122—Uncistf Farming,Saturday, July 7,1984 L Su.7mys/^<g.. ftp aJ North....
Pre-planning for fires I[l
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is wise investment . H
BY SUZANNE KEENE derwriter’s Lab, meaning it meets \]o - J
EPHRATA-Stop for a moment safety guidelines set by the J
and envision your home engulfed National Fire Protection j r '4S~s " ‘ u
in flames with your family trapped Association and other safety j. \
inside. Just the thought of such a groups,Gockleyadvised. ... v 7f^ s L r
tragedy should be enough to send Homeowners can pick from two —■ - / P / er f 0
you rushing to the store to buy a types of smoke detectors - electric ' „' ' p / ° /SL
smoke detector and a fire ex- and battery. Gockley recommends vitsl Kl!? ' ] ' ' 7
tinguisher if your home is not purchasing an electric one because i p ar / r~\r~~' 7
already equipped with these two he has found that people neglect to $ H.'i/f jJr ; ✓
important items. replace batteries. It’s too easy to x J i / r
Lancaster County Fire Safety take the battery out if cooking i \_7 ix I y i l
Coordinator Randall Gockley, who smoke sets it off and then forget to 0 (S/y On / r V 6^
works to promote fire safety, return it, he says. f 3 vJj Shed 1 7
encourages people to plan ahead An electric smoke detector costs > f —J 7 A, L'
for a fire. about $3O to $5O, and a battery / / 7 \ N
operated one runs about $8 to $l2. 3 oi
Gockley said he thinks the electric 3 / s I j 0 v<V'
ones are worth the extra expense, J I ' G i I o -JL | / v\cr '
citing a mobile home fire that ' /(w w r *? , 7 \
killed a mother and three children. [ V /-y /
The home, he said, was equipped J;. L j t
with two smoke detectors, but '
neither had batteries. . .t h
“Probably the most important
thing that a person can have in
their home is a smoke detector to
offer protection,” he says.
Every home should have a
minimum of one smoke detector in
each sleeping area and one for
each additional story in the home.
If several bedrooms are connected
by a single hallway, one smoke
detector would be sufficient for all
of them, but if they are on different
floors, there should be two
detectors.
When selecting a smoke dec
tector, consumers should look for
one that is approved by the Un-
What-Can-I-Do-Blues
It’s officially summer! By the
time summer officially arrives the
novelty of summer vacation may
be wearing off. This is easy to
diagnose. The typical symptom is
a routine cry of “Mom! What can I
do now?” This was one question I
learned was better not to ask. My
mother was always full of
suggestions from hulling the peas
to folding the laundry. My mother
is a great list maker and if you are
ever looking for something to do,
just check her list!
However, the preschooler’s
ability to think of fun and per
missable activities is sometimes
limited. To preserve your sanity
and to create a happier summer,
stop now and do some planning. Sit
down with the kids some morning
when everyone is rested. Then
brainstorm a list of things that
would be fun to do this summer.
Write these ideas down, and then
pick one to do each day. You might
set aside a time of day when you
could all do this activity together
(even hulling peas is more fun
when everyone’s doing it!). Here
are some examples to get you
started:
- housepainting - give the child a
bucket of water and wide brush to
“paint” the sidewalk or house.
- eat lunch in the backyard on a
blanket.
-explore the yard or sidewalk
with a magnifying glass.
- collect leaves, rocks or wild
flowers and identify them.
- draw a map of the street or
neighborhood on a large sheet of
paper. Fill in the houses, school,
post office etc.
- fill a dishpan with cool water an
provide water toys to use in it.
However, "If finances do not
pennit an electric smoke detector,
a battery one is fine,” Gockley
said. If you select a battery
operated detector, he suggests
testing the battery every week or
two by pressing the detector’s test
button. In most cases the batteries
will last about one year The smoke
By Michelle S. Rodgers
Lancaster Extension
Home Economist
- invite neighborhood kids to
bring their instruments and make
a marching band (outside!).
-Take a silent walk and then
identify all the different sounds
you hear.
- write a letter to yourself and
walk to the post office to mail it.
- make a sun dial. Take a paper
plate outside and punch a pencil
down through the center, into the
ground. Watch a clock and ever
hour mark the plate where the
shadow falls.
-have a trike wash.
Remember, the idea of brain
storming is that any idea goes
write down all of them. One idea
may work better one day than
another. Try to include some rainy
day activities, too.
One of the major benefits of
brainstorming a list of ideas is the
kids’ involvement. They learn to
take some responsibility for en
tertaining themselves and making
decisions about what they do.
Utilizing this technique may in
spire your children to continue
thinking for themselves.
Another idea would be to put the
ideas in a large jar. When the
search question of “What can I do
now” comes up retreat to the
jar. Whatever idea is on the slip is
the next activity to undertake.
As a child living on the farm
created a summer full of exciting
activities. However, I’m sure I too
suffered from the what-can-I-do
blues. I hope these ideas help you
combat the blues and make this
summer a fun, productive one.
For more ideas on family ac
tivities, contact your Extension
Office for the Celebrate Your
Family series.
Penn State le an affirmative aettan equal
mqiertaatty edncattea taatttntton.
If 9 fire were to occur, this diagram of the Noah M. Oberholtzer farm would help
firemen identify the nearest water and access areas to farm buildings.
detector will make beeping noises
when the battery is about to die,
signaling that it is time for a
replacement.
It is extremely important to
replace the battery as soon as
possible. Gockley related a story in
which a county family had
dismantled their smoke detector
one night when it started beeping
because the battery was nearly
dead. Three week’s later they had
not replaced the battery and
suffered a $40,000 house fire.
Homes should also be equipped
with fire extinguishers - one in the
kitchen, one on the second floor,
and one near any woodstoves in the
home, Gockley said. But just
having them is not enough. All
family members should know
where they are and how to use
them.
Gockley advised buying a dry
chemical Underwriter’s
Laboratory approved extinguisher
that is capable of extinguishing all
classes of fires. Some ex
tinguishers, he explained, can only
combat Class B (flammable
liquid) and Class C (energized
electrical equipment) fires. It is
important to purchase an ex
tinguisher that can also be used to
combat Class A (ordinary com
bustible) fires.
Fire extinguishers should be
discharged and recharged every
six years, Gockley said. If you
can’t locate a business in your area
that provides this service, your
local fire company can refer you to
one.
Before using your fire ex
tinguisher make sure that
everyone in the house knows there
is a fire and starts getting out, then
notify the fire department,
Gockley advised. Only after taking
these precautins should you use
your extinguisher.
“If it gets too big, close the door
behind you and get out,” Gockley
stressed.
Gockley noted.that many people
S a
are reluctant to call the fire
company because they are em
barrassed or afraid they won’t be
able to afford the bill. In most
cases, he assured, you will not
receive a bill.
Another way of preparing for a
fire is to develop and practice an
evacuation plan. “It’s very im
portant that people, especially
children, know two ways out of
every room,” Gockley said. “It’s
very important that the family talk
about this before it occurs.”
If a fire occurs while the oc
cupants are sleeping - and most
fires do - start yelling “FIRE!
FIRE! ” as soon as you discover it.
Then, staying as low as possible,
walk or crawl to the door. If the
door is closed, feel it with the back
of your hand. If it’s hot, it’s your
barrier against the fire and you
should take the other way out. If
it’s cool, open the door slowly and
check the hallway. If it’s clear, go
the closest exit.
When discussing fire evacuation
plans, Gockley suggests arranging
a central meeting place outside the
home where all family members
can congregate and discover who
is missing. Without such a place,
parents might not find their kids
right away and go back inside the
burning building to get them. This,
Gockley advised, is not wise. Once
you are out of the house, stay out.
“It’s bad to lose one but it’s
worse to lose two,” he stressed.
Once you have developed a plan,
practice it about every six months.
Inform the family that there will
be a fire drill in the coming week,
then, later in the week, push the
test button on your smoke detector
to simulate a fire.
Repeating the drill every few
months will assist children in
remembering what to do in the
event of a real fire, he said.
As volunteer fire chief of the
Lincoln Fire Company in Ephrata,
Gockley started a new program in
the area where farmers volun
tarily provide the fire company
with a list of the animals and
chemicals on the farm and their
locations. The farmers also send in
a diagram of their farm, showing
buildings, lanes, and possible
water sources.
“The fire companies are trying
to do some preplanning and
preparation so we can handle the
fires better,” Gockley said.
The idea started, he said,
following a bam fire in New York
that hospitalized over 100 fireman
about four years ago. The firemen
became ill from inhaling the fumes
from chemically-treated hay
stored-in the burning bam.
“That’s why it’s so important
that we know what chemicals are
stored inside,” Gockley said. If the
firemen had known about the
chemicals they would have worn
their face masks. Having in
formation about the chemicals is
also helpful in determining how to
treat a fireman who has inhaled
them, he added.
The program stresses the im
portance of water sources that are
already on the property, and
Gockley said he urges farmers to
make their ponds and streams
easily accessible to firefighters.
Often, he said, trees and gullies
obstruct the way to streams and
ponds. By clearing an area for the
flretrucks, farmers could save
their farm from unnecessary fire
damage.
A bam fire today can cost a
farmer over $lOO,OOO. “Farmers
have an awful lot to lose,” he said.
Gockley said that farmers in his
area have been quite receptive to
the program, with 70 percent
voluntarily participating. Other
fire companies have also picked up
on the idea and are doing similar
things.
Gockley said he believes “farm
families are really concerned
about fire safety.” Maybe that’s
why he hasn’t had to use any of the
farm diagrams farmers have sent
him as part of his program.