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Double Oak Volunteer Fire Department

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Community Safety Information

Your safety is our priority!  The following are tips and up-to-date product recalls, community and county restrictions, and home safety instructions which we hope will help you and your family plan and be prepared in case of emergency.  Certainly, this list is not exhaustive, but we have provided as much as we can and we promise to update the page with new material as required. 

DOVFD Fire Safety Message
  • Every room needs two ways out.
  • One way out would be the door and the second way out may be a window.
  • Make sure your bedroom or where you sleep has a smoke alarm so you will wake up quickly and be able to use the door to get outside. You must be able to hear the “beep, beep, beep” of the smoke alarm wherever you sleep.
  • It is important to have a meeting place outside the home. A good meeting place might be a neighbor’s home, a special tree, a neighborhood store next door, a mailbox, or a street light.
  • If the smoke alarm sounds, get outside and go to your meeting place. Wait for your family to meet you.
  • Grown-ups will know that everyone is safe.
  • It is important that after hearing the smoke alarm you get outside and stay outside.
Fire Extinguisher Recall

Fire Extinguisher Recall

Name of Product: Kidde fire extinguishers with plastic handles
Hazard: The fire extinguishers can become clogged or require excessive force to discharge and can fail to activate during a fire emergency. In addition, the nozzle can detach with enough force to pose an impact hazard.
Remedy: Replace
Recall date: November 2, 2017
Units: About 37.8 million (in addition, 2.7 million in Canada and 6,730 in Mexico) Fire Extinguisher Recall
Cell Phones and 911

Cell Phone

About 70 percent of 911 calls are placed from wireless phones and that percentage is growing. The ability to call 911 for help in an emergency is one of the main reasons many own a wireless phone. Consider keeping your land line in your home for emergencies. Prepare to tell dispatch where you are located. The call will be routed to an emergency dispatch where the cell tower is located or several cell towers away, not where you are located. That tower will be different from the town of Double Oak.

Wireless phones are not land lines. There are unique challenges posed by wireless phones for emergency response personnel and wireless service providers. Since wireless phones are mobile, they are not associated with one fixed location or address. Automatic number identification/automatic location identification is standard equipment in any Public Service Answering Point (PSAP) known as the 911 center. Wireless phones currently do not have this capability.

  • Tell dispatch the location of the emergency right away.
  • Provide dispatch with your wireless phone number in case you are disconnected or they need to call you back.
  • If your wireless phone does not have a contract for service, dispatch does not have your number and cannot contact you.
  • Refrain from programming your phone to automatically dial 911 with one button.
  • Turn off the auto-dial 911 feature if it is already turned on.
  • Lock your keypad when you’re not using your wireless phone to help prevent accidental calls to 911.
  • Creating a contact in your wireless phone’s memory with the name “ICE” (In Case of Emergency), which lists the phone numbers of people you want to have notified in an emergency.
Outdoor Burning

The following is the procedure for getting a permit to burn within the Town Limits.

You must call the Denton County Fire Marshal’s Office at 940-349-2840 or log onto their website and fill out an Application for Open Burning Permit. The determination, if it is a Burn Day, is done every morning between 8 am and 9 am. This determination is done by the Texas TCEQ and not the Denton County Fire Marshal. Once you have the permit, you are cleared to burn. You can only burn limbs and brush. No construction materials or any other products can be burned. You must remain with the fire at all times and have a water hose in the area if the burn gets out of hand. All fires must be extinguished by sunset. The smoke from the burn must not cause a nuisance to your surrounding residences. This can be controlled by not starting with a large fire, but starting with a smaller fire and adding limbs and brush to it as it burns down.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at the Fire Department (972) 539-7683.

Click HERE for the latest on open burning in Denton County.

Turkey Fryer Safety

Turkey Fryer Safety

Creating a Family Escape Plan
 

Escape planning tips

  • Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes.  Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors. Also, mark the location of each smoke alarm.
  • A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire. Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code® requires interconnected smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
  • When you walk through your plan, check to make sure the escape routes are clear and doors and windows can be opened easily.
  • Choose an outside meeting place (i.e. neighbor’s house, a light post, mailbox, or stop sign) a safe distance in front of your home where everyone can meet after they’ve escaped. Make sure to mark the location of the meeting place on your escape plan.
  • Go outside to see if your street number is clearly visible from the road. If not, paint it on the curb or install house numbers to ensure that responding emergency personnel can find your home.
  • Have everyone memorize the emergency phone number of the fire department. That way any member of the household can call from a neighbor’s home or a cellular phone once safely outside.
  • If there are infants, older adults, or family members with mobility limitations, make sure that someone is assigned to assist them in the fire drill and in the event of an emergency. Assign a backup person too, in case the designee is not home during the emergency
  • If windows or doors in your home have security bars, make sure that the bars have emergency release devices inside so that they can be opened immediately in an emergency. Emergency release devices won’t compromise your security – but they will increase your chances of safely escaping a home fire.
  • Tell guests or visitors to your home about your family’s fire escape plan. When staying overnight at other people’s homes, ask about their escape plan. If they don’t have a plan in place, offer to help them make one. This is especially important when children are permitted to attend “sleepovers” at friends’ homes.
  • Be fully prepared for a real fire: when a smoke alarm sounds, get out immediately. Residents of high-rise and apartment buildings (PDF) may be safer “defending in place.”
  • Once you’re out, stay out! Under no circumstances should you ever go back into a burning building. If someone is missing, inform the fire department dispatcher when you call. Firefighters have the skills and equipment to perform rescues.

Put your plan to the test

  • Practice your home fire escape plan twice a year, making the drill as realistic as possible.
  • Make arrangements in your plan for anyone in your home who has a disability.
  • Allow children to master fire escape planning and practice before holding a fire drill at night when they are sleeping. The objective is to practice, not to frighten, so telling children there will be a drill before they go to bed can be as effective as a surprise drill.
  • It’s important to determine during the drill whether children and others can readily waken to the sound of the smoke alarm. If they fail to awaken, make sure that someone is assigned to wake them up as part of the drill and in a real emergency situation.
  • If your home has two floors, every family member (including children) must be able to escape from the second floor rooms. Escape ladders can be placed in or near windows to provide an additional escape route. Review the manufacturer’s instructions carefully so you’ll be able to use a safety ladder in an emergency. Practice setting up the ladder from a first floor window to make sure you can do it correctly and quickly. Children should only practice with a grown-up, and only from a first-story window. Store the ladder near the window, in an easily accessible location. You don’t want to have to search for it during a fire.
  • Always choose the escape route that is safest – the one with the least amount of smoke and heat – but be prepared to escape under toxic smoke if necessary. When you do your fire drill, everyone in the family should practice getting low and going under the smoke to your exit.
  • Closing doors on your way out slows the spread of fire, giving you more time to safely escape.
  • In some cases, smoke or fire may prevent you from exiting your home or apartment building. To prepare for an emergency like this, practice “sealing yourself in for safety” as part of your home fire escape plan. Close all doors between you and the fire. Use duct tape or towels to seal the door cracks and cover air vents to keep smoke from coming in. If possible, open your windows at the top and bottom so fresh air can get in. Call the fire department to report your exact location. Wave a flashlight or light-colored cloth at the window to let the fire department know where you are located.

Clear Your Escape Routes

Items that block doors and windows in your home could keep you from escaping in the event of a home fire. And that could mean the difference between life and death. So unblock your exits today! Key to your family’s safety is planning and practicing a home fire escape plan twice a year. Start by identifying two escape routes out of each room, if possible, then make sure that each of those escape routes can be used safely by everyone. Download the “Clear Your Escape Routes” brochure in English or Spanish.

Courtesy of the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA)

Disaster Supplies Kit
 

Basic Disaster Supplies Kit

To assemble your kit store items in airtight plastic bags and put your entire disaster supplies kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers such as plastic bins or a duffel bag.

A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items:

  • Water (one gallon per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation)
  • Food (at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food)
  • Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
  • Flashlight
  • First aid kit
  • Extra batteries
  • Whistle (to signal for help)
  • Dust mask (to help filter contaminated air)
  • Plastic sheeting and duct tape (to shelter in place)
  • Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for personal sanitation)
  • Wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities)
  • Manual can opener (for food)
  • Local maps
  • Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery
  • Download the Recommended Supplies List (PDF)

Additional Emergency Supplies

Since Spring of 2020, the CDC has recommended people include additional items in their kits to help prevent the spread of coronavirus or other viruses and the flu.

Consider adding the following items to your emergency supply kit based on your individual needs:

  • Cloth face coverings (for everyone ages 2 and above), soap, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes to disinfect surfaces
  • Prescription medications
  • Non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids or laxatives
  • Prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution
  • Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and diaper rash cream
  • Pet food and extra water for your pet
  • Cash or traveler’s checks
  • Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container
  • Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
  • Complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes
  • Fire extinguisher
  • Matches in a waterproof container
  • Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
  • Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
  • Paper and pencil
  • Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

Maintaining Your Kit

After assembling your kit remember to maintain it so it’s ready when needed:

  • Keep canned food in a cool, dry place.
  • Store boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers.
  • Replace expired items as needed.
  • Re-think your needs every year and update your kit as your family’s needs change.

Kit Storage Locations

Since you do not know where you will be when an emergency occurs, prepare supplies for home, work and cars.

  • Home: Keep this kit in a designated place and have it ready in case you have to leave your home quickly. Make sure all family members know where the kit is kept.
  • Work: Be prepared to shelter at work for at least 24 hours. Your work kit should include food, water and other necessities like medicines, as well as comfortable walking shoes, stored in a “grab and go” case.
  • Car: In case you are stranded, keep a kit of emergency supplies in your car.

Courtesy of ready.gov

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Double Oak Volunteer Fire Department

1110 Cross Timbers Drive Double Oak, Texas 75077

972-539-7683

station550@dovfd.org