Fire Department Log: January 1-15, 2022

Fires

On January 15, Sanford firefighters provided mutual aid to the Lebanon Department, which was dealing with a structure fire.

Carbon Monoxide Incidents

On January 12, the SFD responded to a home that had elevated CO levels inside.  The homeowner had run a tractor in the garage and the exhaust infiltrated into the home.  Firefighters were able to ventilate the home and clear out the gas without incident. “The lesson to learn here is that it is best to move a vehicle out of a garage while warming it up,” said Assistant Fire Chief Bob Arnold.

On January 14, the Department responded to another home that had elevated CO levels inside.  While cleaning the woodstove, smoke backed up into the home.  Along with that smoke there was CO.  Firefighters were able to ventilate the home and clear out the gas without incident.

These are two examples of home Carbon Monoxide detectors activating to alert the occupants.  They called 911 and SFD was able to come out and assist them by identifying the source of the alarm and then clearing out the gas.  CO is odorless and tasteless, which makes a detector the only way to know if it is present.

In addition to the above events, the Department also responded to a faulty CO detector and three instances of CO detector activation where no CO was found.

Other Incidents

The Department has been called to three water emergencies this month, including issues related to burst pipes as well as flooding due to rain.

There was one gasoline or other flammable liquid spill, one defective elevator (no occupants, fortunately), one report of unauthorized burning, and one report of steam/vapor/fog/dust thought to be smoke. Assistance was given on a lock-out.

EMS

There were 138 calls for Emergency Medical Services. 25 people received first aid, 75 received basic life support and 56 received advanced life support. 125 people were transported to the hospital. The Department also responded to one motor vehicle accident with injury, one motor vehicle/pedestrian accident, and seven accidents with no injuries. Ten invalids were given assistance.

Other

Three calls were dispatched and cancelled en route. Three calls resulted in no incident found upon arrival. Nineteen calls were for malfunctioning or unintentional smoke or fire alarm activation. Two calls were classified as good intent calls, no details given.

January is Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month.

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