Be a Hometown Hero: Volunteer Firefighters

(Page 5 of 5)

February/March 2003
By George DeVault 
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For trash burning, use barrels covered with metal screens. Observe local burning ordinances and weather conditions. If it's windy, postpone burning. Keep a garden hose and other firefighting tools handy.

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Do not store gasoline, kerosene, propane and other fuels in dwellings, including an attached garage.

Have your chimney cleaned and inspected regularly. Keep fire extinguishers and chimney flares handy. Know how to use them.

Practice fire exit drills at home. Agree on a meeting place, to quickly account for everyone. You don't want to send a firefighter into a burning building to look for someone who has already escaped.

Sleep with bedroom doors closed. Keep a whistle by every bed to alert other family members in case of fire.

If your smoke alarm goes off, roll out of bed. Crawl to the door. Feel the door with the back of your hand. If it is warm, escape through the window.

If your clothing catches fire, don't run. Stop, drop and roll! Cover your face with your hands. Use a blanket or heavy coat to smother fire on another person's clothes.

Once outside, stay out! Years ago a man in Emmaus went back inside to call the fire department. He died on the phone. Don't go back into your home for anything. That includes pets. They usually find a way to get out on their own.

For a free fire safety inspection, contact your local fire department. Most are happy to oblige. It's the best way to prevent fires from happening.

The anecdotes in this article come from the nearly 3,000 emergency calls that Mother Earth News contributing editor George DeVault has responded to as a volunteer firefighter in the past 20 years. George is a deputy chief in the Emmaus (Pennsylvania) Fire Department, but his wife, Melanie, outranks him. She is a saint to endure all of this.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities in your area, call your local fire department. Just be sure to use the non-emergency number.
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