Newsletter

Sunday, August 28, 2011 It was a long night in Southern York County for area firefighters.  Volunteers from Shrewsbury responded to Station 61 and manned the apparatus at 4pm August 27th.  This was due to the impending hurricane slated to strike our region.  Many fire departments in the area had manpower on hand to provide immediate assistance once the storm arrives.

Rain and winds began in the early evening and during the late hours of the night and into the daylight of August 28th Station 61 responded to multiple incidents involving trees down, wires burning, water issues, and other storm related issues in the our first due area.

Roadways were closed due to trees down or wires across the street.  Shrewsbury Volunteers reminds all drivers DO NOT drive pass barricades in the roadway.  They could be in place due to live electrical lines on the ground or even high water on the roadway.  Fire departments only close the roadways when it is dangerous for the general public to travel them.  Adhere to traffic devices that tell you to detour your route.  It's for your protection.

Residents are reminded if you have a power outage and are using portable generators DO NOT run those units indoors.  You must place the generator outside of the home so exhaust fumes do not enter the home and create a carbon monoxide issue.  Also, if checking your property use extreme caution when looking around downed tree limbs or branches.  There could be an electrical line tangled in it and you may become electrocuted.  Do not be fooled by telephone or cable TV lines in the debris.  Those lines could be tangled up with live electrical lines in the debris and you would be electrocuted if you touched them.

When in doubt, contact your local fire department to check out issues involving storm damage.  They can either mitigate the situation or direct you on whom to contact.