37th Annual Public Fire Safety Educators' Conference - 2010

This conference will be held at The New York State Academy of Fire Science at Montour Falls, April 30th through May 2nd.

Fire and Life Safety Educator 1

This is a new course being offered at the New York State Fire Academy at Montour Falls, New York.

The course curriculum is designed to provide the fire service and educators with the tools necessary to better deliver fire and life safety messages to their communities. You do not need a fire service background or training to participate.

The course is based on and meets the requirements of NFPA 1035 Standard for Professional Qualifications for Public Fire Educator 2005 eddition.

Course applications are available at www.dos.state.ny.us/fire

Winter Heating Season Saftey

As the weather gets colder many people will depend on there home heating system to come to life and "work as good as it did last year." Unfortunately this many not be the case for some homeowners. Here are some safety tips you can follow to help insure you and your family can be safe this winter season.

1. Have your home heating system and chimney, checked and cleaned by a professional, before use.

2. If you are installing a secondary heat source, have it installed by a professional, and inspected by Code Enforcement.

3. DO NOT heat with portable propane heaters inside your home.

4. Follow manufacturers instructions on heating units

5. Keep electric heaters at least 3 feet away from flammable objects

6. Have at least one working smoke/CO detector outside the sleeping areas, and on each level of your home. Test these at least once a month to make sure they are in working order. Change the batteries when you move your clocks back in the fall.

7. Inspect your fire extinguisher to make sure it is charged and easily accessible.

8. DO NOT burn trash in your wood stove or out side wood furnace. Some materials will burn and cause an excess amount of heat and creosolt to build up beyond the capabilities of your heating system, possibly causing a fire within the chimney.