Community Services
Smoke Detectors
We offer limited assistance to senior citizens and individuals with mobility or physical limitations who do not have another resource available (such as a family member, friend, neighbor, handyman, or electrician). The department’s limited supply of free battery-powered alarms are for those families unable to afford alarms. Firefighters are prohibited from working on hard-wired systems. Please complete the Smoke Alarm Request form or call us at (360) 576-1195. Choosing a Smoke Detector/Alarm
- Be sure that the smoke detectors you purchase carry the label of an independent testing laboratory.
- Identify the power source for your alarm. Some alarms run on household current and include battery backup, which require professional installation. Some alarms run just on batteries which you can usually install yourself. “Long-life” alarms have “10-year” or lithium batteries that are intended to last the life of the smoke alarm.
- Identify the type of alarm. Some alarms use an “ionization” type smoke-sensing system; others use “photoelectric” sensors. Recent studies have shown that your family will be better protected by using an alarm that offers both smoke-sensing systems.
- Some alarms have a hush or silence feature so you can deactivate if cooking fumes or steam set them off. These models will reactivate automatically after 8 to 10 minutes.
- For people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, some alarms flash a strobe-like light.
Placing a Smoke Alarm
- Install alarms on every level of your home – including the basement.
- Install an alarm inside or outside each sleeping area. Make sure everyone can clearly hear and recognize the sound of all smoke alarms at all times. If you sleep with your bedroom door closed, have a qualified electrician install interconnected smoke alarms in each room so when one sounds, they all sound.
- Studies have shown that some children may not awaken to the sound of a smoke alarm. Know what your child will do before a fire occurs. For more information on this issue, smoke alarms, and escape planning, visit www.nfpa.org/factsheets.
- On floors without bedrooms, install alarms in the living room and/or near the stairways to the upper level. Don’t install alarms closer than 3 feet from a kitchen or bathroom door. Don’t install alarms in locations where the temperature may be too low or too high.
- Mount alarms high on a wall or on the ceiling because smoke rises. Wall mounting: position the alarm 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling. Ceiling mounted: position alarm at least 4 inches away from the nearest wall.
- In a room with a pitched ceiling, mount the alarm at or near the ceiling’s highest point. Basement alarms should be located near the stairway leading to the floor above.
- Don’t mount an alarm within 3 feet of a forced-air supply register.
Installing & Maintaining Smoke Alarms
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Install most battery-powered and plug-in alarms using only a drill and a screwdriver. Plug-in alarms must have restraining devices at the plug. Have a qualified electrician install alarms that are hard-wired into your electrical system. Wire alarms together so that if one sounds, they all sound.
- Test alarms monthly. Replace batteries at least once a year (when you change your clocks by an hour in the spring or fall) or when an alarm “chirps” to tell you that the battery is low.
- Replace any alarm that is more than 10 years old.
- Never “borrow” a smoke alarm battery and never paint a smoke alarm.
Home Fire Safety
If there is a fire, you may have less than 3 minutes to get out of your home. Talk with your family about what you should do to be safe in an emergency; make sure everyone in your home knows what to do if there is a fire. Prepare now to save valuable time later! Learn how to protect yourself and cope with disaster by planning ahead.
FIRE IS EVERYONE'S FIGHT! Download English / Español Checklist
Emergency Preparedness Checklist
- Is there a working smoke alarm on each level of your home and near each sleeping area?
- Are they mounted high on walls or on ceilings well away from the path of steam from bathrooms and cooking vapors from the kitchen which can result in false or nuisance alarms?
- Do you replace the batteries regularly (at least every year)?
- Do you test your smoke alarm monthly?
- Have you pushed the “Test” button and made sure everyone recognizes the sound?
- If you are hearing and/or visually impaired, do you have smoke alarms with strobes and/or vibration signals?
- Does everyone living in your home know to escape first and then call 9-1-1 from a safe location?
- Do you have an escape plan?
- Does it include two ways out of every room?
- Is everyone living in your home familiar with the plan?
- Do you have a designated meeting place, outside your home, that everyone knows?
- Do you practice the escape plan regularly and at varying times so the escape plan becomes second nature?
- Have you practiced your escape plan when family members are sleeping to make sure each person awakes and is able to properly respond to the smoke alarm?
- Have you practiced your plan crawling on hands and knees as though there were heat and smoke?
- Have you practiced your plan with an exit blocked to become familiar with using alternate exits?
- Is there a flashlight with good batteries by each person’s bed?
- Is there a whistle by each bed to warn others of a fire or to alert rescuers to that location?
- Are your house and car keys near your bedside so they are easily accessible?
- Do windows and doors open easily from inside?
- Do you keep escape routes clear at all times (furniture, toys, storage, clutter)?
- Have you provided escape ladders or other provisions for upstairs rooms?
- Have ladders been opened and used safely from the ground floor window for practice?
- Have you ensured that family members with special needs, such as small children, the ill or frail, and those who can’t wake up at the alarm sound, have a “buddy” to help them get out safely?
- Are address numbers at least 3-5″ high, a contrasting color from the rest of the exterior, and clearly visible from the street?
- Do you have a single box containing all important papers (preferably fireproof)?
- Have you cataloged and updated your household inventory for insurance claims?
Fire Safety Checklist
- Do you keep space heaters at least three feet from anything that will burn (newspapers, furniture, curtains, clothes, etc.)?
- Are all electrical cords and plugs in good condition?
- Are you careful not to overload any electrical outlet, extension cord, or power strip?
- Do you frequently check wires and cords to make sure they are not damaged?
- Are bathroom and kitchen outlets protected by ground-fault circuit interrupters?
- Are candles and oil lamps fully extinguished before you leave the room or go to sleep?
- Are candles in sturdy non-tip and non-combustible candle holders?
- Do you keep candles out of the reach of children and pets and have a rule that children may not have candles or incense in their rooms?
- Do you keep matches and lighters high, out of the reach and sight of children, preferably in a locked cabinet?
- Is there a fire extinguisher within easy access to the cooking area?
- Do you know how to use it?
- Do you always keep things that can burn, such as dish towels, paper and plastic, curtains, etc… at least three feet from the range top?
- Do you always remain in the room while cooking?
- Do you avoid wearing any loose fitting clothing that could catch fire while cooking?
- Do you turn off and unplug appliances when they are not in use?
- Are curling irons and hot rollers unplugged immediately after every use?
- Do you keep appliances and surrounding areas clean so that grease does not build up and catch fire?
- Is every smoker committed to never smoke in bed?
- Do you douse cigarette and cigar butts with water before dumping them in the trash?
- Do you have large, deep, non-tip ashtrays for smokers?
- Are newspapers, empty boxes, rags, paints, and gasoline cans stored in proper containers outside the house and away from heaters, outlets, or any other possible ignition source?
- Do you have chimneys, fireplaces, wood and coal stoves, central furnaces, and space heaters inspected by professionals once a year and cleaned regularly?
- Is firewood stacked at least ten feet from the house?
- If you have a wood or coal fueled stove, is it properly installed and maintained?
- If you have a fireplace, is it fitted with approved doors or screens?
- Do you keep anything that will burn well away from the fireplace?
- Are all ashes and coals placed in a metal container away from the house?
- Is the exterior of your home clear of all trash, dead grass, leaves, and other combustible materials?
- Is your barbeque grill at least three feet from the house, trees, shrubs, and other things that will burn when cooking?
- Never use a grill on a wooden deck or porch or indoors.
Blood Pressure Checks
Hands-Only CPR
According to the American Heart Association, about 90% of people who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die. Their chance of survival is nearly zero unless someone takes action immediately. Hands-only CPR can double or triple the chance of survival.
Adults or teens who suddenly collapse and are not responsive (not breathing, gasping, or talking) are likely experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. You should call 9-1-1 and start pushing hard & fast in the center of the chest with minimal interruptions. Remember, you are buying precious time for first responders to arrive.
Learn Hands-Only CPR
Performing Hands-Only CPR
You want to push at least 100 times per minute. The disco classic “Stayin’ Alive” is approximately 100 beats per minute so push to that rhythm and you’ll be doing it right. You should push their chest down about two inches, and then allow the chest to fully rebound. Don’t take your hands off their chest. Hands Only CPR does not involve mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Use an AED as soon as one is available – CPR buys the patient time, but defibrillation is usually fixes the problem.
Hands-Only CPR is only recommended for people over the age of eight.
Sometimes CPR breaks ribs. However, these fractures are unlikely to do serious harm. Ribs heal. The damage from broken ribs is minor compared to risk of death if CPR is not done. Incorrect CPR is better than no CPR.
Washington state law (RCW 4.24.300) states that anyone who volunteers to render emergency care at the scene of an emergency without expectation of compensation “shall not be liable for civil damages resulting from any act or omission in the rendering of such emergency care…..”
Every state has a similar law so that people will be willing to help someone in need.
Wildfire Preperation
The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is the area where urban and suburban development meets undeveloped areas containing natural vegetation.
District 6 is an intermix WUI where development, such as structures, is interspersed or scattered throughout wildland vegetation. An intermix WUI is often found in rural, exurban, or large-lot suburban developments.
Preparing Defensible Space
Defensible space is the area around a structure free of flammable plants and objects. It creates a zone in which firefighters can operate safely in order to help protect a home during a wildfire. This space is wide enough to prevent direct flame impingement and reduce the amount of radiant heat reaching the structure.
Be Firewise
Studies show that as many as 80% of homes lost to wildland fire may have been saved if brush around the homes were cleared and defensible space created around structures.
Medical Information Sheet
Medical emergencies can happen anytime. When they do, there can be confusion, panic and urgency. You can print this Medical Information Sheet and put it on your refrigerator as a tool for first responders that contains your medical history and other needs.
Download Printable Medical Info Sheet
Fall Prevention
Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury for older adults. One in three senior Washingtonians fall each year – higher than the national average. Clark County has the second highest fall rate in the state. Take just five minutes to view our online learning page and reduce fall risk.
Child Passenger Safety
Children up to 2 years old must ride in a rear-facing car seat and from 2-4 years must ride in a car seat with harness. Children shorter than 4 feet, 9 inches and who have outgrown the child harness seat must use a booster seat, regardless of age. Children up to the age of 13 must ride in the back seat of the vehicle. Car crashes are a leading cause of death of children ages 1-14. Using the right seat can reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71%. View our online learning page for car seat help or connect with Safe Kids Clark County to schedule a car seat installation with professionals.
Bicycle Safety
Use your head, wear a helmet! Wearing a helmet is the single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes.
Make sure the helmet fits and your child knows how to put it on correctly. Regulations and road rules differ for ebikes, escooters, mopeds, and motorcycles; check to ensure kids and adults alike have the right gear for the ride. Bike Clark County and Legacy’s Trauma Nurses Talk Tough programs provide free or low-cost bike helmets to the community. You can test your bike safety knowledge on our online learning page.
Bike Helmet Tips
Bike Helmet Fit Test
Motorized Rides (ebikes, escooters)
Not sure what kind of electric ride (e-ride) you’ve got? Use the Washington State e-Ride Guide and pick the features that match your vehicle, and the guide will show you:
- What Washington law calls your ride
- Who can use it
- Where you’re allowed to ride it
Stop the Bleed
A life-threatening bleeding injury can happen anywhere, and the person next to a victim may very well be the one most likely to prevent fatal bleeding. Stop the Bleed programming can help you become an immediate responder by learning how to control bleeding injuries from serious accidents or disasters. How to Stop the Bleed
Youth Firesetter Prevention
The Problem of Youth Firesetting
What Can Parents Do?
- Keep matches and lighters out of reach in high, ideally locked, cabinets. Ask young children to tell you when they find matches and lighters, and then make sure you put them away.
- Praise your child for practicing responsible behavior and showing respect for fire. Set a good example – use matches, lighters, and fire carefully.
- Never leave stove or candle fires unattended.
- Install and maintain smoke alarms for early warning.
- Plan and practice a home fire escape.