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Firefighter Provides Safety Tips At 69th Precinct Council Meeting
Guest speaker firefighter George Tabeek, who works out of South Beach, Staten Island as a safety instructor, said, "There are a lot of simple safety precautions people don't think about when it comes to fire safety." Tabeek was injured while rescuing a family from a fire several years ago and now offers safety presentations to community groups and civic organizations. "Besides checking and replacing the batteries twice a year, you should get a new detector every seven to ten years. Place smoke detectors on ceilings, preferably along stairwells, rather than walls, because smoke may take longer to reach detectors on walls. Those few minutes that the smoke alarm doesn't go off makes the difference," Tabeek said. "The most important place to have them is the bedroom - the alarm will definitely wake you up at night in the event of a fire." He also pointed out that 95 percent of fires start in the bedroom, which, he explained, is often due to outdated outlets and electrical wiring in old houses or having too many electrical appliances plugged in at once. "A small spark near the mattress or curtain are the quickest to spread," he said. When Tabeek asked how many in the audience knew how to test a smoke alarm, most replied "Press the button." "I'm glad you gave that answer," he said, "because it's wrong. By pressing that button, you're only really testing the battery and the audible sound. The best thing to do is purchase a smoke detector tester. It is smoke in a can that creates a cloud of smoke that sets the alarm off. You can get one online on line or your local hardware store." Tabeek also said space heaters have been responsible for many fires. "There are several precautions you should take if you're going to use space heaters. Make sure they are UL (Underwriters Laboratory) approved, plugged directly into the wall - not a power surge protector or extension cord - are turned off at night and not placed near windows. They should also have a built-in thermostat." "Carbon monoxide emits from boilers, hot water heaters and stoves," Tabeek continued. "Stoves are not vented to the outside, so make sure you keep windows open four to five inches when stoves are on. The flame from the stove should be blue - if it's red, orange, or yellow, that means it's giving off a higher level of carbon monoxide." "Vents in driers are another hazard. Don't block the drier vents around the outside of your home and make sure you clean lint catchers so carbon monoxide isn't trapped inside. The reason this gas is so dangerous is because it doesn't give off any odors, tastes or colors, so we don't know it's there. There are three main places carbon monoxide detectors should not go - kitchens, bathrooms and boiler rooms. You will get a lot of false alarms in these locations and in places like the boiler rooms, there's a lot of dust that will clog the detectors." After his presentation, Tabeek gave smoke detectors to audience members.
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