Fire Safety Away from Home

By Weston District Fire Chief Todd Draizin

As more and more families expand travel plans throughout the summer, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue in Weston wants to remind families about considering fire safety away from home. Wherever you travel, it’s important to have a plan in place to help keep you safe in the event of a fire. Knowing a few essential safety tips can help keep your family safe.

A good fire escape plan should always include two ways out, a designated meeting place, and someone to call 9-1-1 or a local emergency number. While staying in a hotel, motel, or short-term rental, always choose one that is protected by smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and fire sprinklers. If you are hearing impared, ask for a room equipped with a light strobe smoke alarm and accessories that will alert you in the event of a fire. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the posted evacuation plan in your room. A fun game to help better prepare your family is to count the number of doors from your room to the nearest fire exit. If you encounter a situation that requires you to exit through smoke, crawl low and go to the nearest exit, knowing how many doors will help. Once outside, stay at your designated meeting place and call 9-1-1. If staying in peer-to-peer accommodations, be sure there are working smoke alarms inside and outside of each sleeping area and on every level of the home. Review the homes posted floor plan and identify two ways out of every room. Be sure all doors/windows leading outside can be opened and select an outside meeting place. Pathways should be free of tripping hazards, and exits should not be blocked. Electrical outlets should not be overloaded, and stovetops should be clear and free of anything that can catch fire. Designate any smoking areas away from the structure and check for the availability of portable fire extinguishers.

While traveling to places of public assembly, always consider a few important safety tips. Be sure to identify all possible exits from the building and ensure they are clear and accessible for emergency exit. If you notice any barriers to exit, be sure to notify management immediately. Establish a communication plan if you are separated from family/friends and designate a meeting place in advance. If the building appears to be overcrowded or you feel unsafe, leave immediately. In the event of an emergency, react immediately. Get out, stay out and call 9-1-1.

If traveling by car, consider these tips to help keep you safe. Always have vehicles serviced by qualified mechanics regularly and in advance of any travel. If you experience a fire emergency while driving, pull over as safely as possible, turn off the engine, get everyone out of the car, move at least 100 feet safely away from the vehicle, and don’t forget to call 9-1-1. If you transport gasoline in your vehicle, transport only a small amount in a certified, sealed gas container. Be sure not to store gas cans in the passenger area of the vehicle and leave windows open for ventilation.

▸For more information on summer travel safety, join us for a virtual presentation on

July 12th at 3:00 pm. Registration is available at bsofirerescuepubliceducation.as.me

New Clinical Trial Available Now for Patients with Advanced & Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Are you, or someone you know, being treated for Advanced or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer with chemotherapy alone? Contact Dr. Robert Donoway at Atlas Oncology in Hollywood, Florida.

Dr. Donoway is leading a new clinical trial using multi-modality therapy: combining Pancreatic Nanoknife Ablation with chemoimmuno-radiotherapy to treat advanced stage cancer patients from around the world.

With over 35 years of experience performing pancreatic surgery in South Florida, Dr. Donoway recognized that, because of its late diagnosis, up to 85% of the patients treated with surgery for pancreatic cancer already had metastatic disease. This fact limits the benefit a patient might get from the Whipple surgery.

Recent evidence shows that when even advanced disease is treated aggressively in an integrated approach, incorporating Nanoknife surgery with chemotherapy, long-term survivorship can be achieved, especially compared to chemotherapy alone.

Dr. Donoway has been a pioneer in the use of Pancreatic NanoKnife, especially for complex advanced cases. During the past decade, he remains the only surgical oncologist performing the procedure in South Florida. Patients from around the globe have traveled to benefit from this ground-breaking treatment, which is FDA approved. Dr. Donoway also treats other advanced cancers, such as liver, breast, and sarcomas, using Nanoknife surgery. A brief recovery means the patient can start chemotherapy and radiation that much sooner.

Dr. Donoway feels that “we are long overdue to revise our approach to treating pancreatic cancer. The treatment has remained largely unchanged for over 80 years and has just broken the 9-10% five-year survivorship barrier. Only thru thinking outside the box will we accomplish the positive. Otherwise, all we’re doing is confirming Einstein’s definition of Insanity.”

Dr. Donoway is participating in several clinical studies identifying the best chemotherapy and immunotherapies to be used along with IRE. Dr. Donoway states, “The results so far have been very encouraging and we have begun using it for other select cancers. Among his longest survivors are now patients over eight years without evidence of cancer recurrence. In the past, without IRE they would have been likely to have only lived a year and so this technique opens the whole new avenue for treating those eligible patients in a more targeted fashion.”

Dr. Donoway will be presenting the long-term results of his pancreatic treatment paradigm for advanced and metastatic disease later this fall at an International cancer society in Europe For more information about Dr. Donoway and the PancreaticIRE/NanoKnife Program and clinical trials call 305-682-1995 and visit www.AtlasOncology.com.

4000 Hollywood Boulevard • Suite 160 North • Hollywood, Florida 33021 Phone 954-986-6366, 305-682-1995 • Fax 954-986-4355 www.AtlasOncology.com

Robert B. Donoway, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.S.S.O.

Surgical Oncology & Pancreatic Surgical Oncology

Specializing in Cancer of the Pancreas, Liver, GI Tract, Sarcoma, Adrenal, Thyroid, Parathyroid, and Melanoma. Laparoscopic and Image Guided Cancer Surgery, IRE/NanoKnife for NonResectable Pancreatic and Liver Cancer.

Dr. Robert Donoway who is a board certified Fellowship-trained Surgical Oncologist, received his MD and Surgical training at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his fellowship in Surgical Oncology at Sloan-Kettering where he was the General Motors Cancer Research Fellow. He has taught on the faculty at Penn, Sloan-Kettering, University of Miami and Nova Southeastern. Dr. Donoway is the former Medical Director of the Memorial Cancer Institute and Chairman of the Cancer Committee for the Memorial Healthcare System as well as the former Chief of Surgery and Surgical Oncology at Memorial Regional in Hollywood, South Florida.

Dr. Donoway served on the Board of the American Cancer Society & Gildas Club. He has also served as past President of the American Cancer Society Broward County Chapter. Dr. Donoway is active in the Society of Surgical Oncology and the American Pancreatic Association. His accomplishments include being the first Surgeon in Florida to perform Radio Frequency Ablation as well as Laparoscopic Liver Resection. Dr. Donoway is a former recipient of the South Florida Health Award for the use of Micro-Endoscopy for the detection of early stage Breast Cancer.

Dr. Donoway is the Medical Director of the Institute of Breast Cancer Prevention and has been repeatedly named to “TOP DOCTORS IN AMERICA” by Castle Connolly. Dr. Donoway is the ONLY surgeon in Florida performing specialized Pancreatic and Liver ablation therapy for non-resectable tumors. Dr. Donoway is the Former Chair of the Aventura Cancer Committee at Aventura Hospital and Medical Center.

Robert B. Donoway, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.S.S.O.

Diplomate American Board of Surgery Diplomate, Society of Surgical Oncology Former Medical Director & Memorial Cancer Center Medical Director, Atlas Oncology: Institute for Pancreatic Cancer IRE/NanoKnife Ablation

Continuing to Care For Our Patients During the Coronavirus Crisis • Now Offering Telemedicine • Office Maintains Strict Disinfection Protocol • Dr. Donoway Operates on Patients Four Days a Week