Prevention

Gordonsville Fire Department
Proudly Serving Gordonsville Since 1968

The best way to fight fires is to prevent them from ever happening to begin with. It's true that if there if there were no fires, we would not be doing this job. However, part of our duty is fire prevention, and we would much rather be out of business and bored out of our wits, then to ever see harm done to you, your family members, or your material possessions.

No home or business should ever be without a smoke detector.

    To your left is a picture of a basic smoke detector as seen on the ceilings of most homes. Smoke detectors are very inexpensive, as low as $7, and yet they save thousands of lives each year. Because of these two facts we have assembled some basic instructions to help you install and maintain your smoke detectors.
     It is recommended to have at least one smoke detector on every level of the home or business. In homes they need to be close to any sleeping area, a hall way detector may serve many bedrooms. Smoke detectors should always be placed on the ceiling as close to center as possible, but no closer than four inches to a wall. A smoke detector should not be placed near a kitchen, furnace, garage, a hot water heater, or bathroom in order to prevent false alarms set off by these systems. It is good to keep detectors just out side of these zones though.
     These detectors can operate from a 9 volt battery or from your house electricity. Some that run on house electricity also have 9 volt battery backup. They are equally acceptable, but should all be checked regularly according to their respective instruction manuals. If you can not find the instruction manual or one is not provided look for the small test button on the exterior of the detector. If the detector makes no noise after 15-20 seconds then change with a fresh battery and repeat. If it doesn't work with a new battery replace the smoke detector immediately. You should check your smoke detectors at least once every six months. You should also check your smoke detectors before and after any long trip because a low battery will beep for about seven days before dying. Smoke detectors should also be replaced completely every ten years.

NEWS
Fire Prevention Week next year October
04-10.

NFPA has a link worth checking, click here to view it.
Also NFPA has a link just for
Fire Prevention Week

Your family should also have an escape plan for when there is a fire. Everyone in the home should be aware of the sounds of your smoke detector and any fire alarms in the home. A basic escape plan needs to include at least two exits from any place in the home, including main doors and also any

As an added measure you may want to reduce the setting of your water heater to 120F or less

It is a good idea to light dark areas of the home, especially at night. Many injuries are caused by poor lighting.

accessible windows and fire escapes. It's also important to make certain that such exits are not blocked. Remember to stay low in a fire and crawl out on hands and knees. It is cooler on the floor than on the ceiling and this may reduce the amount of harmful gases you breathe in. You may also want to cover your mouth and nose with cloth to filter the air. But what ever you do, don't waste time. Get out.
Once you are finally outside of the home you need to get a good distance away from it and everyone needs to have a meeting point already decided. Perhaps on the sidewalk by the street or at a neighbors home were you can call 911. Tell 911 if anyone is missing and make sure the firefighters know when they arrive. Try to remain calm and let the firefighters do their jobs. Don't return to your home for items until the fire department tells you it's safe, and never go into a burning building. Firefighters are professionals and are trained on how to enter a burning building and also have the gear to protect themselves.

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