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Woolwich Fire Company

3 months ago

The Woolwich Fire Company welcomed two new contributing members to the Organiztion. Please help welcome Maggie VanDiehl and Michael Hooven.

Maggie joins from Woolwich Twp. and is looking to give back to her community and support the first responders in anyway she can.

Michael joins from Swedesboro. Michael indicated the word “community” is more than a just a word to he and his family.

Contributing members are the backbone of support to the department. Both Maggie and Michael will help with fundraisers, community events and various administrative tasks at the firehouse. If you’re interested in volunteering, please visit www.woolwichfirefighter.org.

Please help me congratulate and welcome Maggie and Michael to the Woolwich Fire Company. ... See MoreSee Less

Woolwich Fire Company

3 months ago

How Long Do Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors Last?

While the importance of them is widely known, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors often become afterthoughts once they’re installed.
Typical homeowners will put the detectors up, see them hanging there on the wall, and feel safe. They don’t give them a second thought — except for those annoying times the low battery chirp goes off in the middle of the night.
But these devices are not to be ignored. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors save lives.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), three of every five home fire deaths happened in homes without smoke alarms or with non-functioning smoke alarms, with the death rate per 100 reported home fires being more than twice as high in homes that did not have any working smoke alarms compared to the rate in homes with working smoke alarms.
Carbon monoxide is equally, if not more, dangerous. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that over 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning not linked to fires every year, more than 20,000 visit the emergency room, and more than 4,000 are hospitalized.

A common thread in a vast majority of those injuries and deaths and malfunctioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and more often than not, the malfunction is due to missing, disconnected, or dead batteries.
Bottom line, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are not “set it and forget it” devices. You need to stay on top of them and periodically check that they’re working properly.
Here’s what else you need to know.

The Basics
There are various smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on the market, from basic models to more modern units that feature digital displays and are interconnected with every other unit in the house. No matter what model you choose, MAKE SURE THE BATTERIES ARE WORKING!
Test your smoke detectors monthly and if they’re battery-operated, you need to change those batteries at least once a year. Many people change their smoke detector batteries on New Year’s Day or some other holiday to help them remember. Carbon monoxide detector batteries need to be replaced every six months (a great time to do this is during daylight saving time when you’re turning your clocks back or forward). When replacing the batteries, vacuum the inside of the detectors to remove dirt, dust, and debris, which can interfere with the working components.
Install smoke detectors on every floor of your home (including attics and basements), in each bedroom and outside of each bedroom area. Put carbon monoxide detectors on every floor, as well, and near, but not inside, an attached garage. Be careful where you place them, though. Keep carbon monoxide detectors out of direct sunlight, and at least 5 feet away from appliances and 20 feet away from any fuel-burning heat source. Also avoid areas with high humidity (shower, dishwasher), extreme heat or cold (attics, crawlspaces), and blowing air (vents, returns, and even ceiling fans).
Consider installing heat detectors in places like your garage and kitchen. Heat detectors are designed to respond to a fire, but not smoke. Using heat detectors instead of smoke detectors should help reduce false alarms from things like cooking.
The Lifespan of Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Most smoke alarms have a lifespan of eight to 10 years, and again, replace the batteries every year. A smoke detector with a lithium battery or a hard-wired smoke detector can last 10 years, at which time you would just replace the whole unit.
Carbon monoxide detectors last between five and seven years. The recommendation is to replace them every five years because their ability to detect carbon monoxide is questionable after that point.
A Better Way
To protect your home and family, you need to have, at the very least, basic, stand-alone smoke and carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home–it’s a necessity. But if you want to get even more protection, with monitoring and automatic notifications to the fire department and other first responders, a home security system is a great option.
With today’s home security systems, you can remotely monitor the presence of fire, smoke, or carbon monoxide and be alerted well before anything gets out of hand. The fire department will also be dispatched in the event of an alarm, even if you are not home to report the incident. ... See MoreSee Less

Woolwich Fire Company

3 months ago

Volunteer Spotlight: Dad is ‘cool’ for being a Firefighter

Swedesboro--Evan McCormick decided to become a firefighter in January 1999.
“A buddy of mine and I said, ‘Let’s do this,’ so we did and I stuck with it. I always thought it was neat thing to do and it caught on,” he said.
“I like the brotherhood of it and the ability to be able to volunteer for my community,” said McCormick, 35. “Looking back on it it’s been an invaluable investment in how my life has shaped up. If not for the fire department I’m not sure what I’d be doing. It provided me with a career path.”
McCormick works as a 911 operator for the Pennsylvania State Police in Delaware County, is the father of 8-year-old Lillyana and lives in Bridgeport.
“She thinks it’s very cool that her dad is a fireman,” said McCormick, who noted that sometimes it’s a “balancing act” between his volunteer and parental responsibilities but volunteering with Woolwich is worth the effort.
“Making the decision to commit your time, energy and resources to volunteer takes a special kind of person and shouldn't be taken lightly,” he said. “My daughter is at an age where she understands that her father is involved in an inherently dangerous profession and that our time we spend together is vitally important.”
“Juggling work, family, and the department is at times quite the challenge,” he added. “Although, the benefits have well outweighed the cost. Since joining the fire service 21 years ago and coming to Woolwich in 2012, there are countless areas of my life that have some kind of connection to the fire department and almost all of them positive. I'm at a point in my service career, when I look back, I couldn't begin to imagine what I would be doing had I not filled that application out on a cold winter day in January of 1999.”
“There’s been a number of instances where (Woolwich Fire Company firefighters) were able to save a home or life very quickly. We were in the right place at the right time,” he said.
“Firefighting has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” he said. “If you think you have what it takes, and are willing to learn something that will stick with you for the rest of your life, the Woolwich Fire Company has endless opportunities that might be right for you.”
For more information about joining the Woolwich Fire Company go to: www.woolwichfirefighter.org ... See MoreSee Less

Woolwich Fire Company

4 months ago

Are you looking for adventure along with the satisfaction of helping your community? Volunteer with the Woolwich Fire Company and the sky is the limit. Go to: www.woolwichfirefighter.org ... See MoreSee Less

Woolwich Fire Company

4 months ago

The Railroad Avenue railroad crossing will be closed for repairs next week. Please see the note from the Borough of Swedesboro and plan your route of travel accordingly. ... See MoreSee Less