Baltimore County, MD Hello Baltimore County, 1 May 2018

Previous Meeting Next Meeting

⏯

youtube image

►

From YouTube: Smoke and CO Alarms Save Lives

Description

Is your home safe? Find out about County Fire crews offering free home safety visits, and smoke and carbon dioxide alarms for eligible residents.

A

( ♪♪♪ ).

A

Welcome to hello! baltimore county., I'm ellen kobler.

A

smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, save lives. Every day,.

A

But only if they're installed and in working order.

A

That's why baltimore county executive, kevin kamenetz has launched an aggressive, neighborhood outreach program to spread the word.

A

We're joined by fire battalion chief dave bycoffe,, who can tell us how to keep our families safe..

A

Thank you so much for joining us.. Thank you for having me. now, smoke. Alarms,, co! Alarms,! That's not exactly new information,.

A

But you're doing a particular push right now to do what?.

A

Yes,, thanks to a grant from the federal emergency management agency,.

B

And support from baltimore county and county executive kamenetz,.

B

We are launching a program to install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors-- or alarms,. I should say,.

B

Throughout baltimore county., we are targeting our at-risk communities.

B

Who really are disbursed all through the county?.

B

And offering people the opportunity to have the fire department.

B

Come into your home, and on a completely voluntary basis,.

B

Give you some suggestions on how to make your home safer.

B

and as part of that,. We are offering, for those who need it,.

B

A free smoke and carbon monoxide alarm.

A

Ellen: okay. well,, that's very helpful., and this is the alarm here. yes.

A

so,. It looks pretty much pretty standard to me..

A

Is this a new type of alarm?.

B

There is a new type of alarm.

B

that is what's known as a 10-year sealed smoke and carbon monoxide alarm.

B

okay. so,, it's a combination.. It is a combination, alarm.

B

Carbon monoxide is often a very silent killer,.

B

Or it can cause very significant emergencies. That--.

B

It's odorless, and it can happen without anybody knowing it.

A

We had a family crisis,, a terrible tragedy,, where my uncle passed away.

A

My aunt and uncle just thought they were sick.

B

They had flu symptoms, and then they didn't know what happened.

A

Until at the funeral it was understood that some of the family members who slept over that night also had symptoms,, and so they realized what had happened.

B

They did not have an alarm that was working..

B

The early symptoms of carbon monoxide are very similar to having the flu.

B

Or just feeling, unwell. and we've seen a significant drop in these emergencies.

B

Just over the past few years,, when baltimore county enacted.

B

New rules to require the carbon monoxide alarms in rentals.

B

So,, we know that this is an effective policy..

B

Okay. tell us,. To what extent does this happen.

A

With the carbon monoxide and also just,, you know, house, fires?,.

A

We'll talk a little bit about general safety and how you can prevent it.

B

We know that there is a very strong relationship.

B

Between house fire fatalities and homes that don't have smoke alarms.

B

Or smoke alarms that are working. and smoke, alarms that are working.

B

like any other appliance or any other safety device,. It has to be working.

B

And many of our homes have these devices that are very old.

B

And have stopped working., we were lucky enough to be invited into a home.

B

For our kickoff at the beginning of april, that was hosted by county executive kamenetz,.

B

And this family's home had a smoke alarm that was over 30 years, old.

A

So, we were lucky enough to find this family and upgrade their home safety.

B

Is it possible that, that alarm would have failed in an emergency??

B

It is very possible. really? yes. okay.. How old should your alarm be?.

A

When should you replace it, entirely?.

B

We really are recommending that as the batteries die in your alarms.

B

That are currently installed,.

B

You replace them with a 10-year sealed smoke, alarm.

B

And, preferably, one that has a co alarm in it, as well.

B

So,, it's a battery that lasts for 10 years., it is.

B

and the nice thing about this. Is you don't ever have to change? It.

B

there's no way to really open the container..

B

You put it on your wall, and you test it from time to time,.

B

And you leave it alone. and you can't steal the battery for the remote.

A

You can't., you can't steal the battery for the remote.

A

right., all right. so, this program, where you're using this fema grant, tell me about--. You said you're going into neighborhoods, and you're targeting specific areas.. Tell me more about that and how people can find out.

B

So, we are going to be canvassing in various neighborhoods throughout the county.

B

So, there is a relationship between low-income neighborhoods.

B

And high fire events.

B

And part of that is because these smoke alarms can be expensive,.

B

And we understand that there is a hierarchy.

B

Of what you're going to be able to spend your money, on.

B

so,, we are targeting our low-income neighborhoods.

B

however,. Everybody in the county is eligible to call--.

B

I'm sorry, to visit our website at baltimorecountymd.gov/preventhomefires.

B

Okay., we'll put it up on the screen. okay. thank you.

B

and we will make arrangements for a fire engine.

B

To come visit you at a convenient time.

B

okay.. That sounds like a great idea.

A

Now,, just basic home safety.

A

tell me everything I'm doing wrong at my house. That's putting me at risk.

B

So,, you should be careful not to have too many circuits on your power strip.

B

Too many things plugged into your power strip.

A

Now,, if the power strip has eight spots,, you can put eight things: in, right?.

B

You should,, but you shouldn't put more than that, and you should never put two or three together.

B

okay. so, don't put the little thingy that lets you put additional plugs, in?.

B

Right. right. yes. the little adapter...

B

yes. and if you're in a home that has gas,, you should make sure that your appliances are being cleaned. Regularly., okay. so, get the maintenance to come, in...

B

get the maintenance. yes. the maintenance, plan?

B

okay.. What generally causes the co emergencies,? The carbon monoxide?.

B

So, co is caused by-- when a gas appliance, or your car,, but most likely a gas appliance.

B

Doesn't work properly, and that gas is not all burned.

B

In heating, your home or your bathtub or your stove,.

B

A gas, carbon monoxide, is created.

B

And it just kind of sits in your house, and it wafts throughout the house.

B

That level grows and grows and grows until it becomes very dangerous.

B

Okay. so, somebody who's out there who either.

A

Isn't sure they have smoke, alarms and co are properly installed,.

A

They can literally call you, and the fire crew from their local station will come to their home,.

A

Go through and look for problems with the outlets, like you talked about, or other issues., and if they meet the eligibility,, then they can receive.

A

A free carbon monoxide and smoke detector?.

B

Yes. and we will install a carbon monoxide and smoke alarm in the home.

B

A

Well,, I think that this sounds like a very useful program that sounds like it really could help to save lives.

A

yes. yeah. all right.. Well thank you. and we'll encourage everybody to go to the baltimore county website.

A

And look into this further..

A

Thank you very much for having me. all right. thank you., and thank you for watching hello!, baltimore, county.

A

and as always,. We encourage you to connect with baltimore county government.

A

On all of our social media, platforms.

A