheated air conditioner motor, and various alarms - 23 Motor Vehicle Crashes
Including: 1 involving a pedestrian, 2 involving a bicycle, and 1 involving a motorcycle - 157 Other Medical Emergencies (serious to minor)
Including: 6 for difficulty breathing, 16 for chest pain, 22 fall victims, 2 unconscious people, 3 seizure cases, 8 diabetic emergencies, 2 possible strokes, 1 allergic reaction, 19 patients with mental problems, and misc. other illnesses and injuries - 21 Special Duty, Public Assistance, and Residential Assignments
Including: A plastic cup that had fallen onto the heating element inside of a dishwasher creating smoke, a fire in a laundry room at a residence, a palm tree fire that spread to the roof of a residence, a gas line that was accidentally cut in the front yard of a residence, a dumpster fire, a gasoline smell in an area, 2 calls for unauthorized burning of yard debris, and various alarms
Unauthorized Fires
So far 2009 has been busy for the Yuma Fire Department with more than 9600 emergency calls for service. Many of these were Emergency Medical Service (EMS) calls, but there were also a large number of fire related calls. Many of the EMS calls were for accidents that may have been preventable. Many of the fire related calls were for people having fires on their property. Some of these were "party" bonfires and some were for people burning trash or yard debris. Neither of these are allowed without permits.
A bonfire with friends may be just the thing on a cold night out in the desert (in an allowed area, safely maintained and monitored) but it can be a nuisance and a hazard in residential neighborhoods. Fires too close to combustibles and property lines pose the risk of serious fire spread, especially under windy conditions. Un-permitted fires are unlawful and also result in many unnecessary Fire Department responses.
So, use a grill, use a fireplace, and keep cooking/heating fires small and attended (and fully extinguished after use). Also, be aware of weather conditions, such as the wind speed and direction. For information regarding permits for fires on your property in the City of Yuma, contact the Yuma Fire Department at 373-4866.
Follow the Yuma Fire Department on Twitter
Follow the Yuma Fire Department on Twitter. The address is www.twitter.com/YumaFireDept. (This link will take you to an external website that is not part of the City of Yuma official website.)
