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Town
of Cheektowaga Office of
Emergency Services
Earl
Loder
Emergency Services Manager
75
Greenleaf
Cheektowaga, NY 14225
Cell Phone: 583-4303 | Home Phone: 896-8091
Town Hall Office: 686-3465
Email:
eloder@tocny.org
2005-2006
Safety Tips
Winter
Safety 2005-2006 In Cheektowaga, N.Y.
A
message from the Town of Cheektowaga Emergency Management
Office
HOME SAFETY
Family
Disaster Plan Families should be prepared for all hazards
that affect their area and themselves.
The
Town of Cheektowaga Emergency Management Office urges each
family to develop such a plan.
Follow
these basic steps to develop a family disaster plan:
Learn your community’s warning signals.
Meet
with your family to create a plan. Pick two places to
meet: a spot outside your home for an emergency such as fire,
and a place away from your neighborhood in case you cannot
return home (a real possibility during the day when adults
are at work and children are at school). Choose an out-of-area
friend as your family check-in contact for everyone to call
if the family becomes separated.
Implement
your plan. Post emergency telephone numbers by the phones.
Install safety features in your house such as smoke detectors
and fire extinguishers. Inspect your home for potential
hazards and correct them. Have your family learn basic
safety and first aid measures. Make sure everyone knows
how and when to call 911. Have disaster supplies on
hand.
Take
and fill out a Family Communication Plan
HOME
EMERGENCY SUPPLIES
Winter
has arrived and the Town of Cheektowaga Office of Emergency
Services reminds you to stockpile the following supplies in
the event a winter storm or power outage prevents you from
leaving your home
·
Flashlights and
extra batteries
·
Battery-operated
radio and extra batteries
·
Emergency non-perishable
foods that do not require refrigeration
·
Non-electric
can opener
·
Bottled water
·
One week supply
of essential medicines
·
Extra blankets
and sleeping bags
·
First aid kit
and manual
·
Fire extinguisher
·
Emergency heating
equipment, used properly
FIRE
SAFETY
- Wood-burning
stoves, fireplaces and heaters can add a cozy glow, but
make sure you are using them safely.
- Always
keep a screen around an open flame.
- Never
use gasoline to start your fireplace.
-
Never
burn charcoal indoors.
-
Do
not close the damper when ashes are hot.
- When
using alternative heat sources such as a fireplace,
woodstove, etc., always make sure you have proper ventilation.
Keep curtains, towels, and potholders away from hot surfaces.
-
Have
your chimney checked before the season for
creosote buildup – and then clean it.
- Have
a fire extinguisher and smoke detectors...and make sure
they work! Establish a well-planned escape route with
the entire family.
CARBON
MONOXIDE POISONING
Carbon
monoxide poisoning is a silent, deadly killer claiming about
1,000 lives each year in the United States. Such common
items as automotive exhaust, home heating systems and obstructed
chimneys can produce the colorless, odorless gas.
The gas can also be produced by poorly vented generators,
kerosene heaters, gas grills and other items used for cooking
and heating when used improperly during the winter months.
1)
NEVER run generators indoors. Open a window slightly
when using a Kerosene heater.
2)
NEVER use charcoal to cook indoors.
3)
NEVER use a gas oven to heat your home.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include sleepiness,
headaches and dizziness.
If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, ventilate
the area and call 911.
Spring
Safety 2005-2006
In Cheektowaga, N.Y.
Tornado Safety Tips
As
the spring season approaches, it is important for residents
in tornado-prone areas to plan now for how they will respond
when disaster strikes. Taking time now to think ahead
about what to do in the event of a tornado can help reduce
the risk to your life, your home and your family.
Tornadoes
routinely wreck havoc every spring – tearing through towns,
ripping off roofs, smashing houses, uprooting trees, flattening
whole neighborhoods – and causing injuries and even deaths.
The United States has the highest occurrence of tornadoes
of any nation in the world. During an average year,
over 1,000 tornadoes occur across the country.
When
a tornado is coming, you have only a short amount of time
to make life-or-death decisions. Advance planning and
quick response are the keys to surviving a tornado.
- Conduct
tornado drills each tornado season.
- Designate
an area in the home as a shelter and practice having everyone
in the family go there in response to a tornado threat.
- Have
disaster supplies on hand –
- Flashlight
and extra batteries
- Portable,
battery-operated radio and extra batteries
- First
aid kit and manual
- Emergency
food and water
- Non-electric
can opener
- Essential
medicines
- Cash
and credit cards
- Sturdy
shoes
-
Develop an Emergency Communications Plan – In case family
members are separated from one another during a tornado
(a real possibility during the day when adults are at work
and children are at school). Have a plan for getting back
together.
AT
HOME: Go to your storm shelter or basement, or a central
room on the lowest level of your home. Stay away from
windows.
IN
A MOBILE HOME OR TRAILER: These structures provide little
protection. Leave and go to a storm shelter or the lowest
level of a sturdy building.
IN
A PUBLIC BUILDING: Go to the designated shelter area or to
an interior hallway on the lowest floor.
IN YOUR
CAR: Stop, get out, and go to the storm shelter or lowest
level in a nearby building.
IN OPEN
COUNTRY: Lie flat in a ditch or depression and cover your
head with your hands. Do not get under an overpass or
bridge.
Tornado
watches and warnings: A tornado watch is issued by the
National Weather Service when tornadoes are possible in your
area. Remain alert for approaching storms. This
is the time to remind family members where the safest places
within your home are located, and listen to the radio or television
for further developments. A tornado warning is issued
when a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar.
Learn
these tornado danger signs:
- An
approaching cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado
even if a funnel is not visible.
- Before
a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become
very still.
- Tornadoes
generally occur near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm.
It is not uncommon to see clear sunlit skies behind a tornado.
If
you have any questions, contact the Cheektowaga Office of
Emergency Services
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