Smoke Detectors When fire occurs in your home, your chances for survival are two times better when smoke detectors are present than when they are not. Smoke detectors, when properly installed and maintained (following manufacturer's directions), provide an early warning when a fire occurs. This early warning increases your likelihood of survival and gives the fire department a better chance to save more of your property. Safety Advice 1. For your protection, install a smoke detector outside of each bedroom or sleeping area and on every level of your home. 2. Keep your smoke detectors properly maintained. Test them at least once each month to ensure that they are working properly. Batteries in battery-operated detectors should be changed at least once yearly. Use only the type of batteries recommended on the detector. 3. If your smoke detector sounds an alarm when no smoke is present, consult with the New Boston Fire Department. If smoke from cooking materials causes the detector to sound an alarm, do not remove the batteries or disconnect the power source. Simply fan the smoke away from the detector until the alarm stops. If this happens frequently, it may be necessary to relocate the detector or to install a different type of detector. 4. Develop an escape plan and review it with all members of the family frequently. Be aware that children and elderly people may need special assistance should fire occur. Establish a meeting place outside the house for all members of the family to assure that everyone gets out safely. If a fire starts, get out of the house and use a neighbor's telephone to notify the fire department.   Smoke Detector Maintenance Test - Test your smoke detector at least once a month by pushing the test button. You may also use canned test smoke, do not try to produce your own smoke to test your smoke detector. Clean - Clean your detector at least once a year. Dust with a vacuum cleaner. Replace - Replace the battery each year. Use the battery type listed on the detector. Facts · In Ohio, there is a residential fire every half hour. · Over 75% of fire deaths occur in residences. · The installation of just one smoke detector doubles your chances of escaping a nighttime fire. · When you purchase a smoke detector, be sure that it contains the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) label. In support of smoke detector effectiveness, many cities and states have laws requiring the installation of smoke detectors in dwellings. Check with the New Boston Fire Department or State Fire Marshal for further information. Smoke Detectors Save Lives The majority of fatal home fires happen at night when people are asleep. Contrary to popular belief, the smell of smoke may not wake a sleeping person. The poisonous gases and smoke produced by a fire can numb the senses quickly and put you into a deeper sleep. By sounding an alarm and alerting you to a fire in time to escape, an inexpensive household smoke detector can cut your chances of dying in a residential fire in half. Smoke detectors, also known as "smoke alarms," save so many lives that 39 sates have laws requiring them in private homes. Where to Install Because smoke rises, mount detectors high on a wall or on the ceiling. Wall-mounted units should be mounted 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling, and a ceiling-mounted unit should be positioned at least 4 inches from the nearest wall. In rooms with high, pitched ceilings, mount the detector at or near the ceiling's highest point. In open stairways (no doors at the top or bottom), position smoke detectors anywhere in the path of smoke moving up the stairs. But always position smoke detectors at the bottom of closed stairways, such as those leading to the basement, because dead air trapped near the door at the top of a stairway could prevent smoke from reaching the detector's smoke sensor. Don't install a smoke detector too close to a window, door, or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with the unit's operation. In the event of fire, being awakened by a smoke detector can be disorienting. How your family responds in a fire depends on how well you've prepared. · Make sure everyone knows the sound of the detector's alarm and how to respond. · Plan escape routes in advance, and include at least two ways out of each room --especially bedrooms. · Decide on a safe location outside your home, and instruct all residents to meet there in the event of fire so you'll be sure everyone is out. Do not go back into the building. · Practice your escape plan at least twice a year. · Have one person call New Boston Fire Department from a neighbor's phone. Tell the dispatcher your name, address, the exact location of the fire, and whether anyone is still in the building. Stay on the phone until the dispatcher tells you to hang up. · Respond quickly to a smoke alarm as you may have only a minute or two to safely escape.

Carbon Monoxide What is Carbon Monoxide and who is at risk? Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless deadly gas. Because you can't taste or smell it, carbon monoxide can kill you before you know it's there. Everyone is at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning. Medical experts believe, however, that individuals with greater oxygen requirements (such as unborn babies, infants, children, senior citizens and people with coronary or respiratory problems) are at greater risk. Why is Carbon Monoxide so dangerous? The great danger of carbon monoxide is its attraction to hemoglobin in the bloodstream. When inhaled, carbon monoxide bonds with hemoglobin in the blood, displacing the oxygen which cells need to function. When CO is present in the air, it rapidly accumulates in the blood, forming a toxic compound known as carboxyhemoglobin (COHb). Carboxyhemoglobin causes symptoms similar to the flu, such as headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizzy spells, confusion, and irritability. As levels of COHb increase, vomiting, loss of consciousness, and eventually brain damage or even death can result. Where does Carbon Monoxide come from? Carbon Monoxide is a by-product of incomplete combustion, present whenever fuel is burned. It is produced by common home appliances, such as gas or oil furnaces, clothes dryers, ranges, ovens, water heaters, or un-vented space heaters, fireplaces, charcoal grills, and wood burning stoves. Fumes from automobiles also contain carbon monoxide and can enter a home through walls or doorways if a car is left running in an attached garage. All of these sources can contribute to a CO problem in the home. If a home is vented properly and is free from malfunctions, air pressure fluctuations and chimney blockages, carbon monoxide will most likely be safely vented to the outside. But energy-efficient insulation meant to keep warm air in during winter months and cool air in during summer months could cause carbon monoxide to be trapped inside. Furnace heat exchangers can crack, vents and chimneys can become blocked, disconnected or corroded; inadequate air supply for combustion appliances can cause conditions known as down drafting or reverse stacking, which force CO contaminated air back into the home. How Can I Protect myself and my family from carbon monoxide poisoning? The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends installing at least one carbon monoxide detector with an audible alarm near the sleeping area. A detector on every level and in every bedroom provides extra protection. Remember, a carbon monoxide detector is a purchase that could help save your life. Select an Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) listed detector. For an extra margin of safety, choose a self powered, extra sensitive unit that responds to lower levels of carbon monoxide and protects even during a power outage. In addition to installing carbon monoxide detectors, have a qualified professional check all fuel burning appliances, furnaces, venting and chimney systems at least once a year or as recommended by the manufacturer.

Home Fire Escape Plan

· Prepare an escape plan for your home.

· Install and maintain smoke detectors.

· Practice your plan regularly.

· Have a designated meeting place outside your home.

· When you get out, STAY OUT

The following tips can help prevent these careless tragic fires: 1. Never smoke in bed. 2. Only use deep ashtrays that will not overturn easily and are in a secured location. Never balance an ashtray on an arm rest or on your lap. 3. Never empty ashtrays that contain smoldering materials until they are completely out. 4. Check under all chair cushions for discarded smoking materials after entertaining guests. 5.Never smoke around flammables (aerosol spray cans, nail polish, etc.). 6.Check smoke detectors monthly. Do not remove smoke detector batteries. 7. Always leave building when fire alarm sounds. Do not return to building until police officials allow you to do so. 8. Candles are easily knocked over and they can ignite clothing, curtains or bedding materials. If you are a student, remember that burning candles in dormitories is strictly prohibited by Ohio University. 9. Reading lamps should not be mounted on beds or near any combustible materials that could ignite due to heat generated by the lamp. 10. Unplug all heat generating appliances (clothes iron, curling irons, etc.) before leaving your room. 11. Do not wait for a fire to learn a secondary means of escape from your place of residence. 12. Practice safe cooking habits. If you are a student, only cook in dormitories where it is permitted!: Turn all pot handles in towards the stove. Never leave cooking unattended. Never cook while wearing loose-fitting clothing which could catch fire. If a pan should catch fire, keep a lid nearby to cover the pan. Call 911. Do not attempt to carry the pan outside or to a sink. Remember, in case of an emergency,