HUDSON—State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Ranger Lieutenant Scott Jackson, assistant fire management officer, attended a Columbia County event at the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) Museum in Hudson, February 21, according to a DEC press release.
More than 100 people attended the event, with 76 scouts earning their fire safety merit badges. Ranger Jackson taught scouts about the role of human behavior in fire danger, the cost of outdoor and wildland fires and how to prevent them. Ranger Jackson also explained how to set up a campsite safe from fire and demonstrated how to set up and put out a cooking fire and camp stove.—Diane Valden
Spring into safety, change clocks, check smoke alarms
GHENT—Sunday, March 12 (Daylight Saving Time), New Yorkers will set their clocks forward one hour. The Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) urges everyone to check their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors at that time. Homeowners with alarms that have sealed, non-removable batteries should test the alarms to see if they are functional and check their expiration dates. Alarms equipped with removable batteries should have their batteries replaced and then test the alarm.
New York State currently leads the nation in home fire deaths, with 36 deaths in the first two months of 2023. In an emergency, working smoke detectors are a resident’s first line of defense and can give people critical time to escape. According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) three of every five home fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms or in homes lacking smoke alarms. Read more…