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Safety Spotlight
What is the Safety Spotlight?
Practicing good public safety habits helps us protect our community from preventable emergencies. The Montpelier Fire Department serves our community by not only responding during emergencies, but helping prevent them as well. That's why we're starting a regular public safety bulletin, the Safety Spotlight.
The Safety Spotlight will feature a new safety topic each week to help empower the public with knowledge to prevent emergency incidents. Safety is everyone's responsibility, and there's a lot we can do to help ensure our community can thrive. Check out the Safety Spotlight every Wednesday on Facebook and here in the Safety Spotlight archive.
This first Safety Spotlight highlights three ways to make sure your home is fire safe in the winter. First, make sure you have a working smoke detector in your home. If it's not hardwired into your electrical system, be sure to regularly replace the batteries so it works when you need it to.
Second, make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector in your home. Carbon monoxide (CO) is colorless, odorless, and deadly. The only way to detect CO is with a carbon monoxide detector. Third, if you have a wood-burning stove in your home, make sure to dispose of the ashes properly. Dispose of wood ashes in a metal container that can be tightly closed, douse it with water, and place the closed container outside your home away from wood decks, buildings, or other combustible materials.
For more information about seasonal safety during the winter, check out the Division of Fire Safety on the Vermont Department of Public Safety's website here: https://firesafety.vermont.gov/pubed/media/seasonal
During the winter months when snow accumulates around our homes, remember to keep exhaust vents clear from the snow build-up. Regularly check furnace, pellet stove, and dryer vents for snow build-up and debris that may block harmful exhaust from venting properly. Blocked vents can cause fires and trap harmful carbon monoxide gas inside your home. Keeping vents clear helps keep you and our community safe.
Spring may be just around the corner, but that doesn't mean winter weather is behind us. The National Weather is predicting a cold front moving into our area on Wednesday, March 29th, 2023.
Widespread wet, heavy snowfall and sharply falling cold temperatures will make for hazardous travel conditions. Watch for black ice that may form suddenly as melting snow turns to ice on the roadways. Plan ahead for safe travels and do not go out onto the ice on frozen waterways. For detailed weather coverage in our area, check out the National Weather Service's website here: https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=44.2603&lon=-72.5763#.ZCWQGXbMJPZ
Did you know most wildfires in Vermont happen between March and June? The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag warning for parts of Vermont and New York. This means our area is at an increased risk for brush and wildfires. During this time, it's extra important to practice good outdoor fire safety.
One way to prevent accidental wildfires is to allow debris and leaves to compost naturally. Burning brush and leaves during Vermont's spring fire season can spark devastating wildfires that can spread easily along the dry forest floor. In addition to being the fire-safe choice, composting leaves and lawn clippings give back vital nutrients to our ecosystem.
Don't let natural resources go up in smoke! To learn more about how you can protect our community from wildfires, check out the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Department of Forests – Parks and Recreation for more information on Vermont's fire seasons.
Also, check out the Division of Fire Safety's page on the Vermont Department of Public Safety's website for other helpful fire safety resources.
Campfire season is almost here! Here's what you need to know about disposal and recreational fires in Montpelier:
The City of Montpelier has an ordinance for outdoor burning. Outdoor burning is classified into two groups: recreation fires and disposal fires.
Disposal fires such as for burning yard debris and other outdoor brush always require a fire permit. Fire permits are free and issued by the Fire Department.
Recreational fires such as campfires or backyard fire pits do not require a permit so long as they are securely contained in a homemade or store-bought fire pit. A small recreational fire is one where a person can comfortably and safely be within a few feet of the fire. Always ask permission from the property owner before lighting a backyard campfire.
Click the link below to read the full ordinance on the website under Chapter 5 Article 1 – Fire Regulations