Rockland Offers Free Alarms, Planning For Fire Prevention Week

NEW CITY, NY — It's Fire Prevention Week across the country. And in Rockland this week, you can get help doing fire escape planning and find out information about smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and fire prevention. Also, you could get a free alarm.

During Fire Prevention Week, the county health department's Healthy Neighborhood Program can provide and install free smoke alarms, as supplies last, to eligible residents (including low-to-modest income residents, at-risk families, and seniors). A brief home survey is required at the time of the visit. For more information, call the Healthy Neighborhood Program at 845-364-3290 or 845-364-3292.

Also, county officials have set up a public information table on the first floor of the Allison-Parris County Office Building, outside the Legislative Chambers, at 11 New Hempstead Road in New City. Check it out during business hours.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert warn residents that in a fire, seconds can mean the difference between a safe escape and a tragedy. While children under five and adults over 65 are at the highest risk for injury or death in a fire, people of all ages are at risk.

They offer guidance from this year's Fire Prevention Week campaign from the National Fire Protection Association, with the slogan "Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere."

Here are three steps people can take to reduce the likelihood of having a fire - and to escape safely in the event of one:

1. LOOK for places fire could start. Take a good look around your home. Identify potential fire hazards and take care of them.
2. LISTEN for the sound of the smoke alarm. You could have only minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. Go to your outside meeting place, which should be a safe distance from the home and where everyone should know to meet.
3. LEARN two ways out of every room and make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter.

"In support of Fire Prevention Week, we encourage all households to follow these three steps. In a typical home fire, you may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds. And no matter where you are, look for available exits. If the alarm system sounds, take it seriously and exit the building immediately," said Dr. Ruppert.

Visit www.nfpa.org/fpw/about.html for more information about preventing fires, and what to do in case of a fire.

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