• If you heat with a fireplace or wood stove: Have a professional check it, especially if it has been a long time since the last cleaning. Residue can build up and cause fires.

• Don’t use candles during power outages: Many home fires in winter are caused by candles. Flashlights are much safer. Be sure to have extra batteries on hand.

• Safe use of space heaters: Never plug them into extension cords; plug into wall outlets. Keep space heaters at least three feet from other objects, and turn off before going to bed.

• Using kerosene or propane heaters: These must be used with great caution. The room must be ventilated by opening a window. Keep heaters at least three feet away from flammable objects such as curtains, blankets and furniture. Place heaters on a hard surface, not on carpet. Refuel them outdoors after they have cooled.

• Get where you need to be before the weather gets bad. It’s always best to stay off roads during winter storms. Most traffic crashes happen within the first two hours after a storm starts. Stay aware of winter storm watches and warnings. Get road conditions by calling 511 or visiting www.511Virginia.org.

• Stay informed during power outages. Be sure you have a battery-powered or hand-crank radio (and extra batteries). Get one with Weather Radio so you can hear local radio stations and reports directly from the National Weather Service. These are available at electronics and sporting goods stores, department stores, boat and marine accessory stores, through catalogues and online. Prices range from $20-100.

• Most importantly: You need a family emergency plan. If your family cannot return home because of severe weather or closed roads, you need to decide now on where you will meet to reunite. You also need an out-of-town relative or friend to be your family emergency contact. Learn more about making a plan for winter weather and all emergencies – and get a free family emergency plan worksheet – at www.ReadyVirginia.gov.

The course will run from January to May and will consist of Monday and Wednesday sessions with occasional Saturdays.

Please see the flyer for prerequisites and other information.

To register – contact Training Coordinator Nathan Herlocker @ nherlocker@botetourt.org or 540-473-8403

Once again Botetourt County Emergency Services is participating in the ‘Keep the Wreath Green’ fire prevention campaign. This is a visual fire prevention campaign used to remind the citizens of Botetourt County to remain fire safe during the holiday season. By looking at the wreaths the public is able to track the number of house fires in the county by the number of red light bulbs in the wreath.

This program started on November 25^th and runs until New Years. Emergency Services will exchange one green bulb for a red bulb every time there is a house fire in the county during this period.

Fire prevention should be a prominent part  of our everyday lives, but sometimes with the holiday season we all need a little friendly reminder. This campaign is used as that reminder for everyone to stay fire safe for the holiday season. Gathering further information on fire safety can be obtained by visiting www.yourbces.org or calling Emergency Services at 473-2098.

For additional resources, please refer to our public education page.

Going trick or treating?

	Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.
	Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
	Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.
	Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat.
	Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you. Always WALK and don’t run from house to house.
	Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent possible skin and eye irritation.
	Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.
	Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses.
	Only walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
	Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls.
	Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats made by strangers.
	Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult.
	Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.

	Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.
	Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
	Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.
	Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat.
	Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you. Always WALK and don’t run from house to house.
	Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent possible skin and eye irritation.
	Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.
	Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses.
	Only walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
	Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls.
	Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats made by strangers.
	Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult.
	Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.

Botetourt County Department of Emergency Services: (L to R): John Gulatsi, Frank Leonard, Lieutenant, C. Moore, Lieutenant, R. Johnson, Captain, J. Ferguson, Battalion Chief

Troutville Fire Department Personnel: (L to R): Garry Rock, Deputy Fire Chief, Zach Beckner, Britt Wyrick, Christopher Boothe, Fire Captain

Blue Ridge Fire Department Personnel:Back Row (L to R): Mark Munson, Soni Shaver, Matt Trevilian, Lieutenant, Brandon Kitts, Captain, Nick Carroll. Front Row (L to R): Chris Bates, Mike Maddox, Assistant Fire Chief, Mike Durham, Fire Chief

In recent weeks firefighters all across the country have been participating in memorial stair climbs in honor of their fallen comrades from the attacks of September 11, 2001.
On Sunday September 11^th, local firefighters Jeff Elmore and Jacob Newton from Botetourt County Emergency Services traveled to Richmond to participate in the event. Climbing beside firefighters from across Virginia and the east coast, Jacob and Jeff ascended and descended the steps of a 20 story building 5 times to emulate the 100 stories that faced the emergency workers as they tried to evacuate the twin towers. Each participant was representing something more than just the physical challenges faced by heroic responders who ran in while others ran out on that tragic day; each climbed in honor of a specific hero who perished in the trade centers, leaving behind families, friends coworkers and a grateful nation.

Botetourt County Emergency Service Firefighters Jeff Elmore (Left) and Jacob Newton (Right)

Botetourt County Emergency Service Firefighters Jacob Newton (Left) and Jeff Elmore (Right)

At the conclusion of the climb, each firefighter rang a ceremonial bell and announced the name of the comrade whose life their brief exertion commemorated. Jacob and Jeff completed their climb while wearing forty-plus pounds of protective equipment and tools, just as those who were lost in the towers that fateful morning.

Jacob Newton (Left) Jeff Elmore (Right) at the conclusion of their climb.

For immediate release – August 29, 2011

Contact:         Spencer Suter, Assistant County Administrator
540-473-8301

David Firestone, Emergency Services Division Chief
540-473-8401

This September – a Time to Remember, a Time to Prepare

Fincastle, VA – This September, our nation will mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11, remembering those lost, honoring our first responders, and renewing our commitment to prepare and plan for emergencies. Botetourt County has committed to participate in National Preparedness Month (NPM) in September. The event, now in its eighth year, is a nationwide, month-long effort hosted by Ready Campaign and Citizens Corps, encouraging households, businesses and communities to prepare and plan for emergencies.

One of NPM’s key messages is: be prepared in the event an emergency causes you to be self-reliant for three days without utilities and electricity, water service, access to supermarket or local services, or maybe even without response from police, fire or rescue, which could be overwhelmed during a major disaster. Preparing can start with three easy, yet critically important steps:

1. Get an emergency supply kit www.ready.gov
2. Make a plan for what to do in an emergency www.ready.gov
3. Be informed about emergencies that could happen in your community, and identify sources of information that will be helpful before, during and after an emergency.

Preparedness is a shared responsibility; it takes a whole community. This year’s National Preparedness Month focuses on turning awareness into action by encouraging all communities, including households and businesses nationwide to make an emergency preparedness plan.

For more information about the Ready Campaign and National Preparedness Month, visit Ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY.

This program was sponsored by Botetourt County in an effort to provide leadership development for volunteer and career emergency services personnel.

The instructor, Randy Krantz developed this program to help emergency services workers throughout the commonwealth prepare for leadership roles in their organizations. Randy mostly known for his role as Commonwealth’s Attorney for Bedford County, began his career as a volunteer paramedic and then a registered nurse in the emergency room setting. Randy provided participants with information on legal and ethical decision making as well as many other valuable tips for preparing to take on a leadership role.

From the National Weather Service:

Child Safety Tips

• Make sure your child’s safety seat and safety belt buckles aren’t too hot before securing your child in a safety restraint system, especially when your car has been parked in the heat.
• Never leave your child or pets unattended in a vehicle, even with the windows down.
• Teach children not to play in, on or around cars.
• Always lock car doors and trunks–even at home–and keep keys out of children’s reach.
• Always make sure all children have left the car when you reach your destination. Don’t leave sleeping infants in the car ever!

Adult Safety Tips

• Slow down. Reduce, eliminate or rescheduled strenuous activities until the coolest time of the day. Children, senior and anyone with health problems should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.
• Dress for summer. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing to reflect heat and sunlight.
• Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods, like meat and other proteins that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.
• Drink plenty of water or other non-alcohol or decaffeinated fluids. Your body needs water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids even if you don’t feel thirsty. Persons who have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease, are on fluid restrictive diets or have a problem with fluid retention should consult a physician before increasing their consumption of fluids.
• Do not drink alcoholic beverages and limited caffeinated beverages.
• During excess heat period, spend more time in air-conditioned places. Air conditioning in homes and other buildings markedly reduces danger from the heat. If you cannot afford an air conditioner, go to a library, store or other location with air conditioning for part of the day.
• Don’t get too much sun. Sunburn reduced your body’s ability to dissipate heat.
• Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician.

Learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness, if you suspect a heat related illness, seek immediate medical attention.

From the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:

Heat Stroke
Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related disorder. It occurs when the body becomes unable to control its temperature: the body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. When heat stroke occurs, the body temperature can rise to 106 degrees Fahrenheit or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not given.

Symptoms of heat stroke include:

• Hot, dry skin or profuse sweating
• Hallucinations
• Chills
• Throbbing headache
• High body temperature
• Confusion/dizziness
• Slurred speech

Take the following steps to treat an individual with heat stroke:

• Call 911
• Move the sick individual to a cool shaded area.
• Cool the individual using methods such as:
  • Soaking their clothes with water.
  • Spraying, sponging, or showering them with water.
  • Fanning their body.

Heat Exhaustion
Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to an excessive loss of the water and salt, usually through excessive sweating. Individuals most prone to heat exhaustion are those that are elderly, have high blood pressure, and those working in a hot environment.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

• Heavy sweating
• Extreme weakness or fatigue
• Dizziness, confusion
• Nausea
• Clammy, moist skin
• Pale or flushed complexion
• Muscle cramps
• Slightly elevated body temperature
• Fast and shallow breathing

Treat a individual suffering from heat exhaustion with the following:

• Have them rest in a cool, shaded or air-conditioned area.
• Have them drink plenty of water or other cool, nonalcoholic beverages.
• Have them take a cool shower, bath, or sponge bath.

Heat Syncope
Heat syncope is a fainting (syncope) episode or dizziness that usually occurs with prolonged standing or sudden rising from a sitting or lying position. Factors that may contribute to heat syncope include dehydration and lack of acclimatization.

Symptoms of heat syncope include:

• Light-headedness
• Dizziness
• Fainting

Individuals with heat syncope should:

• Sit or lie down in a cool place when they begin to feel symptoms.
• Slowly drink water, clear juice, or a sports beverage.

Heat Cramps
Heat cramps usually affect individuals who sweat a lot during strenuous activity. This sweating depletes the body’s salt and moisture levels. Low salt levels in muscles causes painful cramps. Heat cramps may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion.

Muscle pain or spasms usually in the abdomen, arms, or legs.

Individuals with heat cramps should:

• Stop all activity, and sit in a cool place.
• Drink clear juice or a sports beverage.
• Do not return to strenuous work for a few hours after the cramps subside because further exertion may lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
• Seek medical attention if any of the following apply:
• The worker has heart problems.
• The worker is on a low-sodium diet.
• The cramps do not subside within one hour.

Heat Rash
Heat rash is a skin irritation caused by excessive sweating during hot, humid weather.

Symptoms of heat rash include:

• Heat rash looks like a red cluster of pimples or small blisters.
• It is more likely to occur on the neck and upper chest, in the groin, under the breasts, and in elbow creases.

Individuals experiencing heat rash should:

• Try to work in a cooler, less humid environment when possible.
• Keep the affected area dry.
• Dusting powder may be used to increase comfort.

Other Resources:

• National Weather Service Heat Safety
• CDC Heat Stress Safety
• Safe Kids – Never Leave your Child Alone
  

From Carilion Clinic:

“We encourage that stretchers be cleaned in the back hallway outside of materials management area to alleviate any traffic congestion outside of the EMS room and the Main ED desk.

We have added Clorox wipes  located on the wall next to the linen cart for your convenience. We will be eliminating the spray bottles of Virex.

Virex will be available at the request of Environmental Service staff members if your stretcher is heavily soiled.”

 

If  you have any questions, please contact your EMS Captain.