Programs that are responsible for preventing, investigating, controlling and extinguishing fires. Activities include fire safety education, firefighting, investigating the causes of suspicious fires, maintaining equipment and trained firefighters necessary for a quick and efficient response to fires when they occur, and enforcing fire codes which protect lives and property from fires and explosions arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, or from conditions hazardous to life and property in the use or occupancy of buildings or other premises.

Programs that are responsible for preventing, investigating, controlling and extinguishing fires. Activities include fire safety education, firefighting, investigating the causes of suspicious fires, maintaining equipment and trained firefighters necessary for a quick and efficient response to fires when they occur, and enforcing fire codes which protect lives and property from fires and explosions arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, or from conditions hazardous to life and property in the use or occupancy of buildings or other premises.

Programs that are responsible for preventing, investigating, controlling and extinguishing fires. Activities include fire safety education, firefighting, investigating the causes of suspicious fires, maintaining equipment and trained firefighters necessary for a quick and efficient response to fires when they occur, and enforcing fire codes which protect lives and property from fires and explosions arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, or from conditions hazardous to life and property in the use or occupancy of buildings or other premises.

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 gasses and smoke produced by a fire can numb the senses and put you into a deeper sleep. Inexpensive household smoke detectors sound an alarm, alerting you to a fire. By giving you time to escape, smoke detectors cut your risk of dying in a home fire nearly in half. Smoke detectors save so many lives most states have laws requiring them in private homes.

Choosing a Detector

Be sure that the smoke detectors you buy carry the label of an independent testing laboratory. Several types of detectors are available. Some run on batteries, others on household current. Some detect smoke using an "ionization" sensor, others use a "photoelectric" detection system. All approved smoke detectors, regardless of the type, will offer adequate protection provided they are installed and maintained.

Is One Enough?

Every home should have a smoke detector outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. The National Fire Alarm Code, developed by NFPA requires a smoke detector in each sleeping room for new construction On floors without bedrooms, detectors should be installed in or near living areas, such as dens, living rooms, or family rooms. Be sure everyone sleeping in your home can hear your smoke detector's alarms. If any residents are hearing impaired or sleep with bedroom doors closed, install additional detectors inside sleeping areas as well. There are special smoke detectors for the hearing impaired; these flash a light in addition to sounding an audible alarm.

For extra protection, NFPA suggests installing detectors in dining rooms, furnace rooms, utility rooms, and hallways. Smoke detectors are not recommended for kitchens, bathrooms, or garages - where cooking fumes, steam or exhaust fumes could set off false alarms - or for attics and other unheated spaces where humidity and temperature changes might affect a detector's operation.

Where To Install

Because smoke rises, mount detectors high on a wall or on the ceiling. Wall-mounted units should be mounted so that the top of the detector is 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 cm) from the ceiling. A ceiling mounted detector should be attached at least four inches (10 cm) from the nearest wall. In a room with a pitched ceiling, mount the detector at or near the ceiling's highest point. In stairways with 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 a detector located at the top. Don't install a smoke detector too near a window, door, or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with the detector's operation.

Installation.

Most battery-powered smoke detectors and detectors that plug into wall outlets can be installed using only a drill and a screwdriver, by following the manufacturer's instructions. Plug-in detectors must have restraining devices so they cannot be unplugged by accident. Detectors can also be hard-wired into a building's electrical system. Hard-wired detectors should be installed by a qualified electrician. Never connect a smoke detector to a circuit that can be turned off by a wall switch.

False Alarms

Cooking vapors and steam sometimes set off a smoke detector. To correct this, try moving the detector away from the kitchen or bathroom, or install an exhaust fan. Cleaning your detector regularly, according to the manufacturer's instructions, may also help.

If "nuisance alarms" persist, do not disable the detector. Replace the detector.

Maintenance

Only a functional smoke detector can protect you.

Never disable a detector by "borrowing" its battery for another use.

Partnership with the Cattaraugus County Health Department. Purpose is to reduce environmental hazards in the home. Will provide educational materials, allow for the installation of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, child safety latches, fall protection, and testing for lead-based paint and radon.

Programs that are responsible for preventing, investigating, controlling and extinguishing fires. Activities include fire safety education, firefighting, investigating the causes of suspicious fires, maintaining equipment and trained firefighters necessary for a quick and efficient response to fires when they occur, and enforcing fire codes which protect lives and property from fires and explosions arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, or from conditions hazardous to life and property in the use or occupancy of buildings or other premises.

Programs that are responsible for preventing, investigating, controlling and extinguishing fires. Activities include fire safety education, firefighting, investigating the causes of suspicious fires, maintaining equipment and trained firefighters necessary for a quick and efficient response to fires when they occur, and enforcing fire codes which protect lives and property from fires and explosions arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, or from conditions hazardous to life and property in the use or occupancy of buildings or other premises.

Programs that are responsible for preventing, investigating, controlling and extinguishing fires. Activities include fire safety education, firefighting, investigating the causes of suspicious fires, maintaining equipment and trained firefighters necessary for a quick and efficient response to fires when they occur, and enforcing fire codes which protect lives and property from fires and explosions arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, or from conditions hazardous to life and property in the use or occupancy of buildings or other premises.

Parents, caregivers and guardians are invited to attend Ardent Solutions' free car seat fitting stations on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 1:00-4:00pm at St. Phillip's Episcopal Church, 12 Willets Avenue, Belmont NY 14813.

Participants will learn how to install their child's care seat correctly, have their car seat replaced if the seat is not safe and if the family meets eligibility guidelines.

Free Service

AARP Driver Safety continues to meet the needs of older drivers through educational programs led by more than 4,000 volunteers and myriad resources. But they aren’t the same programs and resources that were available nearly 35 years ago. AARP Driver Safety has continued to evolve with the times, delivering on AARP’s goal to promote the independence of older Americans and enhance their quality of life.

The new and improved course curriculum was designed with the participant in mind, and it is different in many ways from previous editions including:

•A completely new, easy-to-follow format that incorporates adult-learning principles, features reader-friendly print types, full-color pages, an easy-to-follow format and videos to supplement course content.

•New opportunities for participants to learn state-specific information throughout the course in a way that is easy to access and understand

•All components of the AARP Smart Driver Course have been translated and tested for Spanish-speaking participants

As a result of evidence-based research findings, the course has been adjusted to include a focus on areas where older drivers could benefit from additional training, including:

•Roundabouts

•Pavement markings

•Stop-sign compliance

•Red-light running

•Safety issues such as speeding, and seatbelt and turn-signal use

In addition to a new curriculum, AARP Driver Safety recently launched the Driving Resource Center — an interactive online resource for course participants that features tools and activities, including driving simulations, state-specific rules of the road and new vehicle technologies.