MBFD, Canterbury UMC host first Remembering When senior safety program
There are certain steps seniors can take at home to prevent fall and fire emergencies in their home, and Mountain Brook Fire Marshal Leland Rhudy shared a few of those tips during a community program at Canterbury United Methodist Church on Jan. 18.
The program, called Remembering When, is a fire and fall prevention program developed by the National Fire Protection Agency, provides seniors with safety tips so that they can avoid injury from fires or falls and live at home independently for as long as possible.
"Fire Marshal LeLand Rhudy, he called me about a month or so ago and told me about htis program and came by and showed it to me, and it's really pretty amazing," said Valerie Boyd, director of Senior Adult Ministries at Canterbury UMC.
Rhudy said when he first saw the program at a conference and thought it was fitting for the Mountain Brook community because a large number of calls they respond to are for seniors who have either fallen or been unable to get to the phone in their home.
"A lot of you have children who do not live in the state, they live out of the state, so sometimes we get calls saying, 'Hey, I haven't heard from my mom,'" Rhudy said. When they receive those calls, sometimes they will find those senior adults have fallen and been laying there for hours after something that could have been prevented.
There are eight fire prevention and eight fall prevention tips included in the program, and Rhudy said while they are tips most people know of, they do not always implement them or do not recognize they have not implemented them.
As Rhudy walked the audience through the 16 total tips, he asked follow-up questions about personal experiences and gave practical tips for prevention. While explaining the tip, "Give space heaters space," Rhudy asked for examples of what materials should not be left surrounding a space heater — including chairs, draperies and other flammable materials — and reminded everyone to turn their space heaters off before leaving home or going to bed.
He also reviewed well-known tips such as stop, drop and roll, and acknowledged that it is always easier to talk through the steps in a class. The safety tip also noted that if you cannot stop, drop and roll, it is important to keep a blanket or towel nearby to smother flames and recommended bystanders look for a rug, blanket or fire blanket nearby to help extinguish flames.
The fire department will continue to host Remember When programs throughout the year, and Boyd said they plan to continue to promote it.