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The Cortez Fire Protection District is currently working with the Red Cross and State Farm Insurance to provide smoke alarms to our community. Making smoke detectors readily available in our community will save lives. Contact us for more information about eligibility to receive your smoke alarm.

Over 3,500 people die from house fires every year in the United States. Our goal is that no one in our district becomes a part of that statistic. This program will help to ensure that our community members will be safe in their homes.

To learn about more fire safety tips, click on the button below.

What is a lithium-ion battery?

Lithium-ion is the most popular rechargeable battery chemistry used today. It consists of single or multiple lithium-ion cells along with a protective circuit board.

What are the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries?

Despite their many advantages, lithium-ion batteries have the potential to overheat, catch fire, and cause explosions. This most commonly occurs when the batteries are damaged, suffer electro-chemical abuse (e.g., from overcharging or completely draining the battery), are in high- or low-temperature environments, or have an internal short-circuit. The heating from the internal short circuit can cause chemical reactions that lead to thermal runaway.

Learn more at www.batteryfiresafety.org

Smoke alarms save lives. Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. Fire spreads fast—working smoke alarms give you early warning so you can get outside quickly.
Statistics

Roughly three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. More than one-third (38 percent) of home fire deaths result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present. The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms.
SOURCE: "Smoke Alarms in U.S. Fires" Report, NFPA

Safety Tips

Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home. Install alarms in the basement.
It is best to use interconnected smoke alarms so that when one smoke alarm sounds, they all sound.
Test all smoke alarms at least once a month. Press the test button to be sure the alarm is working.
A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
Working smoke alarms are an important part of a home fire escape plan.

Using the Wood Stove

Before you fire up your wood stove, have your chimney inspected to determine if it can be used with a wood stove. Because a wood stove generates very hot combustion gases, its chimney must be either masonry (with flue tiles intact and in good condition) or manufactured specifically for burning wood.

If you have a freestanding wood stove, make sure it is located as close to the chimney as possible to limit the length of the flue pipe (or chimney connector). Typically, the flue pipe is a single-walled pipe and will get extremely hot when the stove is being used. During installation, make sure you have easy access to inspect and clean both the stove and the chimney connector.

An inspection is also a good idea if you have moved into a home that has a wood burning stove. Not only do you want to make sure it is safe to use, the inspector may be able to show you how to use it properly and avoid any potential mishaps.

A freestanding wood stove should never be installed on a combustible surface, such as a wood floor. In addition, it should not be connected to a chimney flue that serves another appliance, such as a furnace, boiler or other wood stove. Doing so could cause a fire or release carbon monoxide into the living space.

Finally, be sure the wood burning stove is manufactured to modern standards and that it is listed by Underwriters Laboratories or other similarly recognized testing organizations.

Wood Stove Do’s and Don’ts

While wood stoves can provide savings in heating your home, there are some do’s and don’ts to keep in mind to help avoid potential risks, such as burns, fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.

Do:

Keep children and pets away when you have a fire burning in the stove, as the outer surfaces of the stove and flue pipe are very hot. And keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from the stove.

Make sure you have working carbon monoxide and smoke alarms in your home. Alarms—both fire and carbon monoxide—should be located outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home.

Regularly remove ashes and properly dispose of them—but do not put them directly into a trash can. Ashes can take several days to cool completely. Instead, place ashes in a covered metal container located at least 10 feet away from buildings or vehicles.

Have your chimney cleaned and inspected regularly; ideally, at the start of the heating season. It is also a good idea to have it checked halfway through the burning season to check for any creosote buildup.

Have your wood stove inspected by a professional at least once every year for any wear and tear, especially to the door hinges, the combustion chamber and the connection between the stove and chimney.

Keep an eye out for any damage or unusual wear and tear, such as buckling, cracks in the glass, open seams or cracks in or corrosion of the metal.

Don’t:
“Over fire" the stove—in other words, make a larger fire than the stove can handle. Over firing will result in flames entering the flue pipe or chimney, and can cause damage to the stove, the chimney connector or the chimney itself, which could result in a house fire. To avoid over firing, check the instruction manual or with the manufacturer.

Let ashes build up in the bottom of the stove, as they can interfere with the air flow into the combustion chamber, trap heat and take longer to extinguish.

Burn anything other than wood in your wood stove. Other combustibles, such as rubber, plastics, garbage or coal, can damage your stove and could also explode or give off toxic, hazardous fumes.

Wood stoves are just one alternative heating source that can help keep your home warm during the cold winter months. No matter which style you choose—freestanding or insert—with a keen eye toward regular maintenance and safety, you will enjoy warm temperatures no matter the season.

SOURCE: “Travelers Risk Control”

Do you know what type of smoke alarm to purchase? Click on the link below to read more information about the types and their characteristics.

EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service released an updated version of the popular AirNow Fire and Smoke Map to provide millions of people in the U.S. with more information they can use to protect themselves from wildfire smoke. The updated Fire and Smoke Map has a new look and feel, is designed to load more quickly, and includes information not available in the previous versions, such as:

·    Air quality monitoring information on coarse particle pollution and ozone, both of which can increase because of wildfire smoke.

·    More information on individual wild land fires, including the type of fire and level of fire activity, when available.

·    Information from low-cost fine particle sensors in Canada, in cooperation with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The new version of the map allows users to see activity recommendations at a glance – or to expand the information to see more, including more information on actions to take to protect your health, charts showing how air quality has changed over the past week, and whether there are other fires within 30 miles of their locations. The map makes Smoke Outlook alerts more prominent and links to these forecasts, where available, to help the public better understand the possible impacts of smoke over the next several days. The Forest Service-led Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program issues Smoke Outlooks for certain large fires.

 EPA and the Forest Service developed the Fire and Smoke Map to provide the public information on fire locations, smoke plumes, near real-time air quality, Smoke Outlooks for large U.S. wildfires, and protective actions to take -- all in one place. To give users the most localized air quality information possible, the map pulls data from monitors that regularly report to AirNow, temporary monitors such as those the Forest Service and air agencies have deployed near fires, and crowd-sourced data from nearly 15,000 low-cost sensors that measure fine particle pollution, the major harmful pollutant in smoke. The map shows this data in the familiar color-coding of the U.S. Air Quality Index.

 You can view the Fire and Smoke Map on the AirNow website or select the smoke icon on the bottom right of the AirNow smartphone app. To view the map in Spanish or to select a modified AQI color scale for users with certain color vision deficiencies, click the settings icon at the top right corner of the map.

 Download the AirNow app:

·    Google Play Store:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.saic.airnowoes here

Deterra® System’s innovative plant-based pouches allow users to permanently destroy unwanted drugs and dispose of them safely right at home. The organic, proprietary activated carbon in each pouch deactivates the drugs, making them unavailable for misuse and preventing them from leaching into our soil and water.

Improper disposal of unused and expired medications can damage our environment. While it’s important to get rid of leftover drugs to prevent them from being misused or falling into the wrong hands, improper disposal of unneeded medications can result in environmental harm and contamination of our natural resources. Learn more at Deterrasystem.com or contact Cortez Fire Protection District. To download Deterra’s brochure, click the button below. Pouches are available now, stop by the fire department to pick up your free pouch while supplies last. Limit one.