Fire Safety Revisited
In light of the recent fire tragedy
in the Bronx, NST Board President
Ed Phelan and Vice President Dr.
Stanley Goldsmith introduced the
replaying of a fire safety meeting
on Channel 995 last month. The
meeting, which was hosted by Vice
President Fred Chernow, was orig-inally
held and recorded in May,
2018 and was followed up with
an article in the NST Courier the
following month. For those who
missed the 995 program or would
like to have this important and
relevant information concerning
fire safety for reference, below is
an edited reprint of that article.
~ Editor
**********************
Lieutenant Mike Kozo from the
Fire Safety Education Unit out
of Ft. Totten stopped by North
Shore Towers Thursday night,
May 10, to enlighten residents to
the proper procedures to take in
case of a fire in their building and
what steps they should follow to
prevent a fire happening in their
own homes. NST General Manager
Glen Kotowski began with a few
important and pertinent fire safety
remarks specific to NST.
FIRE SAFETY NOTICES
A Fire Safety Notice should be
affixed to the inside front door of every
resident’s apartment. The laminated,
single sheet outlines important infor-mation
on what to do in the event of a
fire. Residents should already have one
in place, but anyone can receive a new
plastic fire safety notice from Security.
All that is required is for residents to fill
out a form to verify they’ve received it.
The notices are conveniently designed
with adhesive strips for easy affixing.
These notices should never be taken
down.
2022
February ¢COURIER NORTH SHORE TOWERS IS
FIREPROOF
TOWERS North Shore Towers is constructed
with generous amount of cement
between every floor and wall, cre-ating
SHORE structural strength, but more
importantly, protection against fires.
The homes are designed to contain
NORTH fires far longer than buildings erected
today, giving responders plenty of
time to arrive and handle the prob-lem
And always remember:
before it can spread. Lt. Kozo
SHUT THE DOOR! 6 reiterated Kotowski’s assessment of
NST, adding that most homeowners
won’t even be aware of a fire else-where
in their building, due to its
secure fireproof engineering.
WHAT IF THERE’S A FIRE IN THE
BUILDING?
• DO NOT LEAVE YOUR
APARTMENT unless directed to
do so by the proper authorities.
• KEEP THE FRONT DOOR
FIRMLY SHUT. The fireproof
design on NST only works if
doors are shut, preventing the
fire from spreading quickly,
which the oxygen and airflow
gained from an open or ajar
entry facilitates. This applies to
windows as well. If you see or
smell smoke coming through
the bottom of the front door,
dampen a towel and wedge it
underneath.
WHAT IF THERE’S A FIRE IN MY
APARTMENT?
• GET OUT IMMEDIATELY
• SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND
YOU. Not doing so puts your
life and those of your neighbors
in jeopardy. For these reasons,
doorstops and doormats are not
to be attached to entries or placed
before them, as they may prevent
the door from securely closing
during a fire event.
• CALL 911
• DO NOT GO OUT TO YOUR
BALCONY. Fire ladders can
only reach about 8 floors up,
so chances are they will not be
able to reach you.
WHAT CAUSES MOST FIRES IN
THE HOME?
Answer: Cookware that is left unat-tended
in the kitchen. Therefore:
• WEAR AN OVEN MITT. When
cooking, always wear an oven mitt,
preferably a long one for added
protection. Do not take the mitt off
if you walk away from a lit stove.
The mitt will remind you there is
food cooking, so you’ll be more apt
to hurry back to the oven.
• KEEP A LID AND BAKING
POWDER NEARBY. The key
ingredient in baking powder is the
same used in fire extinguishers, so
it is ideal for smothering a grease
fire. But never keep baking powder
in the fridge, unless it is in addition
to another stored elsewhere, as the
cold temp will clot up the powder,
decreasing its efficacy in case of a
pan fire.
• NEVER USE WATER TO DOUSE
THE FLAMES IN A PAN. This
will cause the fire to flare up.
OTHER PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE
• BUY AN EXTINGUISHER
FOR YOUR HOME. Only use
an ABC extinguisher with a “UL”
seal. Keep the extinguisher in
the bedroom, not the kitchen or
elsewhere, so it is handy if you
are awoken by fire in the middle
of the night. Always aim for the
base of a fire. Extinguishers shoot
8–10 feet, so you need not get too
close. When utilizing, remember
the mnemonic: PASS.
• Pull the pin, which otherwise
prevents the trigger from
shooting;
• Aim, always at the fire’s base;
• Squeeze the trigger; and
• Sweep side-to-side.
• HAVE YOUR SMOKE ALARM
CHECKED. All NST apartments
should have an active smoke
alarm installed by Maintenance.
The ideal models last 10 years
and are tamper-proof—they
cannot be opened to remove the
batteries. They are also designed
to detect both smoke and carbon
monoxide. The latter is invisible,
cannot be seen or tasted. The
only way to know of a carbon
monoxide leak in your home
is with a detector. Detectors
must be placed on the ceiling
or approximately 6 inches from
the ceiling and should be test-ed
monthly by simply pushing
central button on the surface.
Call Maintenance to get a new
smoke/carbon monoxide detec-tor
installed.
• PLUG APPLIANCES IN
PROPERLY. Any heating or
cooling appliances—ovens,
microwaves, refrigerators, air
conditioners, etc.—should be
plugged directly into the wall,
never a power strip, even a
surge-protected one. The amount
of power needed for such devic-es
exceeds that provided by the
strip, causing overheating and
fire. And never use an extension
cord for these appliances either.