2014 - 4th Qtr Elma West Seneca CERT Newsletter

JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014

ELMA / WEST SENECA SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 2006

ELMA Edward R. Sauer Emergency Manager (716) 652-7635 oem@elmanewyork.com

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2014

HALLOWEEN HEALTH & SAFETY

MEETINGS - 7:00 PM 2nd Wednesday of Month Training and meetings are at the Elma Senior Center unless noted.

For many people, autumn events such as Halloween are fun times to dress up in costumes, go trick-or-treating, attend parties, and eat Web: elmanewyork.com/oem/ECert.html yummy treats. These are also opportunities to provide nuFacebook: tritious snacks, get physical Elma Community Emergency activity, and focus on safety.

Response Team, Inc. Here are some tips: Elma Senior Center 3007 Bowen Road Elma, NY 14059

• Provide healthier treats for such as low-calorie treats and drinks. For guests, offer varieties of fruits, vegetables, and cheeses.

• Use party games and trickor-treat time as a time for MEETINGS - 7:00 PM kids to get their daily dose of 3rd Monday of the month exercise.

Training and meetings are at the West Seneca School’s Ebenezer • Be sure walking areas and stairs are well-lit and free of Building obstacles that could result in W. S. School Ebenezer Bldg. falls.

900 Mill Road • Keep candle-lit jack o’lanWest Seneca, NY 14224 terns and luminaries away Watch website and Facebook for from doorsteps, walkways, training and meeting locations. landings, and curtains. Place on sturdy tables, keep out of Web: the reach of pets and small www.wscert.net children, and never leave Facebook: them unattended.

West Seneca Cert • Remind drivers to watch out for trick-or-treaters and to drive safely.

WEST SENECA John Gullo Emergency Manager (716) 558-3238 jgullo@twsny.org

JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014

COULD YOU OR YOUR FAMILY SURVIVE BEING STUCK IN YOUR VEHICLE FOR HOURS? Sit in your car and picture it – your whole family in the car and it’s been four hours since you have been able to move amidst all the traffic during our last October Storm.

• What about the mom who didn’t pack the extra bottle?

• What about the dad who had the ingredients for dinner?

• What about the teenager who didn’t have any water or food in her car?

• What about the man who’s next round of medication was waiting at home?

Would I be ready if I had gotten caught in that traffic mess?

Thinking about this scenario is a good place to start for having an emergency kit in your car. A few hours could easily be made more bearable by just having food, water, something for entertainment, a light source, and supplies for babies and medications.

Watching gas levels is a good idea, too.

Many people (myself included) try to keep gas tanks at least half filled all the time.

You would hate for the traffic jam to free up and then run out of gas while getting out of there.

Luckily people were rescued and taken to warming shelters in West Seneca and Surrounding ares but how long were you or could have been in that vehicle?

Most of us are aware another October Storm could hit but are we prepared for it?

Some items to think about adding to your car emergency kit could be: • Cell phone, porcharger, and extra batteries • Emergency Heat Blankets (1 for each seat in car) • Regular Blankets • Windshield scraper • Battery-powered radio with extra batteries • Flashlight with extra batteries • Bottled Water & Snack food (that does not freeze) • Extra hats, coats, and mittens • Chains or rope • Canned compressed air with sealant for emergency tire repair • Road salt, sand or kitty litter • Booster cables • Emergency flares • Bright colored flag or help signs • First aid kit • Tool kit • Road maps • Compass • Waterproof matches and a can to melt snow for water • Paper towels & a roll of Toilet Paper • Hand sanitizer.

There are so many things you can add depending on your family.

JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014

PROTECT YOUR PIPES FOR WINTER

KIDDE RECALLS SOME DETECTORS DUE TO FAILURE

You can make sure your water runs smoothly this winter by taking some precautions now.

Remember water freezes and expands.

This expansion puts tremendous pressure on whatever is containing it, including your water pipes which could cause them to burst. Most prone to freezing are pipes that are exposed to the cold, such as outdoor hose bibs, water sprinkler lines and pipes in unheated areas like basements, crawl spaces garages or inside kitchen cabinets.

Keep cabinet doors open so warm air can circulate around the plumbing if weather turns bitterly cole. Move any harmful cleaners or household chemicals out of the reach of children.

Several homes in our area have had frozen pipes due to drafts and in pipes being located against exterior walls. Now is the time to find where these drafts are coming from and plug the openings. If that is impossible to do, insulate the water pipes.

Use good quality insulation and remember the thinner the pipe the thicker the insulation must be. In a pinch even wrapping water pipes in a 1⁄4” of newspaper can provide significant protection. Heat tape or similar materials can be put on exposed pipes. Review manufactures directions!

If your pipes freeze, do NOT thaw them with an active flame such as a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater. Keep the faucet open as you treat the frozen area of a pipe.

Running water will aid in the thawing of the pipes. You can apply heat to a section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe or a with hair dryer. Apply the heat until full water pressure is restored.

If you are unable to locate the frozen area, or is not accessible, call a licensed plumber.

Be sure to keep the heat on in your home or drain the pipes and turn the water off at the shut off valve if leaving for the winter.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Kiddie Recalls smoke and combination smoke/co alarms due to alarm failure.

Name of product: Kidde hard-wired smoke and combination smoke/carbon monoxide (CO) alarms Hazard: The alarms could fail to alert consumers of a fire or a CO incident following a power outage.

Contact: Kidde toll-free at (844) 553-9011 or online at www.kidde.com and click on Recalls for more information.

Description: This recall involves Kidde residential smoke alarm model i12010S with manufacture dates between 12/18/13, and 5/1/14, combination smoke/CO alarm il2010SCO with manufacture dates between 12/30/13 and 5/1314, and combination smoke/CO alarm model KN-COSM-IBA with manufacture date between 10/22/13 and5/13/14. They are hard-wired into a home’s electric power. The il2010S and il2010SCO come with sealed 10 year batteries inside. The KN-COSM-IBA model has a compartment on the front for installation of replaceable AA backup batteries.

The alarms are white, round and measure about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Kidde is engraved on the front of the alarm. Kidde, the model number and manufacture dates are printed on a label on the back of the alarm.

“Always On” is also engraved on the front of alarms with sealed 10-yr batteries.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Remedy: Consumers should immediately contact Kidde for a free replacement smoke or combination smoke/CO alarm. Consumers should keep using the recalled alarms until they install replacement alarms.

Sold at: CED, City Electric Supply, HD Supply, Home Depot, Menards Inc. and other retailers, electrical distributors and online at Amazon.com, HomeDepot.com and shopkidde.com from January 2014 through July 2014

JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014

CODE RED Code Red Is a Mass notification system that notifies the community of General and Emergency messages. An example could be to send critical communications, from evacuation notices to missing child alerts.

How does the system work? The town has your home number uploaded, however some individuals do not have one and just have a Cell Phone, or email. It is imperative that you login to your town’s code red url (See links below) and input your information.

Notifying you is critical and it is recommended if you have multiple numbers and contact information for the entire family to input this data. If you miss a portion of the message? You may hear the last message delivered to your phone through the CodeRED system by simply dialing back the number on your Caller ID. Contact information remains private and will only be used for community notifications? A free smart phone app is available to receive the messages.. You could receive alerts where you travel or work!

ELMA CERT AT PUMPKIN FESTIVAL

UPCOMING TRAINING & EVENTS CALENDAR October 8 Elma CERT meeting 15 SMART Pet Preparedness & First Aid 18 Elma CERT Spaghetti Dinner 18 SMART Pet Preparedness & First Aid 18 Elma CERT spaghetti dinner 20 West Seneca CERT meeting November 3 CERT Course - Niagara University 12 Elma CERT Meeting 12 SMART Communication with Special Needs Individuals 15 SMART Communication with Special Needs Individuals

17 West Seneca CERT Meeting The Elma CERT group participated at the Annual Elma PumpDecember kin Festival that took place at the 2 SMART General Meeting Elma Town Park on Saturday 10 Public Health Response to October 1st.

Terrorist Events The festival is an annual event 10 Elma CERT meeting put together by volunteers for 13 Public Health Response to Children and families. Participants enjoyed hay rides, pumpkin Terrorist Events carving, face painting and many more activities.

15 West Seneca CERT meeting

WEST SENECA CERT ACQUIRES NEW TRAILER

West Seneca CERT received a donation of an equipment trailer in memory of Assembly Woman Sandra Lee Wirth.

The trailer will be used in responses to incidents.

ELMA Sign up for Code Red to be notified by your local emergency response team in the event of emergency situations or critical community alerts.

Sign-up for Code Red by visiting the link

Sign up for Elma Code Red by visiting the town website at: www.elmanewyork.com

WEST SENECA

Code Red sign up will start in August. Check westseneca. net, wscert.net and facebook page

Check the West Seneca CERT and Elma CERT, Inc. websites for updates and upcoming events.

Anyone interested in training provided by SMART must pre-register at: www2.erie. gov/smart. Some trainings may have prerequisites.

For more information on HAM Radio classes visit South Towns Amateur Radio Society Online at: http:// stars.thefruths.com To attend Sky Warn Training visit: www.erh.noaa.gov/buf/skywarnt.htm