Fire Safety Service, Inc.

06/29/2025

06/28/2025

This is good and funny

03/11/2025

So very important to be aware and prepared.

Experts share what went right with the response to the recent California wildfires, and what could be improved before next time.

02/06/2025

After the Fires in the Los Angeles area, my heart was compelled to write to all of the facilities we service. Here it is...

Dear Administrator/Executive Director:

My heart has been very troubled, sad, and devastated between the previous Camarillo fires in November and the current fires and destruction in the Los Angeles, Pasadena and surrounding areas. I know of one facility we service, The Terraces at Park Marino, has burned down. From what I understand, the First Responders and their staff did an amazing job at getting everyone out, as they had to get everyone across the highway to the McDonalds. The same consultant that trains staff at The Terraces, was on his way to Oakmont of San Antonio Heights that morning to ensure they were completely prepared to evacuate with the predicted shift in winds.

As a mom of a 36-year-old son who is in an assisted living facility due to his car being rear-ended and him ending up with a traumatic brain Injury almost 18 years ago, I am very sensitive to safety and training of all staff in Long Term Care Facilities.

These fires have urged my heart to remind you and your staff that emergencies do not schedule themselves. This is why the codes are written the way they are and why we work so hard to follow them. This is the reason that we note on the drill reports if they were scheduled, denied or not taken seriously. Most of the time, when we are denied it’s because facilities state “we are too busy”.

If you or management do not participate in these unannounced drills, I whole-heartedly urge you to do so. Why? We have found that many times when the drills are conducted without management present, the staff does not take them seriously. I have personally observed staff not come with extinguishers or mosey to the drill, not taking the process seriously. I have watched them come and go and sign the drill sheets as if they were there the whole time, I have also observed eyes glazing over, and staff chatting with each other or on their phones. When Administrators or management participate in the drills, the staff tend to take them seriously. Being present at drills also gives management knowledge of what their staff needs to work on.

Fire drills not only train you and your staff in different scenarios for emergencies in the facility, but they help train for emergencies at home, on the road, the grocery store, etc. Muscle memory is valuable and can save precious time in a true emergency.

When I have seen staff not take drills seriously, I’ve asked “What if your mom or dad, grandma/grandpa etc. was in this facility and the staff did not take the drills seriously, and due to that, they panicked and didn’t know what to do?” How would you react? I urge all staff to treat every resident as if they were their direct family and take the drills to heart.

I am honestly not trying to cause any upset with this letter, but these fires, and losing at least one facility we service and having several more in the line of danger has brought to the surface, the grave reminder of why we do these drills and their importance. I want to express my true love of our family of facilities, the staff, residents and everyone’s safety. My hope is that even in awful situations like these fires, all lives are safe because everyone knew the proper procedures and was able to act efficiently and effectively.

Please stay safe and educated.

Sherri Young

Office Manager

02/06/2025

This is why we do what we do. Nice job everyone!

Firefighters and police swooped in Tuesday night, urgently rescuing elderly residents from a Pasadena senior center as flames from a raging Angeles National Forest fire crept dangerously close -- and the scenes are gut-wrenching.

01/20/2025

Over the past week, wildfires have impacted large areas of metropolitan Los Angeles, driven by dry vegetation and intense, high-speed winds. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, highlighting significant challenges such as limited water supplies and the complexities of fire response. These events emphasize the critical need for enhanced wildfire preparedness and mitigation strategies.

In this episode of the NFPA Podcast, wildfire expert Michele Steinberg examines the rapid progression of the fires, the effectiveness of evacuation efforts, and the key actions Los Angeles must take to strengthen its resilience against future wildfire threats.

🎧 Listen now: buff.ly/40yTBkO

01/18/2025

01/12/2025

Here is some helpful advice for fire victims:

ACTION PLAN for those who had loss. Start with the small list:

1. Get a PO Box

2. Longer term rental search - include insurance on it so they pay directly for rental. Find a nice place that you like, don't settle. You should be able to get a "Like Property" so insurance should cover a nice place for you to live while you work through all this. You might be living here for 2 years, so choose wisely.

3. Find a place to buy some sturdy boots and gloves. Get some shovels.

4. Start working on the personal property list (this is not fun at all, be prepared to cry we sure did). Write down the moment you remember – keep list on phone or pad of paper with you at all times.

5. Save receipts. Loss of use insurance will cover incidentals too – hairbrush, phone chargers, etc.

6. As you buy things, tell the store owner your situation. Most stores will give you some level of discount as their way of helping you.

7. Let people do things for you. Do you have a friend that you can send to the store to buy you some basic clothes or comfort foods? Let them do it – they want to help and you don’t need to spend time doing these errands. (The ‘fun’ of shopping is gone…it quickly becomes a chore because you don’t want a new shirt, you want the one that you always liked to wear but now it’s gone and you are sad/mad.)

The Big List:

1. Register at the shelters, with Red Cross and any other agency there, california FEMA, etc. a. Most of the aid coming in will use these lists as a point of contact and will help to ensure that you don't get left out of anything. b. This will be especially important should FEMA be activated, which in my opinion is very likely with the amount of devastation experienced.

2. Call Homeowners/Rental insurance to trigger "Loss of Use" . This typically will allow you to be in a "Like" property for x number of years and sometimes has a dollar limit attached and sometimes not, this is dependent on your policy. a. This coverage should also give you some immediate access to funds for essentials, clothes, toothbrushes, food, etc. b. This will also get the ball rolling for the insurance claim on your home and rebuilding/personal property Dollars.

3. Get a PO Box and forward all mail to the Box. . Use this PO Box as the mailing address on all forms you begin to fill out.

4. Start Searching for a Long term rental. . Coordinate with your insurance company so that payments can be made directly from them using your “Loss of Use” money. a. Plan on renting 1-2 years, but do not necessarily sign a lease for a full two years as circumstances can change.

5. Itemized List of belongings - (This is very hard but very necessary for your claim) . I would organize by room and list everything that was there with a replacement cost. (you will cry a lot doing this and that is ok)
a. Replacement Cost should be what it would cost to replace not on sale from pottery barn, it should not be the price you paid for it with that 50% off coupon.
b. Make sure you list everything, even if it is above and beyond your policy limit. This is very important because everything above and beyond the policy limit is considered a Loss and can be claimed as such on your taxes - See #9

6. Call all of your utilities and either freeze or cancel service. Electric, Gas, TV, Land Line phone a. Newspaper delivery, either cancel or update to PO Box.

7. Call the rest of your insurance points as needed. Car insurance a. Any specialty insurance for unique items

8. Permits - An unfortunate necessity. Debris Removal - as things wind down it will be necessary to remove the debris, this requires a permit usually. (This should be covered by your insurance, we had to force the issue but ask repeatedly.)
a. Erosion Control - If you are on any kind of hill or have sloped property you will need to put some sort of erosion control measures in place, again this will need some sort of permit.
b. Temporary Power Pole/Trailer on site Permit - Getting this earlier on can prove helpful in both the rebuilding process.

9. Taxes . You will be able to claim the monetary loss of the value of all your items minus what you receive from your insurance company. I’m unfamiliar with the exact laws, but I believe that we were able to carry our losses back 2-5 years and received most of the money that we had paid in taxes back in a nice large check.

10. Network with others. You will learn so much from others as you go through the rebuilding process. We all have our strengths so share yours and use others. The amount of time that you will spend on the rebuild, insurance, recovery process is staggering so you need to use all your resources.

09/21/2024

08/19/2024