Smoke Detectors
Each year, approximately 500,000 home fires occur in the U.S. resulting in 6,000 deaths and over 100,000 serious injuries. Most of these tragedies could be avoided if smoke detectors were maintained properly. The main problem is missing or dead batteries. As we go into the high fire season, when you change your clock, the North Riverside Fire Prevention Bureau wants you to make another change, a change that could save your life...the battery in your smoke detector. A working smoke detector alerts you and your family during the early stages of a fire, while you have time to make a safe exit. So mark your calendars to change your smoke detector battery when you change the clock for Daylight Savings Time. All smoke detectors need to be checked at least once a month, for both electric and battery operated types.
            
Smoke Detectors are available for purchase at the village hall for a nominal fee of $7.95. Free replacement batteries are available to senior citizens 55 or older through the Village's Handy Man Program.

Information on the best location for your smoke detector or if you would like to schedule a time for someone from the fire department to install them, please contact the fire department at 708-447-1981. This service is free of charge for the residents of North Riverside.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors - New Law in Effect as of Jan 1, 2007 (see below)

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas. It is produced when any fossil fuel such as propane, natural gas, coal, oil or gasoline is burned, and a build-up is caused by insufficient oxygen supplies. Over-exposure to CO can cause CO poisoning, which can lead to serious illness, even death.

Carbon Monoxide detectors are getting a lot of attention in the fight against CO poisoning. While the first line of defense is a regular inspection of your heating and ventilation system by a qualified contractor, a CO detector can be a useful second line of defense.

Install CO detectors nearest to bedrooms as possible, since you are most vulnerable to CO poisoning while sleeping. If your bedrooms are in different parts of the house, place separate detectors near each bedroom area. Additional CO detectors located at different levels of your home adds an extra measure of safety. Do not install in kitchens, garages or furnace rooms.

It usually take several hours or more for CO to increase to dangerous levels. If your CO detector goes off, get out of the house immediately and call 9-1-1 from another location. The 9-1-1 dispatcher will dispatch the fire department.

Following these tips will help to keep your family safe from CO:

• Preventive maintenance - Have your furnace, venting system, and chimney inspected each year by a qualified contractor. Periodically check your furnace and water heater vent pipes for rust, corrosion, or damage. Replace pipes if necessary.
• Avoid enclosed combustion - Never use your gas range to heat your home. Never burn charcoal in your home, garage, work shed, or recreational vehicle or in any enclosed area. Be sure your chimney flu is open each time you use your fireplace. Never run a car engine, lawn mower, snow blower or other combustion engine in a closed area like your garage or basement. When camping, do not operate a fuel-burning heater, lantern or range inside you tent or RV without proper ventilation. Always follow the manufacturer's directions for use.
• Symptoms - Flu-like symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, nausea, coughing and irregular breathing and heartbeat. Victims may appear pale, but then develop a cherry red color on lips and ear tips. Be suspicious if everyone in your household is experiencing the same symptoms, especially animals, because they can't get the flu.
• First aid - Get fresh air immediately! Go to a neighbor's house and call 9-1-1 immediately, even if the victim appears to be recovering.

New Carbon Monoxide Law

The North Riverside Fire Department reminds you of an important new law that will take effect on January 1st, 2007. Beginning with the new year, every dwelling unit will be required to have at least one approved carbon monoxide alarm in an operating condition within 5 feet of every room used for sleeping purposes. Alarms can be battery-powered, plug-in with battery backup or wired into the AC power line with a secondary battery back-up. The alarm can be combined with smoke-detecting devices if the combined unit complies with specific standards and the alarm differentiates the hazard. This new law requires homeowners and landlords to install carbon monoxide detectors in all buildings containing bedrooms and sleeping facilities.

Primary features of the law are:
- A "dwelling unit" means a room or suite of rooms used for human habitation and includes single-family   residences, multiple family residences, and mixed use buildings.
- If a structure contains more than one "dwelling unit," an alarm must be installed within 15 feet of every   sleeping room in each "dwelling unit."
- The owner must supply and install all required alarms. A landlord must ensure that the alarms are operable on   the start date of a lease. The tenant is then responsible for testing and maintaining the alarm. A landlord is   required to furnish one tenant per dwelling unit with written information regarding testing and maintenance.

To read the Illinois Carbon Monoxide Alarm Detector Act in its entirety, log on to this website: www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/ or feel free to contact the North Riverside Fire Department at 708-447-1981 for more information about carbon monoxide, the silent killer. Did you know that carbon monoxide is the number 1 cause of poisoning in North America? Carbon monoxide is difficult to detect as it is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and toxic gas produced as a byproduct of combustion. Because you can't see, taste, or smell it, carbon monoxide can kill you before you know it is there.

Gas connectors are corrugated metal tubes used to connect gas appliances, such as dryers, stoves or water heaters, to gas supply lines. Currently these connectors are made of stainless steel or plastic coated brass. In the past, these connectors were made of uncoated brass. These older brass connectors may have a flaw in how the tubing was joined to the end pieces. These older brass connectors have end pieces brazed (soldered) to corrugated brass tubing. Over time, the brazing can fail, creating a serious gas leak. These dangerous, uncoated brass connectors have not been made for more than 20 years, but many of them are still in use.

It is difficult to determine from a visual inspection weather a flexible connector has been brazed. Therefore, if an uncoated brass connector is found, it should be replaced with either a new stainless steel or plastic coated brass connector. It is a good practice to replace any flexible gas connector that is more than 10 years old.

Furthermore, connectors can wear out from too much moving, bending, or corrosion. Connectors should always be replaced whenever the appliance is replaced or moved from its location. Any new flexible gas connector should be certified by the American Gas Association (AGA) and conform to the rules of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard Z21.24. When you purchase a new flexible gas connector, make sure that it has an AGA or ANSI approval label attached.

If you smell gas or suspect a leak:
Leave the building immediately.
Do not use your phone. Call the fire department and your gas company from a neighbors phone.
Do not light a match or lighter.
Do not change the position of any light switch. Do not switch on any electrical appliances or equipment.

For additional information on Flexible gas line connectors, visit www.nicorgas.com.

Station Tours
This is a great way to meet your local firefighters as well as learn how a fire station operates. Any community group or individual is welcome to arrange a tour of North Riverside Fire Station. The tour will focus primarily on the observation of the fire station's living quarters and fire engines. Guests will also be introduced to the many types of fire-fighting and rescue equipment that is carried on a modern-day fire truck. In addition to viewing the station, fire prevention and safety tips will also be discussed.

Age Group: All ages
Audience Size: 6 - 20 people
Time: 30 minutes
Cost: No cost
Resources Required: One adult supervisor for every five children under the age of 10 who will be particpating in the tour.
To Schedule This Program:

1. Please contact Lt. Brian Basek at 708-447-1981 for scheduling information.
2. Please provide us with a minimum of 15 days advance notice. In order to accommodate possible scheduling conflicts, several alternative dates should be supplied.
3. Please be aware that the fire station is on 24 hour call. Even with booked tours, the possibility exists that the crew could be called out and the station will be closed when you arrive. If the crew is not at the station for the scheduled tour, wait for 15 minutes. If the crew does not return in that time frame, please contact the fire prevention bureau to reschedule.
4. Station tours are available to Village residents only.