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Disasters are extraordinary natural and manmade events which can affect entire communities. Hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and other similar events can strain any municipal agency to its limits and beyond. As we have all seen recently, man made (accidental and intentional) acts can have a tremendous impact.
In an effort to address such problems and concerns, Pennsylvania law requires that each and every community has in place plans for dealing with such emergencies. These plans help municipal leaders as well as emergency and municipal workers, to prepare for such emergencies, respond appropriately to reduce the loss of life, injury and property damage when the incident occurs and to help the community return to normalcy after the event. These plans address the different types of emergencies that may need to be dealt with and when, where and how to ask for assistance from County, State and Federal Emergency Agencies.
Plymouth Township has had an approved Emergency Plan since the early part of the 1980's. This plan has been updated, drilled and reviewed each year thereafter. The State appointed Emergency Management Coordinator for Plymouth Township is Fire Marshal Andy Mount. Fire Marshal Fessler continues his involvement in this effort as an assistant in Marshal Mount's absence.
This page provides some information regarding Emergency Management and Fire Marshal topics, including some timely fire prevention tips and suggestions.
November 2008: Good News for PECO’s Suburban Philadelphia Customers
PECO will start lowering natural gas rates nearly 19% beginning December 1. For energy saving information and payment options, visit the
PECO website. For more information about natural gas or energy prices generally, visit
www.aga.org or www.eia.doe.gov.
Winter Safety
During the winter months you may find that due to weather conditions your home doesn't have power. If this is the case you may decide to use either a portable generator and/or alternative light and heat sources. These can be dangerous so we are providing some helpful tips on the safe use of alternative power and heating sources:
- Keep all people and flammable materials, including kindling, furniture, clothing and pets, at least 36 inches away from fire places and wood stoves.
- Never use an oven or range to heat your home. Never use a gas or charcoal grill inside the home. And gas-fueled portable electric generators must be used outside, never indoors or in an area that allows carbon monoxide (CO), a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that claims hundreds of lives every year, to collect.
- Open flues before using the fireplace. Fireplaces need screens or doors to keep embers inside. Keep young children away from wood stoves to avoid contact burn injuries.
- Kerosene heaters must never be fueled inside the home or garage; use the recommended grade kerosene and never use an alternative fuel, such as gasoline. Also, supervise children and pets when heaters are used.
- Fuel-burning appliances, such as gas, wood, or kerosene, can emit dangerous levels of CO. Install at least one CO alarm to protect sleeping areas. Have trained professionals inspect and service central heating systems, cook stoves, water heaters and space heaters to prevent CO leaks.
- Candle use presents an increasingly dangerous fire hazard. Use flashlights for emergency lighting. Keep candles away from flammable materials, like furniture and curtains. Do not permit children to keep or use candles in their rooms. Place candles where pets won’t knock them over.
Electric Heater Safety
Visit heatersafety.org for quick, easy to read safety tips about electric heaters.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by influenza type A which infects pigs. The US authorities say that two drugs commonly used to treat flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, seem to be effective at treating cases that have occurred there so far. However, the drugs must be administered at an early stage to be effective.
To prevent infection:
- Avoid close contact with people who appear unwell and who have fever and cough.
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General infection control practices and good respiratory hand hygiene can help to reduce transmission of all viruses, including the human swine influenza. This includes covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible and disposing of it promptly.
- Maintain good basic hygiene, for example washing hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people and cleaning hard surfaces like door handles frequently using a normal cleaning product.
- If caring for someone with a flu-like illness, a mask can be worn to cover the nose and mouth to reduce the risk of transmission.
It is safe to eat pig meat. There is no evidence that swine flu can be transmitted through eating meat from infected animals. However, it is essential to cook meat properly. A temperature of 70C (158F) would be sure to kill the virus.
The Special Needs Registry is designed to help emergency management coordinators locate and safely evacuate people who need special assistance
during emergencies and critical events. To learn more, download the Special Needs Registry brochure, or visit www.specialneedspa.org
When situations arise in
Southeastern Pennsylvania and Plymouth Township that may affect you and your
family, ReadyNotifyPA lets local officials notify you quickly.
Be among the first to find out and stay informed during an emergency.
ReadyNotifyPA can send you an E-mail, or send a text
message to your cell phone or other device. You let ReadyNotifyPA know how you’d
like to be notified. Alerts are free; however, your
cellular provider may charge for text messaging.
Go to https://montco.alertpa.org/regist
er.php to begin accessing emergency information.
Hotel/motel Safety
View this
video from the Today show
for tips on surviving a hotel fire.
Facts about Fire
Did you know:
- A fire occurs in the US every 60 seconds in a commercial property, every 76 seconds in a residential property
- Smoking, heating and arson are the leading causes of fire deaths in residential property in the US
- If every home had a working smoke detector, an estimated 890 lives could be saved every year in the US
For more facts about fire in the United States go to http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pAkoL0awFw2hwwQLF09PCPg.
PA Department of Forestry burning bans
If you have been given a permit from the Fire Marshals Office, this is the link
that will advise you if a burn ban has been placed in effect in Montgomery County. If a burn ban is in effect you are prohibited from using your
outdoor fireplace.
Novelty Lighters
Do you know what a novelty lighter is? It’s one that works like any other lighter, except that it looks like a child’s toy. The Plymouth Township Fire Marshal’s Office needs your help in a nationwide effort to make novelty lighters unavailable for purchase. For more information, visit the "No Novelty Lighters"
website and download a letter from the Fire Marshal.
Family Disaster Readiness
Emergency plans are only as good as the level of preparation that you do to get yourself and your family ready for a potential emergency that would require you to be out of your home for up to three days. You should prepare your own plan, store some supplies and gather and record information that will allow you to respond appropriately if the need arises. The following link will provide excellent information and additional links so that with minimal effort you to be prepared for a possible emergency.
www.ready.gov/america/about/instructional.html.
Other public safety information is available at the Montgomery County Public Safety web site at:
http://www.montcopa.org/eoc/Default.htm
Other Helpful links:
Below are recent product recalls issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. For more information about a particular recall, click on the product name.
| DATE OF RECALL | NAME OF PRODUCT | STORE(S) WHERE PRODUCT WAS SOLD |
| July 9, 2009 | Chenille robes, jackets and tops
| Blair LLC, of Warren, Pa.
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| July 9, 2009 | Kidde Model PI2000 Dual Sensor Smoke Alarms
| Model PI2000. Date codes 2008 Aug.01 through 2009 May 04.
|
| May 9, 2006 | First Alert Smoke Alarms and Smoke/CO alarms
| Sold between June 2005 and March 2006 at department, home, and hardware stores nationwide.
|
| July 19, 2005 | Tiki® Cone Metal Torch | Sold between 2003 and 2005 at Wal-Mart stores nationwide.
|
| November 15, 2004 | Gas furnaces | Sold between 1995 and 2000 under the brand names of Coleman, Coleman Evcon and Red T as original equipment in manufactured homes and as replacement furnaces in manufactured homes.
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