Brief News Items to Run in Your Local Newspapers

Placement Tip

Download and customize these news fillers with your information. Send them to your local news editors now, so they’ll have them on hand to run when they have an unexpected opening later.

Working with your local media helps keep your department and your priority safety messages top of mind in your community.

It’s easy. Fill in the blanks with your local information, add your contact information at the top and send them on to the news editor.

Spring Safety News Items

Print on Your Department’s Letterhead

For more information, contact: (Your PIO’s Name and Telephone Number)

Use a Safety Ladder to Avoid a Spring Cleaning Fall

According to the nonprofit Home Safety Council, more people die from falls than any other cause of unintentional home injury. The (Your Fire Department) is joining the Home Safety Council in urging (Your Town/City) residents to climb safely when tackling spring cleaning projects. Always use a step ladder or safety ladder when climbing. It’s too dangerous to climb on chairs and furniture because these can tip under your weight. Learn more about safe ladder use and other spring cleaning tips by visiting the Home Safety Council at www.homesafetycouncil.org.

Ladder Safety Steps

Proper use of a safety ladder or step ladder can reduce your risk of a fall at home. The (Your Fire Department) urges residents to follow the nonprofit Home Safety Council’s safe steps for climbing:

• Before using a ladder outdoors, choose a location that is well away from all power lines. Coming in contact with live wires can be fatal.
• Place the ladder on level ground and open it completely, making sure all locks are engaged.
• Use the 4-to-1 rule for extension ladders: for each 4 feet of distance between the ground and the upper point of contact (such as the wall or roof), move the base of the ladder out 1 foot.
• Always face the ladder when climbing and wear slip-resistant shoes, such as those with rubber soles.
• Keep your body centered on the ladder and gauge your safety by your belt buckle. If your buckle passes beyond the ladder rail, you are overreaching and at risk for falling.
• Make sure rungs are dry before using the ladder.
• Stand at or below the highest safe standing level on a ladder. For a stepladder, the safe standing level is the second rung from the top, and for an extension ladder, it's the fourth rung from the top.

To learn more about preventing falls and other home injuries, visit the Home Safety Council at www.homesafetycouncil.org.

Caution! Spring Projects Ahead

The (Your Fire Department) warns residents that each year, on average, more than 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits result from unintentional injuries in the home, according to the nonprofit Home Safety Council. With spring cleaning and home improvement projects in store, (Your Town/City) residents are at greater risk of falls, poisoning and other causes of injury in and around the home. To learn smart tips for staying safe this spring and year round, visit the Home Safety Council Web site: www.homesafetycouncil.org.

Lawn and Garden Safety Tips

The (Your Fire Department) reminds residents there are safe practices to follow to avoid an injury when doing lawn and garden projects this spring. This advice from the nonprofit Home Safety Council can help keep families safer outdoors:

• Wear proper eye protection when using power tools; avoid loose or dangling clothing that can be caught in moving parts; use earplugs with loud equipment.
• Keep mowers and power tools “off limits” to young children.
• Store pesticides and all lawn products in original packaging on high shelves or inside locked cabinets.
• Store ladders, rakes, forks, clippers and other tools properly; return them to storage after use.
• Keep children well away when mowing and never let them ride on mowing tractors.
• Check the yard for broken limbs, stones and toys that can shoot out under the mower; wear closed-toe shoes when mowing to prevent injury.
• Refuel mowers and other gasoline-powered tools outside, when the motor is cool, and well away from lit cigarettes, sparks and flames.
• Never reach under a mower when it is turned on.
• Use gasoline as a motor fuel only; store gasoline in an approved, vented container, up high.

To learn more about preventing injuries at home, visit the Home Safety Council at www.homesafetycouncil.org.