Stay Safe While Staying Warm
It’s been an especially cold new year in 2022 and with winter far from over it is really important to drive home this message; if you use space heaters in your home during the winter, please be extremely careful.
Space heaters account for about one-third of all house fires during the winter and about 80 percent of deaths that occur in those fires. Sadly, a space heater was to blame for a fire that claimed the lives of 17 people, including nine children, in the Bronx in early January.
As a former police commander with the NYPD and Chief of Detectives in Baltimore, I know just how quickly an emergency can go from dangerous to deadly and I don’t want to see what happened in the Bronx happen anywhere else – including here in Rockland.
If you’re using a space heater, please take a moment to read the following safety advice from our Office of Fire and Emergency:
- Keep the heater at least three feet from anything flammable.
- Plug it directly into an outlet.
- Make sure it was tested by Underwriter Laboratories, a non-profit dedicated to public safety (there will be a sticker on the unit itself or the box it came in).
- Lastly always close the door when you’re evacuating from a fire.
FEMA has also just announced a free webinar on Fire Prevention and Safety with experts from the US Fire Administration and the American Red Cross taking part. The webinar will focus on how to prevent a home fire and steps you can take to increase your ability (and that of your loved ones) to survive.
It’s taking place from 12 – 1 PM on Wednesday, January 26, 2022. To register please visit: https://bit.ly/3GSfsaw
Knowing what to do if a life-threatening situation occurs is a very important step that helps prevent injuries and loss of life. Please really listen to the excellent advice from the experts here in County government and take advantage of the FEMA training if you need more information. Please be safe and take care of yourselves and your family this winter!
