Page 12 - October Sun Rays_Oct 2015

CA NEWS

How old are your smoke alarms?

Submitted by Sue Gavron, Emergency Management Committee Member

Are your smoke alarms over ten years old? Do are accounted for and inform the responding fire units. Do not
you test your alarms monthly to see if they still return to the home, as you could become trapped. Remember
function? Functional smoke alarms can cut to practice and review your escape plan with overnight guests,
the risk of dying in a home fire by half. Many especially visiting children.
of the smoke alarms found in Sun City Texas
homes are greater than ten years old. Fire officials and detec- Fires have many ways of occurring. Primary causes within the
tor manufacturers recommend replacing all your old alarms home include cooking, heating, smoking, electrical malfunctions
at once, ideally with a single brand. New alarm models come and candles, while external fire hazards include lightning and
equipped with a ten year lithium battery which does not need embers from structure or wildfires. In the event of a lightning
annual replacement. strike, assume there is a fire and leave immediately. Go to your
meeting place and call the fire department from outside the
Many alarms offer combination smoke and carbon monoxide home. Do not investigate yourself and do not reset the electri-
(CO) detection abilities, though separate CO units are now cal breakers if they have tripped, as electrical wiring may have
available and might be considered as a helpful addition to your been damaged.
home. Check the alarm installation instructions if adding a CO
device as the location can make a difference in detection rates. The Sun City Texas Firewise Group can provide you with infor-
mation on making your home less vulnerable to fires. Having
Test your alarm on a monthly basis by pressing the test button. a free Home Ignition Zone evaluation can provide valuable
Alarms should also be cleaned with a vacuum or compressed information about activities to reduce the fire hazard.
air regularly.
Information presented is based on information provided by the
In the event of a fire, an escape plan identifying all possible National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the NFPA
exits could save your life. Try to have two ways out of each Firewise program. Portions are reproduced from NFPA’s Fire
room, if possible. Avoid blocking windows and doorways, and Prevention Week website, www.firepreventionweek.org. ©2015
select a meeting place where everyone in your home knows to NFPA.
go, such as the mailbox. Once you have evacuated the home,
call the fire department (911). Make sure that all residents

CPR/FIRST AID/AED CLASSES
CPR/First Aid/AED classes are taught monthly
in Sun City. For information, contact Barbara
Akers at [email protected].

Take precautions to avoid identity theft

Submitted by Susanne White, COPS volunteer

As a community of retired and senior information about criminal activities bank and credit accounts carefully.
citizens, residents of Sun City Texas can in Georgetown and Sun City Texas Keep financial information private.
potentially become targets for the more by studying calls received by the Don’t throw away credit card offers
dishonest members of our society. Georgetown Police. without opening and shredding them.
To prevent being targeted as a senior,
We grew up in a time when we trusted Of 1,502 calls concerning theft, the remove or obscure your name from all
neighbors, merchants kept books by majority of incidents were for fraud, publications and mail before disposing.
hand, the internet was unknown and such as credit card and/or identity theft. Most importantly of all, never give out
credit cards were just coming into Fortunately, just 39 of these calls were personal or bank information to anyone!
vogue. Today, however, everything from Sun City Texas residents, who
has changed. Information is available overwhelmingly reported incidents of We’re always trying to help - join us!
at your fingertips, and criminals have identity theft. COPs needs volunteers! Give two
many ways to identify who you are. By hours twice a month. You can drive
staying vigilant about the security of Unscrupulous people can collect readily (new cars!) or staff the office from
your personal information, however, you available information and use these your home. We’ll train and outfit
can protect yourself from fraud. details to take over identities. But with you. Call 512-966-1362, Monday–
caution, diligence and awareness, you Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For the past six months Harry Larkin, can actively take steps to protect your
COPs Vice-Chair, has collected personal details. Always check your ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG

10 | SUNRAYS OCTOBER 2015