Taunton Fire Department Archives - Taunton Fire Department

Taunton Fire Department Reminds Residents of Burn Safety Tips Ahead of National Burn Awareness Week

January 30, 2020 by Matthew Reid Leave a Comment

TAUNTON — Chief Timothy J. Bradshaw would like to remind Taunton residents of some safety tips and precautions as Sunday, Feb. 2 begins National Burn Awareness Week.

Each year, the American Burn Association develops educational resources for National Burn Week, which can be found on their website. The theme for Burn Awareness Week 2020 is: Contact Burns – Hot Surfaces Damage Skin.

“Using caution around fires and hot liquids is important for people of all ages,” Chief Bradshaw said. “We encourage residents of all ages to review the following safety tips ahead of National Burn Awareness week.”

According to the Massachusetts Burn Injury Reporting System (MBIRS), there were 345 burn injuries in 2018. In addition, MBIRS reports that children under the age of five account for one-quarter of all reported burn injuries. Touching heating and cooking equipment, other hot household items (like clothes irons) and walking barefoot on hot pavement are the leading causes of contact burns to young children. Older adults are also at an increased risk of suffering contact burn injuries.

Chief Bradshaw would like to offer the following tips and information from the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services and the American Burn Association:

Prevent Burns

Hot drink safety

Hot fluids were the cause of 88% of the total burns in children under the age of five. Keep hot liquids away from babies and small children. Put drinks and soups in the center of the table away from curious fingers.

Replace tablecloths with place mats to prevent children from pulling everything on a table onto themselves.

Tap water safety

Set your hot water heater to 125˚F or less. Massachusetts law requires a temperature between 110˚F and 130˚F. It takes only one second for water at 155˚F to cause a third-degree burn.
Supervise young children in the bath and face them away from faucets. Babies and toddlers can turn on hot water when you turn your back.

Cooking safety

Children under the age of five are five times more likely to be burned by cooking than others. Keep children away from stoves, grills, campfires and fireplaces. This protects them from cooking liquids, grease and hot metal.

Use the back burners of the stove top to prevent children from reaching up and touching hot pots and pans. Turn pot and pan handles toward the back of the stove so they cannot be easily reached or tipped.

Have hot pads available when cooking. Long oven mitts are best when needing to reach in or over hot surfaces, such as in an oven or over a grill. Assume all pots and pans are hot.

Don’t wear loose clothing near fire, grills or stoves.

Other tips

Glass front fireplaces have surface temperatures of 172˚F and can cause serious contact burns. Burns can occur instantly upon contact with the glass front and the most frequent site of injury is the hand. Glass fireplace doors also can remain hot for one or more hours after use.

Be sure to turn off unattended hot appliances such as irons or hair straighteners.

Turn heating pads and blankets off before going to sleep.

Protect your feet by wearing shoes when walking on hot pavement or sand. Keep pets off hot pavement.

First Aid for Burns

Stop, drop and roll if you or your clothing are on fire.

Remove burn victims from the immediate area of danger.

Call 911 immediately if someone has suffered a burn injury.

Cool the burn area by running cool water over it. Continuously flush burns caused by chemicals.

Never put grease, butter or ointment on a burn.

Do not remove clothing from a burn.

Cover a burn with a clean sheet or towel.

###

Taunton Police and Fire Departments Respond After Two Children Fall Through Ice into Taunton River

January 23, 2020 by Benjamin Paulin Leave a Comment

Children Pulled out of River by Good Samaritans and TPD Officers

TAUNTON — Police Chief Edward Walsh and Fire Chief Timothy Bradshaw report that the Taunton Police and Fire Departments responded after two children fell through the ice and into the Taunton River Thursday afternoon.

Two 14-year-old boys are expected to be okay after being rescued from the river by three Good Samaritans and four Taunton Police officers.

At approximately 2 p.m. Thursday, Taunton resident Kevin Boss, age 54, was driving in the area of County Street and Ingell Street when he noticed two boys that were in the Taunton River. One of the boys was trying to swim to shore while the other was struggling to stay afloat.

Boss pulled over and grabbed a rope from this vehicle. Simultaneously, two Taunton School Department employees, Assistant Storekeeper Nick DaCosta and Community Facilitator Lynne Farina, also saw the boys and both pulled their vehicles over to help.

A short time later, Taunton Police Officer Daniel Williams, Officer Matt Travers, Officer Brendan Canary and Captain Daniel McCabe arrived on scene.

The seven adults used the rope to safely pull the boys ashore.

The Taunton Fire Department responded quickly to the scene and transported the boys via ambulance to Morton Hospital to be evaluated. The boys are expected to be okay.

It is believed that the boys were in the water for approximately five minutes.

Police Chief Walsh would like to praise the efforts of his officers and the Good Samaritans who helped pull the boys to safety.

“This was a fantastic job by the people who stopped and our officers who helped to get these boys out of the water quickly,” Chief Walsh said. “Thankfully, it appears that the boys are going to be alright.”

Fire Chief Bradshaw echoed Chief Walsh’s sentiments and also warned that it is never safe to step on thin ice.

“Thankfully these boys weren’t seriously hurt and the people who stopped to help should be considered heroes,” Chief Bradshaw said. “Though temperatures have been cold recently, it has not been cold long enough to make it safe to walk, skate or fish on any waterway in Taunton.”

As a policy, the Taunton Fire Department does not certify whether any bodies of water are safe to use for recreational purposes. Those who do choose to go out on ice should stay away from all ice in the area of open water, flowing water or where the ice looks slushy or thin.

The Taunton Police and Fire Departments would like to recommend the following ice safety tips:

General Ice and Cold Water Safety

Never go onto the ice alone, since it’s unlikely you will be able to call for help if you fall through the ice.
Always keep your pets on a leash. If a pet falls through the ice, do not attempt a rescue it. Call 911 instead.
New ice is usually stronger than old ice. As the ice ages, the bond between the crystals decay, making it weaker, even if melting has not occurred.
Beware of ice covered with snow. Snow can insulate ice and keep it strong, but can also insulate it to keep it from freezing.
Slush is a danger sign, indicating that ice is no longer freezing from the bottom and can be weak or deteriorating.
Ice formed over flowing water (rivers or lakes containing a large number of springs) is generally 15 percent weaker.
Ice seldom freezes or thaws at a uniform rate. It can be one foot thick in one spot and be only one inch thick 10 feet away.

What To Do If Someone Falls Through Ice

Reach-Throw-Go: If someone falls through the ice and you are unable to reach that person from shore, throw them something (rope, jumper cables, tree branch, etc.) If this does not work, go for help before you also become a victim. Get medical assistance for the victim immediately.
If you fall in, try not to panic. Turn toward the direction you came from. Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface, working forward by kicking your feet. Once out, remain lying on the ice (do not stand) and roll away from the hole. Crawl back to your tracks, keeping your weight distributed until you return to solid ice.

###

Taunton Police and Fire Departments Begin 13-Week Emergency Response Training Program Tonight

January 16, 2020 by Leah Comins Leave a Comment

TAUNTON — Police Chief Edward Walsh and Fire Chief Timothy Bradshaw report that the Taunton Police and Fire Departments have begun a 13-week emergency response training program tonight.

The multi-agency training exercise will be taking place at a location near the downtown. The training sessions will be done every Thursday night beginning at 5 p.m.

Residents may see an increased first responder presence in the area of Winthrop Street while the training is ongoing, but should know there is no cause for alarm.

During tonight’s training, a brief segment of the exercise was inadvertently broadcast over a secondary radio training channel. However, no further radio use will be done for the remainder of the training sessions.

###

Joint Release Taunton Police and Fire Departments Free Teenager Trapped in Car

December 30, 2019 by Matthew Reid Leave a Comment

TAUNTON — Police Chief Edward Walsh and Fire Chief Timothy Bradshaw report that the Taunton Police and Fire Departments responded to a local car wash after a teenager was pinned inside a vehicle by another vehicle yesterday.

The teenager was not injured by the crash.

At approximately 2:09 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 29, Taunton Police and Fire responded to Prestige Car Wash, 13 Cape Road, Taunton, for a report of a motor vehicle crash.

Upon arrival, officers found a 2019 GMC Sierra pickup truck had backed up onto a 2013 Ford Focus, completely pinning the car. A teenage female from Middleborough was in the backseat of the Focus.

Firefighters used hydraulic tools to extract the teenager, who was the only occupant of the vehicle at the time of the accident.

After an initial investigation, police believe that a Middleborough man was putting floor mats back into the Sierra after vacuuming it, and a mat became stuck above the accelerator pedal. The car then accelerated in reverse across the parking lot of the establishment, crashing through the bay where another Middleborough man was manually washing the Focus from outside the vehicle.

The owner of the Focus was able to get out of the way before the Sierra backed into his car. The truck rode up onto the hood of the car, crushing it.

The owner of the Focus and the teenager inside were transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital for evaluation, but sustained no injuries.

There was significant damage to the walls of the bay, which is currently closed. The rest of the car wash is currently open.

Officers were thankful that no one was hurt during the crash.

“Considering the significant damage to the vehicles involved it is remarkable that no one was seriously injured in this incident,” Chief Walsh said. “We are grateful that everyone is OK.”

“We commend the work of the officers and firefighters involved for acting so quickly to rescue the teenager who was trapped in the vehicle,” Chief Bradshaw added.

The incident is being considered accidental and no charges have been filed at this time.

###

Taunton Fire Department Offers Holiday Cooking Safety Tips

November 27, 2019 by Benjamin Paulin Leave a Comment

TAUNTON — With Thanksgiving tomorrow, Chief Timothy Bradshaw and the Taunton Fire Department would like to remind residents of several important cooking safety tips.

The National Fire Protection Association reports that Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires followed by Christmas Day, Christmas Eve and the day before Thanksgiving.

The NFPA found that unattended cooking was the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths. Cooking equipment was involved in almost half of all reported home fires and home fire injuries, and it is the second leading cause of home fire deaths.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire departments in the United States are dispatched to approximately 166,100 fires annually involving cooking equipment, such as a stove or microwave.

“The Taunton Fire Department wishes everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving,” Chief Bradshaw said. “Please make sure to keep any flammable objects away from your stove top, like wrappers, pot holders and other items to prevent fires.”

To avoid tragedy this season, the Taunton Fire Department recommends residents follow several safety tips outlined by the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services:

Never leave food, grease or oils cooking on the stove top without supervision.
In the event of a grease fire, smother flames with a lid then turn off the heat. Putting baking soda over the fire will also work.
Do not move a burning pan because it can cause the fire to spread.
Do not throw water or use a fire extinguisher on a grease fire, as water will spread the fire and the extinguisher could splash flaming grease.
Do not wear loose or long sleeves when cooking, as it can catch fire.
Do not store or use flammable objects, such as pot holders, towels, paper or plastic bags, near heating elements.
If a fire starts in an oven or microwave, close the door, turn the appliance off and immediately call the fire department.
Do not put metal inside a microwave.
Unplug appliances such as toasters and coffee makers when you are not using them.
Do not store items in an oven.
Stop, drop and roll if your clothing catches fire. Run burns under cool water and call 9-1-1 for help.
Keep children and pets three feet away from the stove.
Make sure all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working prior to the holiday.

Additionally, the NFPA discourages the use of turkey fryers, as the amount and high temperature of the oil used can cause serious burns and injuries, and result in the destruction of property.

Residents who would like more information on holiday cooking safety should contact the Taunton Fire Department at 508-821-1452.

###

Prevent Burns

First Aid for Burns

Children Pulled out of River by Good Samaritans and TPD Officers

Fire Chief Timothy J. Bradshaw

Fire Chief
Timothy J. Bradshaw