Buzzly Bee's Blog

DID YOU REMEMBER?

Maybe you were early for Church last Sunday, because you forgot that daylight savings time was over for 2009.  Perhaps you awoke to confusion because the time on your alarm clock was an hour later than the clock on your cell phone.  Is the clock on you car radio, microwave, or stove still an hour late because you forgot to re-set it last Sunday?

Buzzly and his TreeHouse Buddies want to remind you that the beginning and the end of Daylight Savings time is also time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors.  A 9 volt battery could be the difference in your family surviving a house fire in your home.  The $5.00 for a battery twice a year is a small price to pay for safety.

 DID YOU REMEMBER TO CHANGE YOUR BATTERIES?  It only takes a few minutes to save a life. 

Colder weather = a rise in fire emergencies

As the weather starts to turn colder, the risk of fires increases significantly.

Buzzly and His TreeHouse Buddies want to urge families to focus on burn prevention and awareness, as well as take active measures to help prevent fires in their homes. Approximately 80 percent of all fire-related deaths and injuries occur in the home, and young children are at a particularly high risk because they don’t perceive danger as readily and can lack the ability to escape a life-threatening burn situation.

Important fire and burn safety tips for parents: 

Set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Consider installing water faucets and shower heads containing anti-scald technology.

Keep matches, gasoline, lighters and all other flammable materials locked away and out of children’s reach and teach them never to touch these items.

Never leave a burning candle unattended. Place candles in a safe location away from combustible materials and where children or pets cannot tip them over.

Keep children away from cooking and heating appliances, and never leave the kitchen while you are cooking. Use back burners and turn pot handles to the back of the stove when cooking.

Place space heaters at least 3 feet from curtains, papers, furniture and other flammable materials. Always turn space heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

Install smoke alarms on every level of the home, outside every sleeping area, and in each bedroom. Test them every month and change the batteries once a year, even if they are hard-wired. Smoke alarms are also available with 10-year lithium batteries.

Consider a home sprinkler system. The combination of smoke alarms and sprinklers can reduce your chances of dying in a fire by 82 percent.

 

For more Fire Safety information, visit www.BuzzlyFireSafety.com

Halloween Safety

Halloween can be a fun day for parents and children.  Please read and heed the following article from the Gwinnett Daily Post to keep everyone safe.

Gwinnett Daily Post

Safety important for fun Halloween

By Heath Hamacher
Staff Writer

LAWRENCEVILLE - There's nothing wrong with a spooky Halloween, as long as it's a safe one, officials say.

Gwinnett fire spokesman Capt. Thomas Rutledge said a little planning will go a long way in ensuring a safe and enjoyable time for everyone.

"It is easy for children and adults to get caught up in the excitement of costumes, candy and trick-or-treating," Rutledge said. "All it takes is a little creativity to be festive and safe at the same time."

The season unfortunately brings an increased risk of fire, Rutledge said, as candles and costumes don't mix well. In the event a costume does catch fire, Rutledge said remember: stop, drop and roll.

"Rolling several times will smother the fire and prevent serious injury or even death," Rutledge said. "The best practice is to avoid open flames such as decorative candles or jack-o'-lanterns."

Rutledge and the Gwinnett County Police Department offer the following tips:

• Wear bright-colored costumes that fit properly. Reflective tape is recommended and costumes should be made of flame-resistant materials.

• If props are used, make sure they are soft and flexible with no sharp points or jagged edges.

• Children should trick-or-treat in their own subdivisions, on well-lighted streets. They should be in small groups and with a responsible adult and should never enter a house to accept candy.

• Check all candy wrappers for signs of tampering before eating and report any harmful items to police.

• Motorists should drive slowly and remain cautious for trick-or-treaters crossing the roadways or standing in medians.

• If consuming alcohol during festivities, be responsible and have a designated driver. Never provide alcohol to a minor.

• Avoid using decorative candles, if possible, especially around small children and pets.

• Eliminate tripping hazards on your walkway and porch, and make sure the area is well lit for trick-or-treaters.

• Teach children to yell loudly and cause a scene if anyone tries to grab them and to make every effort - kicking, screaming and resisting - to get away.

"Halloween is a festive time that involves costumes, candy and spooky settings," Rutledge said. "Remember not to get so caught up in the activities that you forget to be safe and act responsibly, no matter what your age."

Buzzly's Friend Johnny

One of Buzzly's best friends is Johnny Quinn.  Johnny's story has been told on previous Buzzly Blog postings.  He and his family continue to be active volunteers and advisers for Buzzly Fire Safety.

 

Johnny, pictured here with "Baby Buzz" and Buzzly Fire Safety's Executive Director Janylle Koren, is an incredible inspiration for us all. 

  

Below is a picture of Johnny at his 4th birthday party.  Before his next birthday, he was severely burned in a fire.  Although it was devastating, Johnny has taken everything in stride.  Now, five years later, Johnny is riding a bike (although we are trying to convince him to wear a helmet!), attends school and sings with the voice of an American Idol!

  

 
 
 

Do your kids really know what to do?

Every Parent believes their kids know what to do in a fire emergency;  Do yours know?  Did you know that  One in ten households will have a person injured in a fire?

 

  To prepare for a fire emergency, parents should plan several escape routes out of their home and then designate a safe place to meet. Practice with your kids so they know exactly what to do. Also, teach children never to go back into a burning building, and to call the fire department from a neighbor’s home or a cell phone outside.

 

 

STAY FIRE SMART

 FIre Safety is something that should be kept on "the front burner" for everyone to remember and practice.  Here are some points to ponder about Fire Safety from Buzzly Fire Safety...............

Once a child touches a hot stove, he learns his lesson: stay away from a hot stove. This cliché doesn't take into account the pain and suffering from burn.

Every year roughly 4,000 people die as a result of home fires and burns. More than 200,000 people are treated in emergency rooms for burn injuries.

The most common types of burn injuries result from fire or flame burns, scalds, and contact burns.  Burns are painful and can result in serious scarring and even death.  When extra precautions are taken in the home, like putting the curling iron out of a child's reach or turning pot handles away from the stove's edge, injuries are prevented. Remember young children and older adults' skin burns more easily.

Be careful about scalding water. The water should feel warm, not hot. Before children are put into the tub, test the temperature with wrists, elbows, or even the back of the hand. .

Parents must teach children that burns hurt. However, if a child receives a burn treat it immediately. Put the burn in cool water for three to five minutes and cover it with a clean, dry cloth. If the burn is bigger than a fist, seek medical help right away. Remove all clothing, diapers, jewelry and metal from the burned areas. Keeping homes safe from fire and prevent devastating burn injuries is a healthy change that can happen.

Following these safety rules, everyone can stay fire smart:

Don't Get Burned
 Keep hot foods and liquids from table and counter edges so theyn can't be pulled or knocked over.
 Have a 3-foot "kid-free" zone around the stove.
 Never hold a child while preparing hot food or drinking a hot beverage.
 Teach children that hot things hurt.
 Be careful when usingn things that get hot such as curling irons, oven irons, lamps and heaters.
When using heating pads, only use for 15-20 minutes at a time and don't lie, sit or place anything on the pad.

Buzzly Puppets Delivered to Cowetta County

 

Buzzly Fire Safety Puppets have arrived in Cowetta County Georgia Elementary Schools.  Buzzly Fire Safety Executive Director Janylle Koren and Cowetta County FEMA Director Jay Jones delivered Buzzly puppets to Elementary schools throughout the County, which will help teach Fire Safety Education to almost 10,000 children every school year.  These puppets were made available through generous Community donations.

To sponsor a school or daycare in your community, please visit www.BuzzlyFireSafety.com and use the contact page. 

Buzzly Campus Fire Safety

Buzzly and His TreeHouse Buddies are becoming a "phenom" on many college and university campuses across the United States.  He is launching a Young Adult Fire Safety program focusing on Campus Fire Safety.

"Most college kids are living away from home for the first time,"  Said Buzzly at a recent Fire Safety Seminar.  "They want to exercise their independence, and don't realize the importance of using good common sense with Fire Emergencies."  

Here are some Fire Safety suggestions from Buzzly and his friends: 

Candles are popular with students in their dorms and college rooms.  Extinguish all candles when leaving the room or going to sleep. Candle fires often occur when left unattended or while people are asleep.  Keep candles away from things that can catch fire such as clothing, books, paper, curtains, Candles don't spread the fire - it is what they ignite that causes the fire to spread.  Avoid candles with combustible materials embedded in them or with holders or decorations that could ignite. A candle with materials embedded in it may look pretty, but could possibly ignite and spread the fire beyond the candle.  Consider battery-powered, flameless candles instead of standard wax candles.

For many students, cafeteria cooking is not as appealing as "mom's home cooking".  This leads to cooking attempts in dorm rooms.  According to the United States Fire Administration, cooking fires are the No. 1 cause of fire injury on college campuses.  Here are some college cooking rules to follow:  Abide by the dormitory rules regarding possession and use of cooking appliances.  Use cooking appliances correctly. Never overload electrical outlets or extension cords.  Don't be distracted when cooking. Don't get sidetracked and NEVER leave cooking unattended.  Move items such as potholders or dish towels away from cooking surfaces.  Applying a lid to a small grease fire is usually the most effective and safest method of controlling it. Do not use water on a grease fire. Trying to carry a pan that's on fire is extremely dangerous because it can ignite clothes or spill, causing severe burns.

Buzzly does not condone smoking or drinking, however, if students feel they must smoke or drink, please follow these rules to remain safe:  Smoking combined with alcohol and/or other drugs could prove deadly. People are aware that smoking is bad for their health, but one of the dangers that people often forget is the relationship between smoking and the potential for fire, especially when combined with alcohol or other drugs. Studies have shown that more than half of all alcohol-impaired fire deaths were the result of fires caused by careless smoking. If you must smoke, only smoke outside the building and encourage others to do the same.

Watch for Buzzly Fire Safety to visit your campus soon.

Back to School Fire Safety

 

As schools re-open after Summer Vactions, Buzzly reminds everyone to review their own Fire Safety plans.  Talk with your students about fire alarms, safe meeting places and the importance of getting out of a burning building and staying out.  Like Buzzly says,  "GET OUT and STAY OUT!"

Water helps put out FIRES, but it can BURN too

Scalds caused from hot liquids account for almost one half of the yearly fire injuries.  Recently a special focus has been placed on scalding injuries, and Buzzly Fire Safety is leading the cause to help educate everyone on the dangers associated with burns and scalds.

Most adults realize that children need to be kept safe from fire or hot objects like the stove, but they do not realize that hot liquids are just as dangerous.  Hot liquids burn just like fire.

For children and the elderly, scalding hot water can be much more serious than for the average adult. The very young and very old have thinner skin. Even tap water can hurt. Most home water heaters are set to over 140 degrees Fahrenheit. At that temperature, water can burn skin in as little as one second. 

Of the thousands of children in the United States who visit the emergency rooms for burns every year, almost half have been scalded by hot liquids.

One way to reduce the scalding danger at home is to turn down the thermostat on the water heater. By turning it down to approximately 110 degrees Fahrenheit, the water can be made safe for children.  There are also taps that come equipped with safety shut offs, available at local hardware stores. They will cut off the water supply if the temperature is too high.

For further information contact Buzzly Fire Safety at www.BuzzlyFireSafety.com