FIRE REPORT From May 13 to May 19, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 24 calls for service; 5 medicals, 1 motor vehicle accident with injuries, 2 gas leaks, 10 false alarms, and 6 good intents. FIRE PREVENTION TIP Be careful when staining wood.... • Spontaneous combustion can occur in piles of rags used to apply stains. Here are some safety tips to help prevent accidents from happening:• Separate and spread out rags in a well-ventilated area for 24 hours to completely dry; or,• Wash in a solution of soap and water and hang dry in a well-ventilated area; or,• Store in an airtight metal…

FIRE REPORT From May 6 to May 12, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 17 calls for service: 7 medicals, 2 brush-and-grass mixture fires, 1 unauthorized burn, 1 gasoline spill, 1 carbon monoxide incident, 2 false alarms, and 3 good intents. FIRE PREVENTION TIP Backyard grilling season is here... Follow these fire safety tips to make sure your next barbecue doesn't go up in flames. • Before using, position your grill at least 3 feet away from other objects, including the house and any shrubs or bushes. • Only use starter fluid made for barbecue grills when starting a fire in a charcoal …

FIRE REPORT From April 29, 2013 to May 5, 2013 the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 13 calls for service: 3 motor vehicle accidents with injuries, 1 shorted electrical equipment, 4 false alarms, and 5 good intents. FIRE PREVENTION TIP Spring is here once again. Here are some tips that will help keep your family and home safe this season: Clear leaves, debris and other yard waste from around the home, garage and storage sheds.  Responsibly store flammable liquids and home chemicals; properly discard old containers of paint and solvents.  Fuels for lawn and garden equipment, tools and …

FIRE REPORT From April 22, 2013 to April 28, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 17 calls for service: 4 medicals, 4 motor vehicle accidents with injuries, 1 gas leak, 1 shorted electrical equipment, 1 smoke scare, 3 false alarms and 3 good intents. FIRE PREVENTION TIP U.S. Fire Administration is proclaiming May 5-11, 2013, as “Arson Awareness Week.” The theme for this year’s Arson Awareness Week is “Reducing Residential Arson.” Between 2008-2010, an estimated 16,800 intentionally set fires in residential buildings occurred annually in the United States. These fires resulted in an …

FIRE REPORT From March 18 to March 24, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 12 calls for service including 1 chimney fire, 1 mutual aid to Prior Lake for a structure fire, 2 motor vehicle accidents with injuries, 3 medicals, 2 false alarms, and 3 good intents.  SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK APRIL 15-19, 2013  Visit www.weatherawareness.dps.mn.gov for more information. Thursday, April 18 - Tornado Drill Day  Tornado Drill Day is Thursday April 18, 2013 at 1:45 p.m. and 6:55 p.m.  Minnesota conducts two tornado drills on Thursday April 18, 2013. The first drill is statewide at 1:45 p.m. …

FIRE REPORT From March 18 to March 24, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 16 calls for service including 1 hot water heater fire, 1 medical, 2 motor vehicle accidents w/injuries, 1 water leak, 8 good intents and 3 false alarms.  OVEN FIRES ARE PREVENTABLE Fires caused by ovens are preventable by following the tips below:  Turn off stoves as soon as you are finished using them. Unplug electrical appliances when they are not in use.  Wipe appliance surfaces after spills and clean stove tops and ovens regularly; built-up grease catches on fire.  Do not cook if you have been drinking …

FIRE REPORT From March 4 to March 10, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 14 calls for service including 1 electrical fire, 2 medicals, 3 motor vehicle accidents w/injuries, 1 gas leak, 1 overheated motor, 3 good intents and 3 false alarms.  Use Electricity Safely  If an appliance smokes or has an unusual smell, unplug it immediately and have it repaired.  Replace frayed or cracked electrical cords and don’t overload extension cords. They should not be run under rugs.  Never tamper with the fuse box or use the improper size fuse. 

FIRE REPORT From Feb. 25 to March 3, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 13 calls for service including 1 medical, 2 motor vehicle accidents w/injuries, 1 gas leak, 6 good intents and 3 false alarms. DO YOU HAVE YOUR CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR? As of August 1, 2009 every single family home and every unit in a multifamily dwelling must have a carbon monoxide alarm installed within 10 feet of every bedroom.  Detectors must be either hardwired, directly plugged into an electrical outlet (without a switch), or battery powered. Alarms last five years - check the manufactured date on back of …

FIRE REPORT From Feb. 11 to Feb. 17, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 15 calls for service including 3 medicals, 3 motor vehicle accidents (2 w/injuries), 1 gas leak, 1 cooking fire, 1 passenger vehicle fire, 1 police matter, 1 good intent and 4 false alarms.  Hidden Dangers of Snow Forts Making a snow fort and playing in it is part of winter fun. The Lakeville Fire Department wants that fun to be safe, so please follow these precautions: If you think the snow fort might collapse, get out immediately.  Always have an adult outside a snow fort. If it collapses, you can suffocate and …

FIRE REPORT From Feb. 4 to Feb. 10, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 30 calls for service including 2 medicals, 7 motor vehicle accidents with injuries, 1 gas leak, 1 carbon monoxide incident, 1 shorted electrical equipment, 2 excessive heat incidents with no ignition, 1 water leak, 1 public service assist, 4 good intents and 10 false alarms.  SHOVEL OUT YOUR FIRE HYDRANTS What if fire fighters arrived at your home or neighborhood and were delayed in fighting a fire because they needed to search for the fire hydrant? What if, after finding the hydrant, they were again delayed by …

FIRE REPORT From Jan. 28 to Feb. 3, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 14 calls for service including 1 oven fire, 1 motor vehicle accident w/injuries, 1 smell of gas investigation w/nothing found, 3 good intents and 8 false alarms.  BURN AWARENESS WEEK Burn Awareness Week is celebrated from February 3-9, 2013. One of the focus areas is preventing scald burn injuries. A scald is a burn from hot liquid or steam. Every day, 352 children ages 19 and under are injured as a result of a fire or burn-related cause.  Among children under 5 years of age, scalds or contact burns are responsible…

FIRE REPORT From Jan. 21 to Jan. 27, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 26 calls for service including 1 building fire, 1 vehicle fire, 1 oven fire, 1 cooking fire, 3 motor vehicle accidents w/injuries, 1 gas leak, 2 water leaks, 2 unauthorized burnings, 1 smoke scare, 5 good intents and 8 false alarms. Home Heating Tips during the Winter Homeowners should never use their oven to heat their home -- it was not designed for this purpose. Ovens can overheat and this can lead to fires. If left running for several hours unattended, electrical problems can result, sparking a fire. Gas ovens…

FIRE REPORT From Jan. 7 to Jan. 13, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 12 calls for service including 1 vehicle fire, 1 motor vehicle accident w/injuries, 3 good intents and 7 false alarms.  Microwave Safety Tips Injuries caused by microwave ovens involve more emergency room visits than any other cooking device. Be safe by following these safety tips: Heat food in containers only intended for microwave use Open food slowly. Hot steam escaping from the container can cause painful burns Never use aluminum foil or metal objects in a microwave oven If a fire should start inside the oven, …

FIRE REPORT From Dec. 31 to Jan. 6, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 14 calls for service including 1 building fire, 4 medicals, 1 motor vehicle accident (no injuries), 1 arching/shorted electrical equipment, 2 good intents and 5 false alarms.  Focus on Fire Safety: Portable Heaters An estimated 900 portable heater fires in homes are reported to U.S. fire departments each year and cause an estimated 70 deaths, 150 injuries and $53 million in property loss.  Only two percent of heating fires in homes involve portable heaters; however,portable heaters are involved in 45 percent of all…

FIRE REPORT From Dec. 24 to Dec. 30, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 16 calls for service including 1 medical, 2 carbon monoxide incidents, 1 arching/shorted electrical equipment, 1 unauthorized burning, 2 good intents and 9 false alarms.  Electric blanket safety tips to help survive those cold nights: If the blanket gets wet, do not turn it on to dry it When not in use, roll the blanket instead of folding it to ensure that the wires will not be damaged Discontinue use if any of the following apply: wires are poking out of the material, the fabric is unraveling or if burnt patches …

FIRE REPORT From Dec. 3 to Dec. 9, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 17 calls for service including 1 oven fire, 1 mutual aid call to Apple Valley for a chimney fire, 1 vehicle fire, 1 dryer excessive heat with no ignition, 1 police assist, 1 service call, 2 medicals, 1 gas leak, 1 gasoline spill, 2 good intents and 5 false alarms.  FIRE TIP: Keep your fireplace safe Chestnuts roasting on an open fire… Jack Frost nipping at your nose… What could be cozier than a glowing fire in the fireplace on a frosty winter evening? The fireplace has become a popular tradition but here at …

FIRE REPORT From Dec. 3 to Dec. 9, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 20 calls for service including 1 oven fire, 1 mutual aid call to Apple Valley for a structure fire, 1 semi-tractor fire, 5 motor vehicle accidents (3 with injuries), 1 vehicle accident-general cleanup, 1 electrical wiring problem, 1 police assist, 3 medicals, 1 gas leak, 1 unauthorized burning, 2 good intents and 2 false alarms.  FIRE TIP Keep off the ice. With the recent snowfall and cold weather, the ice is still not thick enough for most recreational activities. Currently, layers of snow are insulating already …

FIRE REPORT From Nov. 26 to Dec. 2, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 12 calls for service including 1 dumpster fire, 1 grill fire, 2 motor vehicle accidents (1 with injuries), 2 medicals, 1 smoke scare, 2 good intents and 3 false alarms.  FIRE TIP Fire and life safety items make great holiday gifts or stocking stuffers. Here are some ideas:  Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms, they need to be replaced after 10 years and 5 years.  ABC multi-purpose fire extinguisher.  Flashlight with batteries, light sticks, or flameless candles.  Fire safe for important documents and photos.  The …

FIRE REPORT From Nov. 19 to Nov. 25, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 18 calls for service including 1 dryer fire, 2 mutual aid calls to Farmington (1 garage, 1 building fire), 3 motor vehicle accidents (2 with injuries, 1 extrication), 1 medical, 1 gas leak, 1 controlled burn, 1 good intent and 8 false alarms. FIRE TIP Selecting a Tree for the Holidays Needles on fresh trees should be green and hard to pull back from the branches, and the needles should not break if the tree has been freshly cut. The trunk should be sticky to the touch. Old trees can be identified by bouncing the …

FIRE REPORT From Oct. 29 to Nov. 4, the Lakeville Fire Department responded to 16 calls for service including 1 brush-and-grass mixture fire, 1 rescue, 1 extrication, 1 medical, 1 gas leak, 5 good intents and 6 false alarms.  FIRE TIP If you absolutely must use a turkey fryer, here are some safety tips: Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors a safe distance from buildings and any other material that can burn. Never use turkey fryers on wooden decks or in garages. Never leave the fryer unattended. Most units do not have thermostat controls. If you don't watch the fryer carefully, the oil…