New Years Safety

New Years is a holiday that's filled with entertainment, parties, and excitement. However, far too often, the New Years holiday takes a tragic turn because of poor decisions. Here are some safety precautions that you should consider while ringing in the New Year.

• If you're going to drink on New Years Eve, make sure you designate a sober driver, or use a cab or free ride service, and never drive while intoxicated. Driving intoxicated not only puts you in danger, but it also puts everyone around you in danger.

• If you're headed out to a bar or club, only carry small amounts of cash, and only carry what you need. Don't bring extra credit cards and money you won't need.

• Most people don't think about their homes during new years but burglars often use the holidays as an opportunity to break in. Some quick tips to help deter burglars are to leave a couple of lights on, ask neighbors to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious, and make sure to lock all windows and doors.

Remember, a safe end to 2011 is the best way to start 2012. Happy New Years!!!

Thank you,

Central Alexander/Taylorsville Fire Department

Christmas Safety

Here a few holiday tips to ensure that you and your family have a safe Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

• Be careful with holiday decorations. Choose decorations that are flame
  resistant or flame retardant.
• Keep lit candles away from decorations and other things that can burn.
• Use lights that have the label of an independent testing laboratory. Some
  lights are only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both.
• Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb
  connections. Connect no more than three strands of mini light sets and a maximum
  of 50 bulbs for screw-in bulbs. Read manufacturer’s instructions for number of
  LED strands to connect.
• Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so the cords do not get damaged.
• Keep decorations away from windows and doors.
• Test your smoke alarms and tell guests about your home fire escape plan.
• Keep children and pets away from lit candles.
• Keep matches and lighters up high in a locked cabinet.
• Stay in the kitchen when cooking on the stovetop.
• Ask smokers to smoke outside. Remind smokers to keep their smoking materials
  with them so young children do not touch them.
• Provide large, deep ashtrays for smokers. Wet cigarette butts with water
  before discarding.

Wishing you and your family a safe and blessed Christmas, and a prosperous New Year!!!

Thank you,

Central Alexander/Taylorsville Fire Department

Thanksgiving Safety

The kitchen is the heart of the home, especially at Thanksgiving. Kids love to be involved in holiday preparations. Safety in the kitchen is important, especially on Thanksgiving Day when there is a lot of activity and people at home. You can make sure your Thanksgiving day is safe by following these simple safety tips.

• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stove top so you can keep an eye on the food.
• Stay in the home when cooking your turkey and check on it frequently.
• Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay 3 feet away.
• Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
• Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags.
• Keep knives out of the reach of children.
• Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
• Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
• Never leave children alone in room with a lit a candle.
• Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.

Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!!!

Thank you,

Central Alexander/Taylorsville Fire Department

10 Heating Safety Tips

Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires during the winter months. In fact, half of all home heating fires occur in December, January, and February. According to the NFPA's Home Fires Involving Heating Equipment report, heating equipment was involved in an estimated 66,100 reported home structure fires in 2008, resulting in 480 civilian deaths, 1,660 civilian injuries, and $1.1 billion in direct property damage. With this in mind Central Alexander/Taylorsville Fire Department would like to give you a few simple reminders to make sure you winter season is safe and warm.

1. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, such as furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves, or portable space heaters.
2. Never use your oven to heat your home.
3. Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
4. Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
5. For fuel burning space heaters do not fill them while they are hot, do not overfill them, and make sure to use the factory recommended fuel.
6. Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.
7. Test smoke alarms monthly, replace the batteries twice a year, and make sure that you have at least one smoke detector on every floor.
8. Install at least one carbon monoxide detector in every home.
9. Burn only hard wood in a wood stove or fireplace that is clean and dry. Never burn plastics, garbage or wood that has been treated with a preservative, paint or other chemicals.
10. When using a space heater, never use an extension cord, never hang items to dry above the heater and never leave the space heater unattended.

So go ahead, grab a blanket and a book and curl up by the fire, just be smart and stay safe.

For more information visit our website at www.taylorsvillefire.org.

“Click It Or Ticket Campaign Launched”

RALEIGH — N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Conti announced today the launch of a state-wide “Click It or Ticket” campaign to crack down on motorists who are not wearing their seat belts. State and local law enforcement officers will increase seat belt enforcement activities during the campaign, which runs May 23-June 5.
“This life-saving campaign reminds us to buckle up, every trip, every time,” said Conti. “Wearing a seat belt no matter where you are seated in a vehicle is the law in North Carolina, so I remind all citizens to Click it or Ticket.”
Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. In 2010, 425 unbuckled motorists died in North Carolina.
In 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that North Carolina’s seat belt usage rate was 89.7 percent. The state’s usage rate was 65 percent when the program started 18 years ago.
“Click It or Ticket” is administered by the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program. GHSP will sponsor “Click It or Ticket” nights at the following minor league baseball parks across the state during the campaign to raise awareness about the importance of buckling up:

Friday, May 20 at 7:05 p.m.
Durham Bulls, Durham

Friday, May 27 at 7:15 p.m.
Carolina Mudcats, Zebulon

Friday, June 3 at 7 p.m.
Greensboro Grasshoppers, Greensboro

Saturday, June 25 at 7 p.m.
Hickory Crawdads, Hickory

Saturday, July 16 at 7:15 p.m.
Charlotte Knights, Charlotte

For more information regarding “Click It or Ticket” activities, contact Don Nail (919) 733-3083, or visit the GHSP website.

Are You Prepared For The Next Storm?

With the recent number of severe weather occurrences and the storm season just beginning, we wanted to give you a few useful reminders of things you should keep in mind when preparing for the next storm.

• During any storm, listen to local news or a NOAAWeather Radio to stay informed about watches and warnings.



• Know your community’s warning system. Communities have different ways of warning residents about tornadoes, with many having sirens intended for outdoor warning purposes.



• Pick a safe room in your home where household members and pets may gather during a tornado. This should be a basement, storm cellar or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows.



• Practice periodic tornado drills so that everyone knows what to do if a tornado is approaching.



• Consider having your safe room reinforced. Plans for reinforcing an interior room to provide better protection can be found on the FEMA Web site at http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/rms/rmsp453.shtm.



• Prepare for high winds by removing diseased and damaged limbs from trees.



• Move or secure lawn furniture, trash cans, hanging plants or anything else that can be picked up by the wind and become a projectile.



• Watch for tornado danger signs:
  • Dark, often greenish clouds—a phenomenon caused by hail
  •Wall cloud—an isolated lowering of the base of a thunderstorm
  • Cloud of debris
  • Large hail
  • Funnel cloud—a visible rotating extension of the cloud base
  • Roaring noise

SOURCE: http://www.redcross.org

Tornado Confirmed In Alexander County

The National Weather Service In Greenville-Spartanburg has confirmed that the line of storms that passed through Alexander County overnight on April 28th, 2011, did produce an EF-1 Tornado approximately 6 miles North-Northwest of Taylorsville. The tornado produced estimated maximum winds of 90-100 MPH and continued on a 5 Mile intermittent path with maximum path widths of 50-75 Yards. There were no injuries reported in Alexander County as a result of this Tornado.

SOURCE: https://nwschat.weather.gov/p.php?pid=201104282310-KGSP-NOUS42-PNSGSP