The Turlock Fire Department responded to a total of 442 incidents during the month of October. These incidents included a total of 268 emergency medical service calls. Turlock Fire responded to 17 motor vehicle accidents, and 33 commercial/ residential fire alarms. There were a total of 26 fire type calls: Seven building fires, one vehicle fire, two unauthorized burnings, five cooking fires, nine vegetation and/or rubbish fires, one Dumpster fire, and one additional fire classified as "other." The remaining incidents consisted of public assists, power lines down, assist to police, rescue, person in distress, smoke checks, gas leaks, and a hazmat investigation.
Additional noteworthy events included a grass fire on Hwy. 99. Upon arrival, fire crews found smoke and fire coming from the median. Crews extinguished the fire, but during the emergency were almost struck by a vehicle traveling on the freeway. Turlock Fire Department wants to remind all motorists to please slow down and proceed with caution when you approach an emergency scene.
Another noteworthy call was a carbon monoxide leak inside a residence. Upon fire arrival, crews had a reading level on monitors as high as 70 parts per million. A reading of 35 parts per million inside a structure requires fire crews to wear full self-contained breathing apparatus because of the danger of carbon monoxide inhalation. The leak came from a gas heater inside the residence. Please remember to check your carbon monoxide detector monthly and change the batteries bi-annually. Furthermore, if you do not have a carbon monoxide detector installed in your home, install one today: IT'S THE LAW.

FIRE SAFETY TIP
Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths. Here are some safety tips to help prevent heating fires from happening.
• Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating equipment such as: furnace, fireplace, wood stove, and portable space heater
• Keep kids 3 feet away from open fires and space heaters
• NEVER use your oven to heat your home
• Have a QUALIFIED professional install stationary heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment
• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected ANNUALLY by a qualified professional
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed
• Make sure the fireplace has a screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Make sure ashes are cool before discarded in a metal container. Keep metal container outside, away from the house
• Install and maintain CO alarms to avoid the risk of CO poisoning
• Test your smoke detectors monthly.