Danielsen Forum Stresses Fire And Personal Safety

State Assemblyman Joe Danielsen speaks during the Dec. 15 safety forum at the township municipal building.

Ways to keep your home safe – especially during the holidays – were the focus of a forum hosted Dec. 15 by state Assemblyman Joe Danielsen at the township municipal building.

The Home Safety Forum, the second Danielsen, (D-17) has held since joining the Assembly, featured Charles Maria, the township’s fire prevention inspector, and township police Sgt. Phil Rizzo.

Maria talked about three things most people have in their homes: smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers, and gave tips on where to place them and how to check them to make sure they are operational.

In light of the season, Maria said it’s not a good idea to chop up and burn real Christmas trees after the holidays.

Charles Maria, the township Fire Prevention Inspector.

The trees, he said, are “loaded with sap and only will add to the creosote problem in your chimney.”

The township, Maria said, regularly picks up discarded Christmas trees, which he said is the best way to dispose of them.

Rizzo offered tips on making one’s home safer through the use of landscaping, lighting and locks.

He suggested, for example, that shrubbery in front of windows be no more than three feet high so as to not provide a place for a person to hide.

Motion detector lights are a good investment, he said, and homeowners should invest in at least moderately priced deadbolt locks.

Township Police Sgt. Phil Rizzo.

“You could make your house Fort Knox if you want to,” he said, commenting on the range of products available. “But the most important thing you can do is lock” your house.

Danielsen said he holds the forums because he recognizes that people are busy “and have lots of things that consume our days. Safety too often falls off the list of priorities, yet we have many fires in our town and our state and in our country. We have accidents, we have burglaries.”

“This is an event to remind people that safety comes in all shapes and sizes and should not be forgotten,” Danielsen said. “This is a refresher for some and it’s new information for others.”

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