Installing hurricane shutters can be time-consuming and difficult, so many residents leave some or all of them up year round or for the remainder of hurricane season after the initial storm has passed. While this might save some time and effort, it is not worth the threat it creates to your life safety.

During a hurricane, shutters protect your home from wind, rain, and flying debris. However, hurricane shutters can be unsafe and even deadly when left on your windows the rest of the year. If a fire were to occur in your home, how would you get out? And just as importantly, how would firefighters get in to help you?  Hurricane shutters are designed to withstand hurricane-force winds, and if they can keep debris from entering your home, they can keep firefighters from entering and you from escaping.

Did you know the majority of fires occur at night?  Keeping that in mind, if a fire broke out in your home while you were in your bedroom how would you escape?  Maybe you could use the bedroom door, but if the fire is outside of that door your only other way out is the window.  Devastatingly, there have been a number instances in Florida where firefighters haven’t been able to get into burning homes due to hurricane shutters being left on all year round.

In 2004, four children and an adult were killed in a house fire in Homestead, Florida. State records show that the windows were covered in plywood and burglar bars. That same year, a 53-year-old man was trapped inside his home in Fort Lauderdale during a fire. He had metal hurricane shutters on his home, and the fire department had trouble cutting through the shutters. In both situations, there was no threat of a hurricane or tropical storm.

Remember, as we enter into the typically more active part of our Hurricane Season, hurricane shutters should only be up when storms are threatening.  Hurricane shutters, when used correctly, aren’t dangerous. In fact, when deployed during a storm, hurricane shutters protect your home from rain and flying debris.  But in order to truly protect your home and your family, the best thing you can do is to only deploy hurricane shutters when there’s an imminent threat of a hurricane. For more information regarding hurricane preparedness please give us a call at 239-267-7525 or visit http://www.leegov.com/

The San Carlos Park Fire District is currently in the hiring process for the job position of Firefighter. The recruitment period runs from July 25, 2016 through August 12, 2016. To review the recruitment process and requirements for employment please follow the link below.

Click Here for Job Posting

The temperature outside is really starting to heat up and as it rises we need focus on being proactive so we don’t become victims of heat related illness. While paying attention to the temperature is important, it is also helpful to pay attention to the “feels like” temperature.  The “feels like” temperature or heat index is a result of humidity.  Heat index, calculated from the air temperature and relative humidity, is the heat stress that your body is subjected to. The heat index is the number to watch for during hot summer months.

Elevated temperatures, humidity, and heat index lead to a greater chance of heat related illness. Each year many fall victim to extreme heat. Heat related illness happens when people’s bodies are unable to compensate and properly cool themselves.  Signs of heat related illness include:

-Skin that feels hot and dry, but not sweaty
-Confusion or loss of consciousness
-Frequent vomiting/nausea
-Shortness of breath or trouble breathing

When the temperature and heat index are high try to stay indoors in air-conditioned areas. If you must go outside, take the following precautions:

-Drink more fluids, regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
-Don’t drink liquids that contain caffeine, alcohol, or large amounts of sugar–these actually cause you to lose more body fluid.
-Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
-Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat or using an umbrella.
-Limit your outdoor activity to morning and evening hours and take frequent breaks.
-NEVER leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle.
-If you have a chronic medical problem, ask your doctor about how to deal with the heat, about drinking extra fluids, and about your medicines.

If you don’t have air conditioning, or know an elderly relative or neighbor who doesn’t have it, think about ways to get into a cool environment for at least part of the day. Go to a movie, shopping mall, supermarket, or public library.

For more information please call San Carlos Park Fire District at 267-7525.

Today is National Pet Fire Safety Day! Follow these tips to keep your four-legged friends safe from home fires.

Extinguish Open Flames – Pets are generally curious and will investigate cooking appliances, candles, or even a fire in your fireplace. Ensure your pet is not left unattended around an open flame and make sure to thoroughly extinguish any open flame before leaving your home. Better yet, consider using flameless candles.

Pet Proof the Home – Take a walk around your home and look for areas where pets might start fires inadvertently, such as the stove knobs and other potential hazards. Pet owners should also check electrical cords to make sure their pets haven’t chewed and frayed them.

Secure Young Pets – Especially with young puppies, keep them confined away from potential fire-starting hazards when you are away from home.

Practice Escape Routes with Pets – Keep collars and leashes at the ready in case you have to evacuate quickly with your pet.

Have Working Smoke Alarms in Your Home – Smoke alarms should be located inside and outside of each sleeping area and on each floor of your home.

Get Out and Stay Out- In case of a home fire, pet owners should not go back inside to find pets. Instead, let us know that a pet is trapped inside. Each first due SCPFD apparatus carries a set of pet oxygen masks for use on your animals after they are rescued from your home.

The Annual San Carlos Park 4th of July Parade led by SCPFD is just around the corner. Make your plans to attend today. The parade will be held on Monday, July 4th at 8:30am and leave from the Sunshine Ace Hardware Plaza traveling East on Sanibel Road. It is truly great to celebrate our nation’s independence with those we serve. We hope to see you on July 4th for this wonderful community event.

Arrive early to grab a spot along the parade route below:

We would like to introduce you to the official San Carlos Park Fire Protection and Rescue Service District Facebook page,  Click here to like our page and Twitter page, https://twitter.com/SanCarlosParkFD.

SCPFD is excited to announce this avenue of enhanced communication, collaboration, and information exchange.  Like us today to receive the most up to date information regarding what is happening in your fire district.

June 20th is the first official day of summer but I think most of our local kids would agree that summer begins today, the last day of school for Lee County students.  San Carlos Park Fire District would like to remind drivers about the importance of keeping kids safe throughout the summer months.

Keep in mind, kids will be excited and may not be thinking about their personal safety as they take those first few steps off the bus or out of school today so drivers need to be extra cautious in looking for child pedestrians. Here are a few more tips to keep our community’s children safe today and for the reminder of their summer break.

-Use extra caution when driving through school zones and be aware kids may be leaving school at different times than normal today.

-Watch for clues, a hockey net or ball in the road or on the sidewalk can mean kids are playing nearby. Pay attention and always anticipate the unexpected.

-Always watch for small children as you’re backing up. Walk around your vehicle to make sure no kids or pets are behind it.

-Parks and playgrounds get more use during summer months. Observe carefully when driving around these areas. Small children are less predictable and harder to see than adults.

Thank you for joining SCPFD in keeping children safe this summer!

San Carlos Park Fire Protection and Rescue Service District recently partnered with Golisano Children’s Hospital and Florida Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC)  to prevent drowning in our community. Members of SCPFD and Golisano came together at San Carlos Park Elementary to educate Kindergartners on the three water safety rules they must learn before going near water:
1. You must learn to swim.
2. You must always wear your life vest.
3. Most importantly, you must always have a grown-up watching you whenever you are near the water.

In Florida, drowning is the leading cause of death for children under age 5 and the second leading cause in children ages 5-14. This  community outreach effort was a part of EMS Week which is May 15th-21st and included an interactive water safety story and a tour of the Golisano Neonatal and Pediatric Ambulance.  Kindergarten students at San Carlos Park Elementary were read Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim, a child’s first guide to water safety. Written for children ages two through six, the book conveys an important message of how to be safe near the water through the story of Stewie, a duck who wants to swim with the ‘big ducks,’ but is prevented from going in the water by his older sister until he learns the water safety rules.

Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim mobile app for iPad and iPhone is now available free of charge (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stewie-the-duck-learns-to-swim/id514573567?mt=8).  The ibook features read-to-me audio and contains interactive animations, sound effects, a memory game, and a sing-along.

San Carlos Park Fire District is proud to announce two SCPFD Firefighters were recipients of the Phoenix Award at a ceremony held earlier today. Firefighter Paramedic James Shober and Firefighter EMT Justin Yates were awarded this honor for, through their advance training and dedication, contributing to the successful resuscitation of a patient in cardiac arrest.

Firefighter Paramedic James Shober

 Firefighter EMT Justin Yates

San Carlos Park Firefighters recently teamed up with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) for the annual Fill-the-Boot Campaign. SCPFD firefighters manned the intersections to collect your donations and we are proud to say $20,111.55 was raised in a single weekend, making your fire district the 2nd highest fund raiser in Lee County. Collectively Lee County collected $174,631.00!

Firefighters have stood with MDA in the fight against muscle disease since 1954. The funds raised will go toward MDA’s summer camp for children, research initiatives, local clinics, and support groups in our area. Every dollar raised will go directly to children and adults in our community that are affected by neuromuscular diseases.

We would like to sincerely thank you for joining us in the battle against muscular dystrophy by filling our boots with donations. The continued willingness to help others demonstrated by you, the members of our community, is truly inspiring. Thank you again!