Why do you send a fire truck along with an ambulance to a medical emergency?
Fire trucks have first responder personnel and can get help to your location quicker. The ambulance or rescue unit will provide transportation to emergency room depending on the nature of the call.
Why do firefighters break out windows and cut holes in roof during a fire?
Firefighters ventilate smoke and superheated gases for safety and visibility. This allows firefighters to get inside the building to find and extinguish the fire, thereby reducing property damage. This also reduce the chances of a possible backdraft explosion.
Why do firefighters get upset when you drive over firehose?
Firefighters are very much concerned about running over firehoses because the hose can be damaged and any firefighter at the end of a nozzle will have the water interrupted and possibly cause injury or death. (THE FIREHOSE IS THE LIFELINE OF A FIREFIGHTER WHEN FIGHTING A FIRE)
Why is it illegal to burn leaves and brush on my property?
IDEM strictly regulates and prohibit open burning outdoor.
If our Carbon Monoxide Detector sounds, will the fire dept. respond?
Yes.. The Fire Department has specialized equipment to test the air for Carbon Monoxide. A sounding detector could mean that there is a high concentrate of Carbon Monoxide in your home. Carbon Monoxide is called the "Silent Killer" because it can reduce the amount of oxygen we breathe and since Carbon Monoxide has no smell, we have no idea when you have a leak..
What type of smoke detector are required in my home, and where should they be located?
It depends on the type of residence you live in. One and two family homes, built prior to 1990, can use battery-operated smoke detectors. All other homes, 3 family and above, are required to have hard wired smoke detectors, either 120 volt or 24 volt. All new homes built after 1990 should have hard wired smoke detectors in them.
Smoke Detectors are designed to provide an early warning to a fire. Smoke detectors should be located in Common Areas (i.e. Stairways and basements) and inside sleeping rooms and there should definitely be one just outside of all of the sleeping rooms.
When a battery starts to run low on power, the smoke detector will chirp intermittently to alert you to change your battery. BUT, you should not wait until it chirps to change the battery. Batteries last about 1 year in a smoke detector before they start to lose power. A good rule of thumb is to change your batteries when you change your clocks. That will have you changing your batteries at least twice a year enabling your smoke detector to have a good battery in it at all times.
I hear sirens and air horns from my home and they seem very lound, is it necessary to always use them all hours of the day & night?
While no one desires to create unnecessary 'noise' and disturb the public's rest, the use of sirens and air horns are necessary and in fact required by law to alert drivers and pedestrians of the presence of emergency vehicles responding to an incident. In today's world with drivers using air conditioning, cell phones, and loud car stereos, many drivers have a difficult time hearing and responding to oncoming emergency vehicles. While every effort is made to limit the use of sirens and air horns at night and early morning hours, their use can not be eliminated completely.
How can I schedule a station tour?
You can schedule a station tour by calling us at Sta. 1 (219)926-1226. If there is no answer, please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible. And remember, you are welcome to stop by anytime the doors are open.