Winter & Holiday Fire Safety tips orth Strabane NORTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP NEWS
North Strabane Township Fire Department
The officers and members of the North Strabane Fire Department sincerely thank the residents, patrons and visitors for attending the Open House that was held on September 9th. A special thanks is extended to the sponsors that made donations or gave their time to help make this a great event. It was our best turnout ever!
The department is already planning for next year! Look for a date and time in the next issue!
The department extends its sincere gratitude to the Canon McMillan School District for its support during Fire Prevention week! This year members teamed up with Canonsburg Fire Department, Muse Fire Department, Lawrence Fire Department and Cecil # 10 Fire Department to ensure fire prevention programs and education were made available to students in the district. It was a busy week but, with the help of the District, it went off without a hitch!
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Firefighter / EMT Joey Wasik began his fire service career 12 years ago at the age of 16 with the McDonald VFD. He rose to the rank of assistant chief. A lifelong Cecil Township resident and a 2008 Canon-McMillan graduate, he also holds a bachelor’ s degree from Robert Morris University, a master’ s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and is a PA State Fire Academy Local Level Instructor.
Shortly after joining the North Strabane Township as a part-time firefighter in November of 2016, Joey was hired by Prince William County( VA) Department of Fire & Rescue. He has now returned to North Strabane Township as a full-time firefighter. When he’ s not at a firehouse, Joey enjoys playing and watching hockey. More importantly though, he enjoys spending time with his goddaughter, Fiona, and her older brother, Zander, as well as his niece Brooke.
Winter & Holiday Fire Safety tips orth Strabane NORTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP NEWS
With winter and the holiday season upon us, the following are some useful tips that will help to keep you safe until the Spring Thaw!
First and foremost, working smoke detectors are a must in all homes. This is the most cost effective safety feature you can have in the event a fire occurs.
• We have just recently turned the clocks back from daylight savings. If you haven’ t changed the batteries in your smoke detector, let’ s get to it!
• If you do not have smoke detectors in your home, the North Strabane Fire Department will provide them to Township residents at no cost!!
In conjunction with smoke detectors, most homes have Carbon Monoxide( CO) detectors. This is a good time to change the batteries and check the age and function of these devices.
• Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Most often, CO incidents occur during the winter months.
• CO detectors have a life span of 10 years max. If they are nearing that age or beyond, please replace then!
Make sure to have heating appliances and fireplaces checked by a professional prior to use for the season. Faulty heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires and carbon monoxide incidents during the winter months.
• If using a wood burning stove or fireplace, make sure that flues are open and clear prior to starting a fire.
• When clearing ashes, use metal containers only. Store ashes outside at least 10 feet from any structures.
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During the holiday season, we tend to enjoy the sight and smell of a burning candle. Here are a couple of quick tips for candle safety.
• Always keep a burning candle within sight. Extinguish all candles when leaving a room or before going to sleep. Be sure the wick ember is no longer glowing.
• Never burn a candle on or near anything that can catch fire. Keep burning candles away from furniture, drapes, bedding, carpets, books, paper, flammable decorations, etc.
Holiday lights and decorations always make the season more festive. Here are a couple of decorating tips from the North Strabane Fire Department!
• Keep live trees away from heat sources. Place your tree away from fireplaces and heaters.
• Hydrate your tree. A dried-out tree can catch fire faster than one that has been properly watered. Check the water level every other day to ensure proper hydration. Starting with a green tree is one way to keep it from drying out so quickly.
• Double-check your lights for safety. Replace any lights with frayed wires, broken sockets, and loose connections. Turn off all lights when you go to bed and before leaving the house to avoid a short that could start an electrical fire.
• Prevent electrical cord damage. Don’ t mount lights in a way that might damage the cords, and avoid using nails or tacks. Use hooks or insulated staples instead.
As always, if you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to contact us at 724-745-1010