Category: Plan and Prepare

https://www.redcross.org/…/smoke-alarm-request-nh-vt.html

Need a smoke detector installed in your home? The American Red Cross, offers free smoke alarms and instillation. For more information please use the link above to register today!

You can also check out there website at: www.redcross.org/endhomefiresNNE

Creosote buildup may not look dangerous, but it ignites at a mere 451 degrees F, and once it starts burning, it expands like foam sealant. In less than a minute, it builds to more than 2,000 degrees F and can engulf your entire chimney and destroy your home.

Even if you clean your chimney regularly, you should still have it inspected by a qualified chimney sweeper once a year. Certified chimney sweeps are trained to recognize chimney deterioration and venting problems and can assess your fireplace chimney’s condition.

If you burn mostly green (wet) logs, have your chimney cleaned or inspected every 50 burns. If you see moisture bubbling out the ends of the logs when they’re burning, the wood is wet. This green wood doesn’t burn cleanly and sends a lot of unburned particles (smoke) up the chimney, where they build up as creosote and soot. Dry hardwoods, such as oak and birch, burn hotter and cleaner. With them, have your fireplace chimney cleaned or inspected every 70 burns.

How To Tell If Your Fireplace Chimney Needs Cleaning

A quick way to tell if your chimney needs cleaning is to run the point of your fireplace poker along the inside of your chimney liner. If you find a 1/8-in. or more layer of buildup (the thickness of a nickel), call a chimney sweep.

Chimney sweeps may see 40 to 50 chimney fires a year, and more than half of the chimneys they service require extra cleaning because the homeowners wait too long before calling. In extreme cases, the hardened layer of buildup requires cleaning with special tools or chemicals.

A professional cleaning includes an inspection for soot buildup, obstructions, cracks in the chimney liner and signs of water damage. Older chimneys often have gaps between clay liner sections where the mortar has fallen out.

When hiring a chimney sweep, look for someone who’s certified and insured and will provide an upfront cost estimate. (For a list of certified chimney sweeps, contact the Chimney Safety Institute of America at csia.org.)

Do an Inspection

Strap on goggles and a respirator, clean the ashes out of the firebox and remove the grate. Then open a door or window and wait a few minutes before opening the damper so the pressures equalize. Then open the damper and wait a few more minutes for heat to rise from the house.

Grab your brightest flashlight and a fireplace poker and lean into the firebox. Shine your light into the smoke chamber and flue and use the poker to scratch the surface. If the soot has a matte black finish and the scratch is 1/8 in. deep or less, it’s a DIY job. But if the buildup is deeper or has a shiny, tar-like appearance, you have heavy creosote buildup. Stop using your fireplace immediately and call a professional chimney sweep.

The Aroostook County Emergency Management Agency would like to thank the Caribou Community School and the Caribou High School for allowing us to participate in their first practice of a full scale evacuation of students and staff.  AKEMA staff observed the loading of students and staff onto buses and the unloading at the school’s relocation sites, to practice attendance and the reunification process. It was a very successful practice run and both students and staff did a great job. The Caribou community should be proud of the efforts being put into the safety of our schools.

A home safety plan is an essential tool for keeping your family safe, as it establishes what to do in case of an emergency. All families should prepare for fire safety, natural disasters, power outages, extreme heat and cold. Families should have a plan to take care of any contingency.

First you should Identify two safe meeting areas in your home!

Choose the two safest spots in your house: One as your primary meeting spot, and the other as your backup. The safest spots are ones without windows and closest to the ground, so if you have a basement or first-floor interior bathroom, that would be the ideal family safe meeting space.

Second you and your family should set two outdoor meeting areas!

In case your family is separated during an emergency, set two safe outdoor meeting spots where you can reunite (primary and alternative). Your outdoor meeting areas will be the primary escape destination during a fire.

Third your family should have a diagram of your safe spaces!

Children are visual learners and often do well with reminders. Draw a color-coded diagram of your various escape routes. Choose a favorite color for the primary safety plan, so your child will be able to easily jog their memory in an emergency. If you have more than one young child, give each their own color-coded plan.

Fourth everyone should know how to dial 911!

Teach your child how to call and talk to 911. As part of basic safety, children should always be able to recite their full name and address; this is helpful in case of an emergency, as they’ll be able to call for help when necessary.

Fifth, your family should know your safety equipment!

Except for very young children, all members of your household should know how to use a fire extinguisher and how to identify if a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm goes off. Knowing what’s happening means you respond with the right emergency plan. 

Sixth you family needs to practice, practice, practice!

The key to emergency preparedness is practice. In the moment, you’ll likely experience a mixture of fear, panic, and adrenaline. It’s easy to act on reflex, so drilling your home safety plan over and over will help you keep a cool head. Make sure to practice your safety plan during different conditions, and at least once per year at night. Darkness amplifies fear, and in an emergency your children will likely be scared. Practicing in advance gets them better prepared to stay safe.

• Before beginning any food preparation, always wash your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds and dry with a disposable paper towel or clean hand cloth.
• Clean food contact surfaces (e.g., countertop, cutting boards, utensils, etc.) often, between tasks, and if they become contaminated. Wash food contact surfaces with hot, soapy water and either air dry or use a clean cloth, or disposable paper towel to dry.
• Sanitizers can be used for added protection.
• Clean lunch boxes often with hot, soapy water and either air dry or use a clean cloth, or disposable paper towel to dry.
• Wash fresh fruits and vegetables under running water and dry thoroughly before packing.
• To prevent cross-contamination, don’t reuse packaging materials, such as plastic bags, paper, and foil food wraps.
• If the lunch contains perishable food, like lunch meats, eggs, cheese, or yogurt, make sure to keep it cold.
• Prepare and store the food in the refrigerator overnight. The food will stay cold longer because it will be at refrigerator temperature before putting it in the lunch box.
• Place ice or gel packs around the food.
• Freeze water bottles or juice boxes to place in the lunch box. (These could be used with ice packs and not alone, for added temperature control).
• Pack hot foods in an insulated thermos while the food is hot; don’t wait for it to cool before packing. You can also preheat your thermos by filling it with boiling water, letting it sit for a few minutes, pouring out the water, and then adding your hot food.
• Some foods don’t need to be refrigerated to be safe. Peanut butter, jelly, cookies, crackers, chips, dried fruit, and certain whole fruits (bananas, apples, and oranges) can be eaten safely at room temperature.
• After lunch, throw away uneaten perishable food.
• Finally, be aware of food allergens and school food allergy policies.

The Aroostook County ARES Team, had a great afternoon with the students and staff at Loring Job Corps. Members spoke on the importance of HAM Radio Communications, CERT Training and on the ARES Team itself.

Accidents happen and knowing what to do when one occurs can mean the difference between saving and losing a tooth.

Here are some tips for common dental emergencies:

• For a knocked-out permanent or adult tooth, keep it moist at all times. If you can, try placing the tooth back in the socket without touching the root. If that’s not possible, place it in between your cheek and gums, in milk, or use a tooth preservation product that has the ADA Seal of Acceptance. Then, get to your dentist’s office right away.
• For a cracked tooth, immediately rinse the mouth with warm water to clean the area. Put cold compresses on the face to keep any swelling down.
• If you bite your tongue or lip, clean the area gently with water and apply a cold compress.
• For toothaches, rinse the mouth with warm water to clean it out. Gently use dental floss to remove any food caught between the teeth. Do not put aspirin on the aching tooth or gum tissues.
• For objects stuck in the mouth, try to gently remove with floss but do not try to remove it with sharp or pointed instruments.

When you have a dental emergency, it’s important to visit your dentist or an emergency room as soon as possible.

Here are some simple precautions you can take to avoid accident and injury to the teeth:   

• Wear a mouthguard when participating in sports or recreational activities.
• Avoid chewing ice, popcorn kernels and hard candy, all of which can crack a tooth.
• Use scissors, NEVER your teeth, to cut things.

Most dentists reserve time in their daily schedules for emergency patients. Call your dentist and provide as much detail as possible about your condition.

We are aware of the heightened level of stress that world events such as what is going on in Ukraine can bring to each of us.  We’ve been asked, “What can we do to prepare?”  While we all know that you can’t prepare for everything, taking small steps in personal preparedness can be empowering and lower stress.  Here are some things that you can do and that you can share with others:

• Increase your cyber-awareness.  This includes taking steps that would protect you or your business from a cyber attack.  You can get more information here:  https://www.cisa.gov/shields-up

• Power outages are something we should prepare for normally anyway.  That said, would you be prepared if there were a cyber attack that took down the power grid for a period of time?  You can find more information on how to prepare for power outages here:  https://www.ready.gov/power-outages

• We have all gotten used to the convenience of cell phones in our lives, but what if our daily ways of communicating were not working?  How would you communicate with your family and work if you could not use your cell phone and internet was down?  Having a back up plan on what you would do can take a lot of the stress out of this situation.  Here are some tips for you to use:  https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/family-emergency-communication-plan.pdf

• Building an emergency kit can be empowering by making someone feel ready for an incident.  This simple task should be done by each of us anyway, but can be especially helpful during these times.  Click here for more information on how to build an emergency kit:  https://www.ready.gov/kit

Overview for Senior Officials (Executives, Elected, and Appointed)

Three Opportunities Available – Virtual Delivery via Zoom