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West Roane VFD Just Misses Winning a Foam Fire Suppression Grant
July 8, 2010 Update: WRCVFD had a chance to receive a Michigan Power Cleaning ultra high pressure foam system from Operation Wildfire, the company's donation program. Volunteers worked hard on the grant application and had great hopes.
Volunteers were just notified that the WRCVFD application had ranked
in the top five
nationwide. However, this year there was only one grant offered; despite the Department's good showing, West Roane lost.A foam unit like the one sought would greatly increase WRCVFD firefighting capabilities, especially on back roads and in wooded areas where the large tankers and pumpers cannot go. Because the water used is made into very tiny droplets with more surface area, it is said that the unit uses an order of magnitude less water than water-only methods and re-ignitions are reduced. Another plus is that the unit's hoses are much lighter and easier to handle than conventional water-only hoses.
If the department had received the unit, volunteers planned to convert their 4WD work truck into a brush truck with the foam fire suppression unit mounted on the back.
Let's all hope WRCVFD is this year's winner. The whole county will benefit.
West Roane to Receive FEMA Smoke Alarm Funds
Volunteers at the West Roane County Volunteer Fire Department have just received notice from FEMA that 538 10-year smoke alarms are to be included in the organization's grant funds.
Once the alarms arrive, they will be distributed to 269 local families, 2 to a family, with the assistance of the Food Pantry in Rockwood.
WRCVFD is very grateful to FEMA for these safety-related funds.
Install. Inspect. Protect. Smoke Alarms Save Lives
Every year in the United States, about 3,000 people die in home fires. Most of these deaths occurred in homes that didn’t have a working smoke alarm.
The United States Fire Administration’s Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign is aimed at encouraging Americans to practice fire safety by 1) installing and maintaining smoke alarms and residential fire sprinklers, which can help save the lives of residents and fire fighters, 2) practicing fire escape plans, and 3) performing a home safety walk-through to remove fire hazards from the home. Install. Inspect. Protect. also recognizes firefighters and stresses the fact that the children of firefighters want their fathers and mothers to come home safely.
When both smoke alarms and fire sprinklers are present in a home, the risk of dying in a fire is reduced by 82 percent, when compared to a residence without either. According to the National Fire Protection Association, between 2003-2006 almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
The USFA offers a few helpful tips on smoke alarms and sprinklers:
- Place properly installed and maintained smoke alarms both inside and outside of sleeping areas and on every level of your home.
- Get smoke alarms that can sound fast. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends that every home and place where people sleep be equipped with both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor smoke alarms, which contain both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors.
- Test smoke alarms monthly and change alkaline batteries at least once every year, or as instructed. You can use a date you already know, like your birthday or when you change your clocks as a reminder.
- If possible, install residential fire sprinklers in your home.
- Avoid painting or covering the fire sprinkler, because that will affect the sensitivity to heat.
