If you find mistakes on this website, consider that they are put here for a purpose. The Staff tries to publish something for all members in the limited space available. Some people are always trying to find mistakes, so here they may be. ~Editor
IAFF136.ORG Is The Official Publication Of
Dayton Firefighters Local 136
Editor-in-Chief: Steve Dunham
Managing Editor:
"Unions have a secure place in our industrial life. Only a handful of reactionaries harbor the ugly thought of breaking unions and depriving working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice."- Dwight Eisenhower 1954
Smoke Alarms
Installing and testing your smoke alarms
Because fire can grow and spread so quickly, having working smoke alarms in your home can mean the difference between life and death. Once the alarm sounds, you may have as few as two minutes to escape. Smoke alarms are the most effective early warning devices available. Just having a smoke alarm in your home cuts your chance of dying in a fire nearly in half.
You can reduce your risk even more by learning how to effectively use the smoke alarm's early warning to get out safely. Automatic home fire sprinklers reduce your risk of dying in a home fire even more.
Install your smoke alarms correctly
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement. Make sure there is an alarm in or near every sleeping area.
Mount the smoke alarms high on walls or ceilings—remember, smoke rises. Ceiling-mounted alarms should be installed at least four inches away from the nearest wall; wall-mounted alarms should be installed four to 12 inches away from the ceiling.
If you have ceilings that are pitched, install the alarm near the ceiling's highest point. Don't install smoke alarms near windows, doors, or ducts where drafts might interfere with their operation.
Hard-wired smoke alarms operate on your household electrical current. They can be interconnected so that every alarm sounds regardless of the fire's location. This is an advantage in early warning, because it gives occupants extra time to escape if they are in one part of the home and a fire breaks out in another part. Alarms that are hard-wired should have battery backups in case of a power outage, and should be installed by a qualified electrician.
Don't paint your smoke alarms; paint, stickers or other decorations could keep them from working properly.
Keep your smoke alarms working properly
Test your smoke alarms at least once a month, following the manufacturer's instructions.
Replace the batteries in your smoke alarm once a year, or as soon as the alarm "chirps," warning that the battery is low. HINT: schedule battery replacements for the same day you change your clock from daylight to standard time in the fall.
Never "borrow" a battery from a smoke alarm. Smoke alarms can't warn you of fire if their batteries are missing or have been disconnected.
Don't disable smoke alarms even temporarily – you may forget to replace the battery. If your smoke alarm is sounding "nuisance alarms," it may need dusting or vacuuming. If that doesn't work, try relocating it further away from kitchens and bathrooms, where cooking fumes and steam can cause the alarm to sound.
Regularly vacuuming or dusting your smoke alarms following manufacturer's instructions can help keep it working properly.
Smoke alarms don't last forever. Replace your smoke alarms once every 10 years. Make sure that everyone in your home can identify and awaken to the sound of the alarm.
Plan regular fire drills. (twice a year is best) to ensure that everyone knows exactly what to do when the smoke alarm sounds. Hold a drill at night to make sure that sleeping family members awaken at the sound of the alarm.
If you are building a new home or remodeling your existing home, consider installing an automatic home fire sprinkler system. Sprinklers and smoke alarms together cut your risk of dying in a home fire 82 percent relative to having neither – a savings of thousands of lives a year.
"Smoke Showing" is a short film that visually demonstrates the dangers and challenges faced by firefighters during a structural fire. This film will serve to educate recruit firefighters, elected officials and the public in fire operations. "Smoke Showing" demonstrates the need for an aggressive interior attack coupled with adequate resources in order to save lives and reduce property loss.
We often we get questions such as: What happens on the fireground? Why do you need so many firefighters? What do the different trucks do? Why do you always break the windows?
This video will help explain how the fireground works and why we staff the way we do. These can be difficult issues to explain. We hope this video will help.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
EMS Continuing Education
Need a little continuing education? Greene Memorial Hospital is now offering con-ed classes online. Each class will provide you with 1 hour of con-ed. You must first register to use the site. A great opportunity to get additional CEU's.
Check Your EMS Certification
Not sure when your Fire/EMS certifications expire? You can check right here. You will need to have either your SSN# or your certification number available.
According to the OAPFF, they are experiencing problems with non-members acquiring our OAPFF/IAFF license plates. The OAPFF is currently working on a more secure process for our members to obtain the OAPFF license plate, in the interim, requests for the documents that are required to obtain the Professional Firefighter license plate should be made through the Local President. We hope the members understand that this is simply a step in ensuring the law enforcement community, the public as well as our membership that those who choose to display the IAFF license plate are truly Ohio's Professional Firefighters.
“If capitalism is fair then unionism must be. If men have a right to capitalize their ideas and the resources of their country, then that implies the right of men to capitalize on their labor.” ~Frank Lloyd Wright
