Safety Tips

House Numbers

Remember at night to leave a porch light on, it will help us find your house. We have a program at our department to provide reflective address signs at a minimal cost. When purchased, we will then install the sign for you at no cost.

Please Contact Firefighter Dennis Shelton at 240-674-1671 for more details.

Proper Use of Space Heaters

• The importance of operating space heaters properly is extremely important. Whether they are kerosene, electric or gasoline, all space heaters should be used with the following precautions in mind:
  • Keep heaters at least three feet away from furniture, curtains, bedding and other combustible materials
  • Never leave home without turning off an operating portable heating device
  • Do not place wet clothing on the heater to dry them
  • Provide adequate ventilation
  • Teach children the hazards of being burned
  • Ensure that a properly operating smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector are installed

Home Escape Planning is Key to Fire Surival

• We would like to remind our citizens that proper planning is one of the best ways to escape injury or death in a home fire.
• Take time with your family to develop a home escape plan for your house. Every room should have two ways out. Rooms without direct access to the ground should be equipped with a safety ladder. The family should decide on a designated meeting place outside the house to avoid confusion and ensure that no one goes into the home to look for someone who is already outside.
• The escape plan should be practiced at least once to work out any problems. Also, it's a good idea to run through the plan periodically to ensure that everyone is familiar with it.
• Repeat this process when traveling and sleeping in an unfamiliar location, such as a relative's home or a hotel.

FIREPLACE ASHES

With cold weather approaching, we would like to remind you to properly dispose of fireplace ashes.

Fireplace ashes, although they may appear to be cold, will remain hot for several days. To ensure proper disposal, always place ashes in a metal container with a tight-fitting lid and place it on a non-combustible surface, such as gravel or bricks. The container should be at least three feet from any combustible materials. Also, make sure leaves and pine tags do not accumulate around the container.

Remember, the only way to ensure that ashes are completely extinguished is to wet them down with a garden hose. Under no circumstances should ashes ever be placed in a paper bag or cardboard box. Ashes should never be removed from the fireplace and left inside the house, even if they are in a proper container. 

Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries.

Smoke alarms save lives. If there is a fire in your home, smoke spreads fast and you need smoke alarms to give you time to get out. Having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half. Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

Here's what you need to know!

• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home.
• Test your smoke alarms every month.
• When a smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside.
• Replace all smoke alarms in your home every 10 year
• Download the NFPA FPW infograph highlighting proper smoke alarm pacement HERE