LBK Fire Rescue programs promote health, safety

Beginning this month, Longboat Key Fire Rescue will offer home inspections to residents who request the service.

The inspection will consist of testing smoke detectors, determining clear accesses, electrical panel accessibility and identifying hazards such as storage of flammables and chemicals. Residents will receive an inspection report with recommendations for avoiding fire and injuries.

Currently, the department conducts annual inspections of all multi-family and commercial structures. However, the department only has jurisdiction over common areas and hasn’t been able to inspect living areas.

According to a news release, the department responded to two residential fires over the past year that possibly could have been prevented by inspections. Both homes didn’t have working smoke detectors, and one had flammable material stored inside the living area.

The Fire Department is also promoting its ongoing File of Life program, which gives firefighter/paramedics easy access to a patient’s medical information in an emergency.

The department provides a File of Life packet that allows residents to list information such as medical history, medications and dosages, emergency contacts and hospital preferences.

“This packet is something everyone should have on their refrigerator,” said Longboat Key Fire Rescue Chief Paul Dezzi, in a news release. “It provides the necessary information to the paramedics in those cases where the patient cannot speak or answer for themselves. I want to remind everyone that the patient information sheet needs to be kept updated because conditions, medications, and dosages change on a regular basis and keeping the information up-to-date if of great importance to the overall treatment of the patient.”

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].