Hauntz Park Community Blockwatch
General Meeting Minutes

March 16, 2000
6:30 pm

Guest Speaker:  Columbus Fire Department - Pat Ferguson
Focus:  Fire Safety

OLD BUSINESS:

Suggestions brought up by attendees to improve our community:
-  need for trash containers in the park
-  need to apply for grants to improve the park
-  need to apply for grants for the purposes of providing gifts for deaths in the family, new neighbors (i.e., welcome wagon gifts), farewell gifts for those who leave our neighborhood

NEW BUSINESS:

Need for Street Captains raised as an issue
-  One attendee showed possible interest

Need for Co-Coordinator also raised
-  No interest from attendees present

The need remains an issue - for more information on becoming a street captain, please refer to Duties of a Street Captain on this site (coming soon) or call your current Captain, Coordinator, Information Officer, or Secretary - phone numbers are given on the flyers and Newsletter which are distributed to your doors periodically

GUEST SPEAKER:

Our guest speaker for the evening was Firefighter Pat Ferguson. He spoke to the attendees regarding fire safety issues.  A brief synopsis follows from the questions asked by attendees of Mr. Ferguson:
SMOKE DETECTORS
-  having smoke detectors is a very basic necessity
     - placing one on each level of the home is standard practice
     - having one in every room is even better
     - change the battery every time the time changes
     - TEST MONTHLY
     - a smoke detector should be replaced at least every 10 years
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
-  it is a good idea to have a fire extinguisher in the garage, kitchen, and basement where most fires begin
-  *NOTE* a small fire extinguisher can be purchased in hardware stores for less than $20
-  if you own a large fire extinguisher, it will occasionally need recharged
-  for small fire extinguishers that lose their charge, just replace them
CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS
-  carbon monoxide detectors have become common items in homes also
-  it is inexpensive piece of equipment and you only need one placed near the cold intake air vent of your furnace; read the instructions in the package
FOR THOSE WHO SMOKE
-  those individuals who smoke need to make sure that they extinguish their cigarettes before falling asleep as many fires are caused by cigarettes falling onto something flammable such as a furniture cushion, or a mattress
HOMES WITH FIREPLACES
-  homeowners who use fireplaces in the winter need to make sure that all flames are extinguished before retiring for the evening
ELECTRIC & KEROSENE HEATERS
-  electric and kerosene heaters should be turned off before retiring for the evening
DRYERS
-  clean the lint trap in your dryer after every load of laundry is finished to ensure proper air flow from the dryer
-  clean under the dryer at least once per year as lint can get trapped underneath and catch on fire
     - an electric dryer has an open bottom with an exposed element
       much like the one in an electric oven
     - a gas dryer has an open flame at the bottom
OPEN FLAME
-  keep everything away from an open flame and especially do not store combustible material near the flame as the fumes alone can start a fire

The Meeting was adjourned at 7:45 pm

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