OPEN BURNING

The Open burn window was closed on May 31, 2005. All burning is now regulated by the State Fire Marshals office. We will still issue burn permits for agricultural areas only. The requirements are minimum of 5 acers located within the green belt. As we approach the summer months and as the grasses dry out, all residents must be extremely careful with fire not only in the City of Riverdale but when ever you are outdoors. For more information on open burning you may call 394-7481.

THE CASE AGAINST WINDOW DECALS

We've all seen them - window decals designed to alert firefighters to the locations of children's bedrooms. But because of several issues, the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) does not recommend the use of these decals. Here's why:

• NFPA's educational philosophy is to teach proactive quick response to a fire situation for people of all ages. These decals could give you and your family a false sense of security and may imply it is safe for children to wait to be rescued rather than to respond immediately on their own. Children, even at a very young age, can be taught the basics of home escape planning: responding immediately when the smoke alarms sound, knowing two ways out of every room, crawling low under the smoke, gathering at a meeting place, and calling the fire department form outside the burning building.The window decals signal an area of vulnerability in the home. This could put the children and/or the entire household at risk from intruders.
• NFPA is concerned about the safety of firefighters who may enter a bedroom with a decal on the window to search for trapped children, only to learn later that the children had changed rooms, grown up, or moved out.

If you have any questions, please call the Riverdale Fire Department at 394-7481.