Spring 2021 Hometown Messenger

PUBLIC SAFETY

Chirp! Change the alarm Distance learning provides unique opportunity to teach students about smoke detectors

When Shakopee East Middle School teacher Jackie Yego first started distance teaching this fall, she assumed the occasional background chirp she heard was just an annoyance one student had to deal with while trying to learn from home. "After time, I realized I was hearing chirping from more than a handful of homes, and I began to worry for my students’ safety," Yego said. Yego reached out to Shakopee Fire Capt. Rob Indrebo to provide the students with some life-saving advice for dealing with the chirping alarms. He joined several of Yego’s online classes to provide a short instructional about how smoke alarms work, how to test them and how to change the batteries. Smoke alarms chirp to indicate their batteries are dying. However, when not addressed immediately, the chirping may become a background noise people get used to and start ignoring, Indrebo said. Eventually, the battery will die, the chirps will stop, but the alarm is no longer useful for notifying residents of smoke in the house.

SMOKE ALARM SAFETY » Every sleeping room should have a working detector, as well as the hallway outside a bedroom. » Test all smoke alarms at least once a month. » Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old. » It is best to use interconnected smoke alarms. When one smoke alarm sounds they all sound. Source: National Fire Protection Association

Citizens Academy goes virtual Every year, Crime Prevention Specialist Nicole Clifton looks forward to the police department's annual Citizens Academy, as an opportunity to give residents an insider look into law enforcement. But this year, Shakopee Police had to think a little outside the box. “COVID precautions changed a lot of things, but we didn’t want miss out on this great chance to give residents a look inside our doors,” Clifton said. In October, the department launched its first Virtual Citizens Academy, a three-week livestream on Facebook where residents could learn about different law enforcement topics and ask officers questions. “The community really seems to love the chance to talk with our officers in real-time and learn more about the interworkings of our department,” Clifton said. “While it’s the not the same hands-on experience as our in-person classes, it allowed us to open our academy to larger number of people.” The department has hosted six virtual sessions, tackling topics like evidence, medical training and how to become a Minnesota peace officer. Officer Nicki Marquardt discusses the department's evidence procedures during an October live event.

“It’s alarming to think a teacher noticed so many chirping alarms she reached out to us,” Indrebo said. “There are probably a lot more dead smoke alarms out there than we think.” The best way to ensure your smoke alarms work properly is to test them regularly and replace the batteries every six months. Alarms should be replaced every 10 years.

Full-time fire coverage saves life In February, Shakopee firefighters responded to a call of an infant not breathing. While on their way to the call, the firefighters/EMT’s met the family driving down the street. The crew was able to successfully dislodge an obstruction from the infant’s airway and save the child’s life. "With crews available 24 hours a day, the department's response times have decreased to emergencies, providing better outcomes for calls like these," said Deputy Chief Joe Simon. "Our ability to respond to calls more quickly is saving lives."

HOME DEPOT DONATION SUPPORTS FIRE SAFETY Thanks to the Home Depot, the Shakopee Fire Department was recently able to supply the Jackson Heights neighborhood with new smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Yttreness delivered the alarms to residents earlier this year.

12 Hometown Messenger