The Seattle Fire Department is excited to be an exhibitor at the Health and Wellness Festival in honor of Minority Health Awareness Month. The purpose is to raise awareness and address health disparities that continue to affect underserved populations.
Visit the 2021 Virtual Health and Wellness Festival (April 1 – April 30)!
Make connections. Win prizes!
Last year, the Seattle Fire Department received many 9-1-1 calls from concerned residents because of chirping carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. While it’s important to call 9-1-1 if your CO alarm is sounding continuously without stopping, a CO alarm that chirps every 30 seconds is not an emergency. Most likely, it’s an indication that your CO alarm has reached its end of life and should be replaced.
CO alarm life span
CO alarms have a life expectancy of around seven years. All CO alarms produced after August 1, 2009, have an end-of-life warning notification that alerts the resident that the alarm should be replaced. The CO alarm will beep every 30 seconds or display ERR or END.
If a CO alarm is at its end-of-life, replacing the battery will not stop the beep. Some CO alarms have a feature that will silence the signal for 30 days, but this will not solve the issue as the CO alarm will continue to beep after the 30 day period ends.
Replace carbon monoxide alarms installed in or before 2014
What people should know
In January of 2013, Washington State law (RCW 19.27.530) required CO alarms to be installed in new residences and in existing rental properties. Owner-occupied single-family residences, legally occupied before July 26, 2009, are not required to have CO alarms until they are sold or when a building permit application for interior remodeling is submitted.
Homeowners should consider replacing all CO alarms that were installed in or before 2014. A CO alarm that signals that it’s at the end of its life should be replaced as well.
Renters should notify property managers or landlords immediately if their CO alarm is beeping every 30 seconds indicating its end-of-life. They should also know that intermittent beeping CO alarm is not reason to call 9-1-1.
A CO alarm that beeps continuously without stopping could indicate that carbon monoxide is present. If you your CO alarm is sounding continuously and you have signs of CO poisoning such as dizziness, headache, vomiting or flu like symptoms, find fresh air and call 9-1-1 immediately.
More information on carbon monoxide alarm requirements
Seattle Fire Department’s CAM 5121 Carbon Monoxide Alarm Requirements in Residential Occupancies
With the start of daylight saving time this weekend (2 a.m. Sunday, March 14), make sure you replace smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarm batteries and test the alarms. The Seattle Fire Department recommends replacing batteries yearly or as needed.
Changing smoke and CO alarm batteries at least once a year is an effective way to reduce home fire deaths and CO poisoning. Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by nearly one-half by providing an early warning and critical extra seconds to escape. Consider installing a long-life battery powered smoke/CO alarm to avoid yearly battery replacements.
Every home in Seattle should have the protection of smoke/CO alarms. Due to Covid-19, our free smoke/CO alarm program is on hold. But if you would like to see if you qualify and get on a wait list, fill out an online form. The Seattle Fire Department can install 10 year long-life combination smoke/CO alarms free of charge in Seattle homes where the homeowner is either an older adult, living on a low income, or has a disability.
Anytime a major fire or other disaster displaces people from their home, the Red Cross shows up to provide assistance and find shelter. We often hear about the work of the Red Cross during major disasters such as major hurricanes and earthquakes but they are working every day to support people in need. When not responding to emergencies, the Red Cross is providing critical training in first aid, CPR as well as holding blood drives.
What else does the Red Cross do?
Consider participating in a Red Cross event or taking one of their many trainings. The Red Cross relies on donations to maintain this important work.
The Seattle Fire Department responded to two home fires this week that involved overloaded power sources and caused significant property damage. Overloaded outlets and the misuse of extension cords are common electrical issues that can cause a home fire.
Extension cords are designed to provide a temporary power source and should be unplugged when not in use. When shopping for an extension device, look for a power strip or surge protector with an internal circuit breaker that will trip the breaker when overloaded.
Are you prepared to help in a medical emergency if someone goes into cardiac arrest? A cardiac patient’s chance of becoming a long-term survivor are more than doubled if a bystander on the scene administers prompt CPR.
Administering hands-only CPR (without breaths) is a simple technique that only takes a few minutes to learn.
Watch this short video to learn the steps for performing hands-only CPR – you could save a life.
If you see someone collapse, follow these steps:
You can save a life by learning hands-only CPR.
February is Heart Month and this week we are highlighting stroke awareness.
Did you know that stroke is a leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of serious disability for adults? According to the CDC, about 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year.
What is a Stroke?
Stroke is a “brain attack” because it affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. When stroke occurs, the affected part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs and starts to die.
What are some stroke symptoms?
If you think someone may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T. and do the following simple test:
F—Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A—Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S—Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?
T—Time: If you see any of these signs, call 9-1-1 right away.
Stroke is preventable and treatable
Getting fast treatment is important to preventing death and disability from stroke. Nearly 2 million brain cells die every minute during a stroke. Delaying care for a couple of hours, e.g. to “see if it gets better,” can put patients outside the treatment windows.
More stroke information:
CDC Get more quick facts about stroke.
American Stroke Association – English
American Stroke Association – Spanish
Stroke Awareness Foundation – Multilingual stroke information: English, Español, 中文, Quốc ngữ
February 7-13, 2021 is National Burn Awareness Week and is sponsored by the American Burn Association. The theme for this year is electrical burns. Here are a few safety tips to prevent injuries at home.
More tips from the American Burn Association on electrical safety.
More Information:
Every year, the Seattle Fire Department responds to hundreds of cooking-related fires. With more people cooking at home because of the pandemic, the concern for cooking fires is elevated. Cooking fires remain the main cause of home fires in the U.S.
To help try to reduce cooking-related fires, the Seattle Fire Department, in collaboration with the King County Fire and Life Safety Association, recently developed cooking fire safety videos in 12 languages and in American Sign Language.
The videos focus on how to prevent cooking fires and how to respond to a stovetop fire.
The videos are in the following languages and can be viewed below.
Video script:
Most home fires start in the kitchen when a person starts cooking and forgets about the food on the stove. It is easy to get distracted by a person, a phone call or an electronic device. A fire can start in seconds.
How to be safe:
For questions or more information, contact the Seattle Fire Department.
In the Pacific Northwest, winter storms are unpredictable and can lead to power outages. Staying warm and cooking food during a power outage shouldn’t put you at risk. Burning gas, wood or charcoal inside your home will increase your risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It is an invisible, odorless gas that can cause severe illness or death. Here are a few safety tips to help prepare for when the power goes out:
If the CO alarm sounds, turn off any heating appliance and open windows to get fresh air. Call 911 if you experience CO poisoning symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, or headaches and move to fresh air immediately. If you suspect an appliance is the source, call a qualified technician to fix the problem before restarting the appliance.
