Estes Park Fire - Fire Safety Tips
This is a collection of tips and information about keeping you and your family fire safe! Call the EPVFD for more information about specific topics at 970-577-0900.
Click any topic to 'jump' there, or scroll down through every topic:
Babysitting
Bathroom Safety
Burns
Fire Extinguishers
Fire Drills
Fire Hazards in your Home
House Numbers
Kitchen Fire Safety
Senior Safety
Smoke Detectors
Sprinkler Systems
Safety in the Workplace
Wildfires
When choosing a sitter for your child, never assume that he or she knows everything they need to know about babysitting.
 | Get references. Treat sitting as a legitimate business and check out references |
| Test your sitter. Pose several "What if..." questions |
| Write down information about where you will be & when you plan to return. Include names and telephone numbers of the family or place that you will be at. Leave a pager number if you have one, with specific details about how to use the number. Write everything down - in a crisis, the babysitter may 'go blank' with all of the new information. |
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| Contact the sitter right away if your plans change. |
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| Walk though your home with the sitter to identify bedrooms, diaper supplies, bathrooms, etc |
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| Explain how doors and windows open, lock or unlock. Instruct the sitter to keep them locked |
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| Review your home fire escape plan. Explain where the exits are, and identify the safe meeting place outside of the home, that your children should be familiar with. Point out a trusted neighbor that would help in an emergency. |
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Make a 'SItter List' that includes the following
information:
Your names - Your Children's Names - Your address & Telephone Number
Emergency Phone Numbers (FIre - Police - EMS) - Family Doctor - Nearby Relatives
Where to find: House Keys - Emergency Money - Fire Extinguishers - Gas/Water Shutoff - Fuse Box - Flashlight - Thermostat - Mop, Broom & Rags - First-Aid
Rules of The House
Explain you expectations about visiting friends, phone use and off limits food, television or stereo use.
Eliminate unnecessary tasks like cooking, cleaning or baths. These tasks may take the sitters attention away form the children and may be dangerous.
Inform the sitter about pet behavior and feeding
schedules.
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It is very difficult for emergency responders to find unfamiliar homes in the dark, or even during the day at homes and businesses that do not have their address properly posted. In an emergency, valuable time is often lost searching for 'the right house'. In Estes Park, an ordinance was passed that requires a visible house number to be posted, and readable from the curb.
Your street number should be posted in numerals that are no less than3 - 4" tall and in a contrasting color to the background. Many Estes Park residents have purchased reflective house number signs from the Senior Center to put on their home. Rescuers easily recognize these signs and are able to locate homes faster because of them. For more information about these signs, click HERE. Encourage your neighbors and family to post their address, too.
IF your home is set back from the roadway, or is hidden
from view, it is important to post the number at the entrance to your driveway.
In situations where more than one home is accessed from a single driveway, all
addresses should be posted at the entrance, and at each intersection along the
way. These type of driveways can be particularly tough for fire trucks that
require a large turning area if they miss the right driveway.
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...are available from the EPVFD at no charge... Click HERE for information.
Smoke detectors have been proven to save lives! Are
your batteries good? Test it every month.
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Wildfires
Choose a FireWise location
| Evaluate the building site. Choose a site away from heavily vegetated areas. Build on the most level part of the land. Avoid natural chimneys, or draws in the terrain. Set your structure back from any ridge or cliff a minimum of 30 feet; increase that distance if the home is more than one story |
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| Provide easy access for emergency vehicles. A steep, narrow, winding driveway can impede access for larger emergency vehicles. |
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| Clearly post your address, using numbers that contrast with their background so fire fighters and EMS personnel can find you quickly in any emergency. Click HERE for details about reflective house number signs. |
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| Ensure
address is visible from both directions and keep brush and trees cut back so
that the address stands out. |
Create and maintain a FireWise
environment around your home
| Create
a defensible space around your home and structures on your property.
This does not mean that your landscape has to be barren. Defensible space is
an area either man-made or natural where the vegetation is modified and
maintained to slow the rate and intensity of an advancing wildfire. It also
creates an area for fire suppression operations to occur and helps protect
the forest from becoming involved should a structure fire occur. |
Design & Build FireWise structures
| When
wildfire strikes, a structure’s roof is the greatest weakness. Using class
A or B roofing materials, such as asphalt shingles, slate or clay tile, or
metal- will reduce the danger. |
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| Use
construction materials that are fire resistive or non-combustible whenever
possible. |
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| Minimize
the size and number of windows on the side of the house that will most
likely be exposed to a wildfire, typically the downhill side. |
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| Multi-pane
glass provides more protection from radiant heat than single pane glass.
Tempered glass should be used for picture windows, sliding doors and other
large glass areas. |
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| Walls
should be constructed with fire resistive materials from the ground up to he
roof overhang. |
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| Locate
propane tanks either on the downhill side or on the same contour as the
structure (propane gas is heavier than air and seeks lower ground). |
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| Use
a minimum Class III flame spread siding material. Stone, brick and stucco
are best. |
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| Cover
exterior attic, soffit and under floor vents with ¼” wire mesh to prevent
sparks from entering your home. |
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| Keep
areas under decks vegetation free by using a fabric weed barrier. |
When
wildfire occurs
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If you see a wildfire,
dial 911. Don’t ever assume that someone else has already reported the
fire. Describe the location of the fire, speak slowly and clearly, and
answer any questions asked by the dispatcher. |
If a fire occurs near your home
When a wildfire threatens
your home or is in the area that you live, listen to local radio for bulletins
from the local fire department- including evacuation advisories. If your home
becomes threatened, you may be contacted by a fire or law enforcement official
and advised to evacuate.
| Wear
protective clothing. This includes a long sleeved shirt or jacket, pants and
sturdy shoes. Use a handkerchief to provide minimal protection for your
lungs from the smoke and hot gasses. |
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| Ensure
your family’s safety. If you are able, locate and evacuate your pets, but
do not jeopardize your own life. If you have livestock, let them loose by
opening gates and cutting fence. |
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| Know
where safe areas are within your subdivision. Contact the fire department
for assistance in determining safe areas. Typically meadows, rock outcrops
and roads may provide safe areas. |
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| If
time allows, take a disaster kit containing drinking water, change of
clothes for each family member, blanket or sl4eeping bag for each person and
first aid kit including prescription medications, emergency tools, including
radio & flashlight, and extra set of car keys and credit cards or cash. |
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| Know
all emergency escape routes and have pre-planned travel route. Don’t
panic. Drive slowly and safely - turn on headlights for better visibility in
smoky conditions. |
Home Protection Tips
In a major wildfire, it
may be impossible for the fire department to provide enough resources to protect
your home. If you have time, you may want to take the following
steps to protect your home.
| Place
combustible items 50 feet from the structure- including lawn furniture,
umbrellas and tarps. |
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| Close
or cover outside attic, eaves and basement vents. This reduces the
possibility of sparks blowing into hidden areas of the house. Close all
shutters. |
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| Connect
a garden hose to an outside faucet so it can reach any part of the house. |
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| Place
a ladder against the roof of the house opposite the approaching fire. |
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| Shut
off gas at the meter or propane tank. |
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| Park
your car in the garage, facing out. Close the windows, but do not lock the
doors. |
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| Close
the garage door, but leave unlocked. Disconnect the automatic garage door
opener. |
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| Close
all windows and doors, but do not lock them. |
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| Close
all doors inside the house to block circulation of air and minimize movement
of fire. |
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| Turn
on all exterior lights. This will make the home more visible in heavy smoke
or at night. |
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| Take
down lightweight curtains and close heavy weight drapes. Move overstuffed
furniture away from windows and glass doors. These may ignite though radiant
heat. |
Thanks to Larimer
County, federal and state fire agencies for the information in this section.
Contact us for their brochure: "Wildfire Safety Tips - Are you FireWise?"
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