Safety Tips

Be Prepared Bethlehem Township Vol. Fire Company is pleased to support the launch of Notify Northampton County. www.notifync.org The Notify Northampton website will allow any resident of the county to sign up to receive information via your cell phone, email or text message.  The county will relay any detailed instructions in the event of a county emergency such as regional flooding, road closures and more.  This free service will help you and your family be prepared in the event of an emergency.  You can also see links to Northampton County Emergency Services Twitter and Facebook pages by visiting www.nc911.org Ready Pennsylvania website www.readypa.org Sign up today and be ready, be prepared. Tot Finder Bethlehem Twp. Fire Co. recommends the "New" use of "Tot Finder Stickers" The members of the Bethlehem Twp. Volunteer Fire Company prefer to teach a proactive, quick response to fires. The use of these decals could provide a false sense of security for your family. Through various public education programs, we begin educating children at a very young age about the basics of a home escape plan. The BTVFC teaches school children E.D.I.T.H, (Exit Drills In The Home) Children are taught the importance of responding quickly to a smoke alarm, knowing two ways out of each room, crawling low in smoke and having a meeting place outside their home. Children may feel that by having this decal on their window, it will be okay to stay and wait for the fire department and this isn’t the message we are trying to teach them. They need to learn the importance of getting out of the house as quickly as possible and staying out! There are other reasons why the use of these stickers is not recommended. One reason being that when children grow up and move away from home, or change bedrooms in the house, the decal remains in the window. Perhaps the room has been converted to an office or den and is no longer a bedroom at all. This places firefighters at undue risk by directing them to search for a child when in fact there are no children in that room or living at home. Another reason why the decals are not recommended by The Bethlehem Twp. Vol. Fire Co. is because it provides a vulnerable spot for your home. The decals could act as a signal to unwanted individuals directing them to the location of your children. Finally, it is important to understand that when the members of BTVFC respond for a fire, the firefighters are trained to perform a systematic search of the entire house. If firefighters were to first look for windows containing a Tot Finder decal, and search only those rooms, precious time is wasted. If you have these decals on your children's bedroom windows, BTVFC recommends you remove them. Then get your family together and take the time to develop a fire escape plan indicating two ways out of each room and a meeting place outside. Be sure you have at least one smoke detector on each level of your home and remember to test them every month. Once you have a plan developed, you need to practice it to be sure everyone knows what to do. You can make it more interesting by blocking an exit with a sign stating that a particular exit is blocked by smoke or fire so family members will have to use their second way out. If you have any questions regarding your home escape plan, or to request new tot finder stickers please call BTVFC at 610-694-0062 x-41 or e-mail our fire prevention officer hasonich.r@btvfc.org and he will be happy to answer them. Information researched and provided courtesy Firehouse.com and E.F.D Fire Prevention October 9,1871 is the day the Great Chicago Fire took place. This fire blackened 2,100 acres, destroyed over 17,000 buildings, left 100,000 people homeless and killed 250 people. From this fire rose a national interest in preventing it's repetition. In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson declared October 9th as "Fire Prevention Day". Since 1922, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has established Fire Prevention Week around this date. During the month of October, the Bethlehem Twp. Vol. Fire Co. comes in contact with approximately 1,000 elementary students in our schools, but fire prevention is actively promoted year round. Our Fire Department works with our nursing homes, hospital, businesses, and the residents of Bethlehem Twp. to provide guidance regarding fire safety in various circumstances such as fire drills, evacuation plans, extinguisher use and many other safety matters. We feel that a good year-round program throughout the area is important. If you or if you know someone who is interested in having Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Co. come out and give a lecture or demonstration, please contact the fire station at 610-694-0062. Change the battery in your smoke detector every 6 months (When you change your clocks for daylight savings time) Don’t play with matches Keep all medications out of reach of small children Lock all cabinets that contain cleaning supplies Don’t drink and drive Don’t let your friends drive drunk When riding your bicycle always wear your approved bicycle protective riding equipment Look both ways before crossing the street When walking on the street, always walk facing traffic Dial 911 for Police, Fire, and Ambulance Emergencies Remember to… Stop, drop and roll (if your clothes are on fire) Don’t tamper with electric outlets Make sure your child is in a car seat Keep all firearms out of reach of children Make sure you have a fire extinguisher in the house Make sure you have a smoke detector on each floor of your house