Stay Safe Throughout the Year!

Your safety is of utmost concern to us. We have adopted a culture of being Incident and Injury Free (IIF) and feel it is our mission to ensure our residents have the best possible experience while living with us. We have designed this page to highlight the very important safety features of your home and ask that you take time to review these points with your family members and long-term guests.

 

Smoke Detectors

 

In the event of a fire, properly installed and maintained smoke alarms will provide an early warning signal to your household. This alarm could save your own life and those of your loved ones by providing the chance to escape. Early detection allows you to make timely decisions regarding how you will react to a fire. Because fire spreads fast, early detection is vital in extinguishing or escaping from the flames.

 

Maintenance of your smoke alarms is critical. Smoke alarms can save lives but they won’t work if they aren’t maintained. A good rule of thumb is to change your alarm batteries twice a year.

 

If you’re unsure about the freshness of your batteries, it is best to change them and not take any chances. Never remove the battery unless replacing it. Many people change their batteries when they change their clocks for daylight savings time in the fall. That way they can remember to “Change the Clock/Change the Battery”.

 

If your smoke alarm starts to “beep” or “chirp” every minute or so, this usually indicates a weak battery. Replace the battery immediately with a fresh one and reset the alarm. Simply call your local Maintenance department and we will come out and replace the battery for you. If it continues to chirp, or if at any time a detector is not working properly, please call our Maintenance department so a qualified technician can service the unit.

FAQ:
What if the alarm goes off while I’m cooking?
Then it’s doing its job. Do not disable or tamper with your smoke alarm if it activates due to cooking or other non-fire causes. Tampering with your smoke detector is a serious violation and you could be putting your family’s and neighbor’s safety at risk. Instead, clear the air by waving a towel near the alarm, leaving the batteries in place.

 

Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detectors

 

Often called the silent killer, carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel are potential sources of carbon monoxide. Vehicles or generators running in an attached garage can also produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.

 

The dangers of CO exposure depend on a number of variables, including the victim’s health and activity level. Infants, pregnant women, and people with physical conditions that limit their body’s ability to use oxygen (i.e. emphysema, asthma, heart disease) can be more severely affected by lower concentration of CO than healthy adults would be. A person can be poisoned by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter amount of time. If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay there until emergency personnel arrive.

 

Fire Extinguisher

 

A portable fire extinguisher can save lives and property by putting out a small fire or containing the fire until the fire department arrives; but portable extinguishes have limitation's. Because fire grows and spreads so rapidly, the number one priority for residents is to get out safely.

Only use a portable fire extinguisher when the fire is confined to a small area, such as a wastebasket, and is not growing; everyone has exited the building; the fire department has been called or is being called; and the room is not filled with smoke.

 

Read the instructions that come with the fire extinguisher and become familiar with its parts and operation before a fire breaks out.  To operate a fire extinguisher, remember the word PASS:

P   -- PULL the pin.  Hold the extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from you and release the locking mechanism
A  -- AIM low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire
S  -- SQUEEZE the lever slowly and evenly
S -- SWEEP the nozzle from side-to-side

 

Electrical Outlets

 

As you go about arranging your belongings in your home, please take the time to inspect your electrical cords before plugging in the item. While a seemingly trivial problem, frayed and damaged power cords or cords that have had their ground prong removed pose a significant risk to residents and can pose a threat of electric shock and present a fire hazard. Power cords can become frayed or damaged from heavy use and age and should be inspected regularly.
Frequently, mishandling (such as pulling a plug from a socket by jerking the cord rather than removing the plug carefully by hand) causes the most significant damage to a cord over time, tearing the external protective sheathing or detaching it from the plug head and exposing energized wires.
Less obvious than damaged and frayed cords is the threat posed by missing ground prongs, the rounded third prong on electrical plugs. These ground prongs often break off from mishandling or are removed intentionally to fit a plug into two-prong outlets. Ungrounded plugs can pose a significant electrocution risk.

 

QUICK TIPS:
To prevent electrical accidents at home, follow this safety checklist:

• Replace worn or frayed cords and bent plugs
• Never overload an outlet
• Replace any item hat overheats or gives off smoke or sparks
• When buying electrical appliances, look for the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) seal
• Keep curtains, clothes and all other fabrics away from space heaters and other appliances that generate heat
• Never place furniture in front of an outlet that causes the cord to bend.  A bent cord can cause
arcing and start a fire.

 

Evacuation Plan

Having an evacuation plan is very important for your family. In an emergency, every second counts, so you want to be as prepared as possible. Evacuation plans can be useful for many different types of disasters: earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes, snow storms, and statistically more common, house fires. House fires are one of the most common disasters people face in this country so it is important that everyone has an evacuation or fire escape plan, and practice it regularly.

 

Everyone in your family should know the plan, even the little ones, so set aside an evening when the whole family can get together to make your emergency escape plan.
Important points to remember when creating an evacuation plan for your home are:

• Identify and mark at least two (2) escape routes from each room.
• Mark the locations of fire extinguishes, smoke detectors, first aid kits, disaster 72 hour kit.
• For people with medical conditions or disabilities, mark their location as well as the location of any special equipment they will immediately need.
• Draw your building’s floor plan, and then draw your evacuation routes and a meeting place.
• Make one drawing for each story of the building. Keep in a safe place and review often with your family.
• Practice using your 72-hour kit supplies.
Make sure you include a good first-aid kit.

 

Disaster Preparedness Kit (72-Hour Kit)

 

The following items are recommended for inclusion in your basic disaster supplies kit:
• Three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Three-day supply of water - one gallon of water per person, per day
• Portable, battery-powered radio or television and extra batteries
• Flashlight & extra batteries
• First aid kit & manual
• Sanitation & hygiene items (moist wipes & toilet paper)
• Matches & waterproof container
• Whistle
• Extra clothing
• Kitchen accessories & cooking utensils, including a can opener
• Photocopies of credit & identification cards
• Cash & coins
• Special needs items, such as prescription medications, eye glasses, contact lens
solutions & hearing aid batteries
• Items for infants, such as formula, diapers, bottles & pacifiers
• Other items to meet your unique family needs

In some locations the climate is unique, you must think about warmth.
It is possible that you will not have heat. Think about your clothing and bedding supplies. Be sure to include one complete change
of clothing and shoes per
person, including:
• Jacket or coat
• Long pants
• Long sleeve shirt
• Sturdy shoes or boots
• Hat, mittens & scarf
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket (per person)

Here are some helpful tips for you and your family.

• Keep anything that can burn at least three-feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.

• Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.

• Never use your oven to heat your home.

• Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.

• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.

• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.

• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.

• Test smoke alarms monthly.

If you would like any other information on fire safety, please contact the Community Management Office. Thank You.

Window Safety

Nothing can substitute for careful supervision. When youngsters are around, close and lock your windows. If you need ventilation, open only those windows that they cannot reach. Be sure to keep furniture - or anything children can climb – away from windows. And teach your children not to play near windows.

• Keep your windows closed and locked when children are around. When opening windows for ventilation, open only those windows that a child cannot reach.

• Set and enforce rules about keeping children’s play away from windows or patio doors. Falling through the glass can cause serious injury or result in a fatality.
• Keep furniture – or anything that children can climb – away from windows. Children may use such objects as a climbing aid.
• Do not rely on insect screens to prevent a window fall.
• Install building code-compliant devices designed to limit how far a window will open or window guards with release mechanisms to help prevent a fall.
• When young children are in the home, keep their play in the center of the room and away from open windows, doors and balconies.
• Never depend on insect screens to prevent falls. Insect screens are designed to provide ventilation. They will not hold a child’s weight against them.
• For greater safety, keep windows closed and locked when not in use.

Mini Blinds

For your safety, we ask that you take a moment to review the correct and incorrect position of the mini blind strings described below. If your cords are looped or have excess strings (the cords should not hang below your window sills when the blind is completely raised), please contact the Tierra Vista Maintenance Department so we can correct the issue promptly. Our maintenance technicians will also complete a visual check of your blinds if they are called to your home for routine maintenance requests.

Mini-blind cords can create strangulation hazards for children. Keep cords as short as possible and ends separated as to not create a loop. Please contact the maintenance department if you have any questions or need assistance with mini-blinds.

In an effort to eliminate the risks associated with mini blinds, Tierra Vista is in the process of changing all mini blind systems with vertical blind systems. During all home turnovers, mini blinds are replaced with vertical blind systems. If your home still has mini blinds and you are concerned about the safety risks mini blinds impose on you or visiting family members, please contact our maintenance department to schedule an appointment to have your blinds swapped for vertical blind systems.

If you have questions and/or concerns, do not hesitate to contact the Community Management Office at (719) 683-3660.

Source:

www.homesafetycouncil.org

. For additional safety tips, information on safety in the home, and safety related games and activities for children, please log onto

www.homesafetycouncil.com

If you or a member of your family witness anything that you think is unsafe in either your home, a construction site, or anywhere else in the community, please contact your Tierra Vista Safety Representative, Steven Oser at steven.oser@lendlease.com or by phone at (719) 387-0774. You may also contact the Director of Property Management, Kerri Kilgore at kerri.kilgore@tierra-vista.com or by phone at (719) 597-7200.

Cooking Fire Prevention

About 3,500 Americans die each year in fires and about 18,300 are injured. You can stop the fire before it starts. Use these tips to learn how to prevent a fire in your home and know what to do if you have a fire.

Stop a cooking fire before it starts:

• Keep towels, pot holders, and curtains away from flames, ovens, and stove tops.
• Never leave food that is cooking on the stove alone. A serious fire can start in just seconds.
• Clean cooking surfaces regularly to prevent grease buildup, which can start fires.
• Never use the stove or oven to heat your home.
• Double-check the kitchen before you go to bed or leave the house. Make sure all appliances are turned off.
• Make sure you turn off the stove or oven when you are finished using it.

Avoid cooking injuries:

• Always wear short or tight-fitting sleeves when cooking, because the sleeves may catch on fire and burn you.
• Heat cooking oil slowly to avoid burns from spattering grease. Be extra careful when cooking deep-fried food, because the hot grease can burn you.
• Be prepared for a fire:

If you are cooking and a fire starts, turn off the stove or burner and put a lid on the pan to stop it. Never throw water on a grease fire.
One of the best ways to protect yourself and your family is to have a working smoke alarm that can sound fast for both a fire that has flames, and a smoky fire that has fumes without flames. It is called a "Dual Sensor Smoke Alarm." A smoke alarm greatly reduces your chances of dying in a fire.
Prepare an escape plan and practice it twice a year. Make sure everyone in your family knows at least two (2) escape routes from their bedrooms.
Source: US Fire Administration

 

By using this website, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to abide by our Terms and Conditions. For more information about how we collect, use, and share information about you, please see our Privacy Policy.