6 | FIRE PREVENTION WEEK | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2017 F IRE P REVENTION & P ROTECTION M ESSAGE FROM F IRE M ARSHAL S EAN B ARRETT Happy fire prevention week! Another great year working with our community has passed and we at Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue are still continuing our mission: “To preserve and improve the quality of life for all who live, work, visit and invest in the community of Florence, Oregon and the rural district that surrounds the city through the efficient delivery of emergency services supported by aggressive fire prevention and public education.” This year we are continu- ing to focus on three main goals, Number one: “if we can’t find you we can’t help you.” Can we see your address from the road or street? SVFR has been awarded a grant to make and place emer- gency address signs to anyone who requests one for free. Our goal is to have an address sign all driveways where the house numbers are not visible from the street or road. Number two: “if we can’t get to you we can’t help you” Over fifty percent of our fire district is rural in nature. Many have long driveways. In most cases the occupants or owners drive very small vehicles and do not realize that emergency vehicles cannot traverse the drive way due to inadequate width and height. Due to the sheer size of the emergency vehicles to include ambulances we need a very minimum of a 9 foot clear wide driveway with an un obstructed height of 13 feet 6 inches. In most cases just clearing the brush will allow us access. If you need an inspection to determine what needs to be done, do not hesitate to con- tact the Fire Marshal. Number three: “working smoke alarms save lives” Our highest priority is life safety, period. Houses can be replaced; personal possessions can be replaced; however a life is not replaceable. From the time a fire starts to the time the fire department may arrive can be up to 10 minutes with a documented average of a 6 minute response time in the fire district and when fire can double in size every 30 seconds, there needs to be an early warning device. Smoke alarms save lives. It is a proven fact that your chances of survival with a smoke alarm during a fire are 50% better than without one. It is and has been our goal to have at least one working smoke alarm in every home no matter what that home is. We offer free inspections of smoke alarms as well as free replacements to anyone that needs one. Once the alarm sound what do you do? Have two ways out and get out and stay out! Should have any questions, comments or concerns about this article, please do not hesitate to contact Fire Marshal, Sean Barrett at: Office: 541 997-3212 • Cell:541 999-0600 Email: sean@svfr.org 2017 Scholarship Recipients Jaidan Haley S IUSLAW N EWS 148 Maple Street • Florence • 541-997-3441 Volunteer Fire Fighters Habana Ramos Siuslaw Valley Firefighters Assoc $1,000: Jaidan Haley Vern E. Passenger $1,000: Habana Ramos Way To Go!! Saine Elsayed brought to you by the following sponsor Ted Martin Oaren Wraye Sean Campbell Employees Giving Back to the Florence Community S IUSLAW V ALLEY F IRE & R ESCUE 541-997-3212 Congratulations & Best Wishes!