Orleans Fire Chief Geof Deering joined us this month and offered a wealth of helpful information about Orleans Fire & Rescue. The department answers about 2,700 calls annually, about 1,900 of them are medical calls. A few takeaways from Chief Deering’s presentation:
- Make sure your house number is visible from the street. The number(s) should be at least 3″ and contrast with the surface where you place them, whether beside or above your front door or garage. If your driveway is long, place your house number on a post at the street high enough that it won’t be covered by snow.
- If you need medical services, it’s more effective to call 911 rather than drive to the station.
- Keep an updated File of Life on your refrigerator
- Smoke detectors don’t last forever, replace yours if they are more than 10 years old, sooner if they are a combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Stand-alone carbon monoxide detectors have a shelf life of about seven years.