Going Out Of Town? Do Not Take A Vacation From Fire Safety!

Getting ready to go out of town? The summer months are not the time to take a vacation from fire safety. Be sure to check your home before leaving to minimize the risk of fire while you are away and review these important safety tips:

Your Home

• All stoves and electrical appliances should be turned off or disconnected.
• Unplug all television sets, computers and radios. Lightning storms or sudden electrical surges can damage or even cause a fire in these types of equipment.
• When you return, check to make sure all smoke alarms are working.
• Tell a trusted neighbor your departure and return dates. Supply an itinerary with phone numbers where you can be reached in the event of an emergency.

If You Are Staying In A Hotel/Motel

When you are traveling away from home and staying in a hotel or motel, it is important to know what actions to take in the event of a fire. While hotel fires account for only a small number of fire fatalities, they present a unique fire risk. Fire can spread quickly in hotels and guests are typically in unfamiliar surroundings. While sprinklers, smoke alarms and fire walls are required in many parts of the world, do not assume that all hotels will have the same safety features you may be accustomed to. The more you know in advance about dealing with a fire emergency, the better your chances for survival:

• Select a hotel/motel that, at a minimum, has smoke alarms installed. It is recommended to select lodging that also has a fire sprinkler system installed. If you must stay in a hotel/motel without alarms or sprinklers, or have mobility limitations, request a room on the first or second floor.
• When you arrive, review the fire safety information provided. It is typically posted near or on the back of the entry door. Just like in your home, you need to plan your escape ahead of time. Locate the two exits nearest your room. Walk the potential escape routes, counting the number of doors between your room and the exit. Make sure that the fire exit doors work and are unlocked. In a real fire, the hallway may become dark with smoke making it hard to see.
• Put your room key, flashlight, cell phone, eyeglasses and shoes, near the bed. You don't want to waste any time looking for things during a fire and keeping everything together can make your escape easier.
• Learn what number to call in the event of an emergency - not all locations use 9-1-1.

Community Risk Reduction Weekend - A Whole Lot Of Safety Going On!

This past weekend, May 14-15, was designated by the State Fire Marshal, the Maryland Chief’s Association and the Maryland State Fireman’s Association as a Statewide “Community Risk Reduction” weekend for fire departments across the State.

You may have seen our personnel in your neighborhoods to include athletic and park venues, as well as grocery, home improvement, and big box stores. There were also several community events to include health fairs, a fiesta, and a grand opening. These were fantastic opportunities for our firefighters to meet the residents we serve, provide safety information, and answer any questions posed.

Of particular note was a door to door effort in the Leisure World community in which 200 homes were checked and over 40 smoke alarms installed! In addition, 20 neighbors from the Bethesda area learned CPR at the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad Saturday morning. At Fire Station #34, our child passenger safety program checked and correctly installed 24 car seats to ensure young children, infants and newborns will be better protected while travelling in their parents autos.

Below you will find a variety of photos of our personnel out and about during the Community Risk Reduction Weekend.

Fire Safe Home For The Holidays!

The Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service wants to help make your holidays joyful and safe. By taking the simple safety precautions listed below, you can help ensure that you and your loved ones will have a Fire Safe Home For The Holidays!

Lights and Candles 

Decorate your tree using only UL (Underwriters' Lab Inc.) approved lights and cords. Inspect lights for exposed or frayed wires, loose connections or broken sockets. Do not overload extension cords. Use no more than three strings of lights on one extension cord, and never run an electrical cord under a carpet. Be sure to secure electrical cords so that children cannot pull them and topple the tree.

• Turn off the tree lights when you go to bed, depart from home or leave the tree in an unattended room.
• Keep burning candles out of the reach of children and pets; keep matches and lighters out of sight and locked away. Make sure they are in stable holders. Do not leave candles unattended - especially around children or pets.
• Do not place candles near draperies or anything that might easily catch fire. Make sure you put out candles when you go to bed or leave the home.
• Never Put Lit Candles on a Tree! Do not go near a holiday tree with an open flame - candles, lighters or matches.

Cooking

• Never leave cooking food unattended - it is the number one cause of house fires.
• Make sure you wear close-fitting clothing when cooking.
• Put pans on back burners and turn all pot handles toward the back of the stove.
• Never leave a child unattended in the kitchen. Close supervision is essential, whether children are helping an adult cook or simply watching.

Trees

When selecting a tree for the Holiday, needles on fresh trees should be green and hard to pull back from the branches, and the needle 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 tree trunk on the ground. If many needles fall off, the tree has been cut too long, has probably dried out, and is a fire hazard. A safer option is to buy a fire-resistant artificial tree.

• Use a wide-based stand to make sure the tree is secure and will not fall over. Keep your tree in a container full of water, and check it daily.
• Keep the tree away from heat sources such as fireplaces, radiators and heating vents. Decorate your tree with children in mind. Do not put ornaments that are breakable, have small detachable parts, metal hooks or look like food or candy on the lower branches where small children can reach them. Make sure tree lights are hung out of reach of young children. Also, cut back the lower branches to avoid eye injuries to small children.
• Never burn Christmas tree branches, treated wood or wrapping paper in your fireplace. Dispose of your tree promptly after the holidays.

Other Related Tips

• Have your furnace and chimney professionally inspected and cleaned.
• Space heaters need space. Keep materials that burn easily at least three feet away from each heater.
• Working smoke alarms should be installed on every level of your home, especially near sleeping areas. Test alarms once a month and replace the batteries at least twice a year.
• Plan and practice at least two fire escape routes from each room of your home and identify an outside meeting place.

MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT AUTOMATIC FIRE SPRINKLERS

Automatic sprinkler systems have enjoyed an enviable record of protecting life and property for over 100 years. Yet, there are still common misunderstandings about the operation and effectiveness of automatic fire sprinkler systems:

Myth 1: "Water damage from a sprinkler system will be more extensive than fire damage."

Fact: Water damage from a home sprinkler system will be much less severe than the damage caused by water from fire-fighting hose lines or smoke and fire damage if the fire goes unabated. Quick response sprinklers release 8-24 gallons of water per minute compared to 50-125 gallons per minute released by a fire hose.

Myth 2: "When a fire occurs, every sprinkler head goes off."

Fact: Sprinkler heads are individually activated by fire. Residential fires are usually controlled with one sprinkler head. 90% of all fires are controlled with six or fewer heads and a study conducted in Australia and New Zealand covering 82 years of automatic sprinkler use found that 82% of the fires which occurred were controlled by two or fewer sprinklers.

Myth 3: "A smoke detector provides enough protection."

Fact: Smoke detectors save lives by providing a warning system but can do nothing to extinguish a growing fire or protect those physically unable to escape on their own, such as the elderly or small children. Too often, battery operated smoke detectors fail to function because the batteries are dead or have been removed. As the percent of homes in America that were "protected" with smoke detectors increased from zero to more than 70%, the number of fire deaths in homes did not significantly decrease.

Myth 4: "Sprinklers are designed to protect property, but are not effective for life safety."

Fact: Sprinklers provide a high level of life safety. Statistics demonstrate that there has never been any multiple loss of life in a fully sprinklered building. Property losses are 85% less in residences with fire sprinklers compared to those without sprinklers. The combination of automatic sprinklers and early warning systems in all buildings and residences could reduce overall injuries, loss of life and property damage by at least 50%.

Sources:

• National Fire Protection Association
• Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association

Put A Finger On It! Time to Check Your Smoke Alarms

Checking your smoke alarms and batteries twice a year to ensure that they are working is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce tragic deaths and injuries from fire. In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire.

The men and women of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) urge ALL residents to check home smoke alarms on a regular basis. Fire Fighters will be out in the community on Saturday offering to check your home smoke alarms to ensure they are working.

“Put a Finger on It!” Fire Chief Richard Bowers recommends that all residents adopt a lifesaving habit by checking your home’s smoke alarms and batteries when changing clocks twice a year. Protect your family in the event of a home fire – change the battery if it is dead or at least yearly!

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service recommend that homeowners follow these tips to help prevent fires, deaths, and injuries:

* Install and maintain smoke alarms on every level of the home

* If your smoke alarm is older than 10 years, it needs to be replaced

* Properly dispose of all smoking materials

* Maintain and properly use gas and electrical appliances.

* Never leave food cooking unattended; turn off the burner if you leave.

* Keep matches and lighters away from children.

* Never leave candles burning unattended.

* Develop and practice a fire escape plan.

Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as two minutes to escape safely. Your ability to get out depends on advance warning from smoke alarms and advance planning—a home fire escape plan that everyone in your family is familiar with and has practiced.

Remember, when you change your clock, check your smoke alarms and batteries – put a finger on it!

Daniel's Ride Along With the MCFRS Safety Officer

Waking up at 7:00 AM is bad enough but 5:30? That is unheard of. However getting up was a breeze as I had an exciting day ahead of me, or so I thought. The Safety Officer who oversees significant emergencies in all of Montgomery County, is stationed at the Chevy Chase fire station and allowed me to ride along with him to emergencies for a 12 hour shift. Even though a 12 hour day was longer than anything I had ever done, how slow could it go when you are jumping from one emergency to the next?

Out of the whole year, Tuesday was the day for the safety officer to go to the Fire & Rescue Occupational Medical Services. This is where all the personnel of the MCFRS go to make sure they are healthy and fit for work. As we entered with the mindset of it being a quick and easy visit, it was soon shot down as their equipment was malfunctioning. Almost two hours later, we had that obstacle behind us and were on our way back to the station.

When we got back to the station, I got a very interesting tour as it is one of the old fire stations. In Hollywood, every fire station has a pole that the firefighters slide down but that is not always the case. Many firefighters have gotten injured either falling or sliding down so it is rarely present anymore but they still have one at station #7. There is also a tower that was once used to hang wet hoses to dry but now it is used as storage for extra ones. After the tour, I sat down to watch TV as I anxiously waited for the siren to sound. As minutes turned to hours, it was already time for lunch.

After lunch, we went to the Public Safety Training Academy near my house that I have seen from the outside many times. As we drove around back, we noticed an experiment in full force. Two people from Good Morning America were filming the exothermic reaction that occurs when linseed oil is left to dry. It is amazing how a liquid can catch on fire just by drying in an oxygenated environment and it is important for the public to be aware. After spending an hour or two there, we were on our way back to the fire station.

With the day winding down and not one call, I was starting to wonder if I would ever get to see some action. As dinner was served, we were positive a call would come in right as we sat down to eat but to our surprise, it didn't. It is like it was announced that an intern was going to be with the Chevy Chase station and everyone should be extra careful so as not to give him what he came to see. As we finished dinner, it was time for me to depart and we were surprised that I had not gone on one call.

While it is a good thing there were no emergencies in the area, it would have been nice to see one. Hopefully there will be some more action if I get to do another ride-along. I thank the people at Fire Station #7 for their hospitality as I was there almost all day.

Put A Finger On It! Time to Check Your Smoke Alarms

Checking your smoke alarms and batteries twice a year to ensure that they are working is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce tragic deaths and injuries from fire. In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire.

The men and women of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) urge ALL residents to check home smoke alarms on a regular basis.  Fire Fighters will be out in the community on Saturday offering to check your home smoke alarms to ensure they are working.

“Put a Finger on It!” Fire Chief Richard Bowers recommends that all residents adopt a lifesaving habit by checking your home’s smoke alarms and batteries when changing clocks twice a year. Protect your family in the event of a home fire – change the battery if it is dead or at least yearly!

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service recommend that homeowners follow these tips to help prevent fires, deaths, and injuries:

* Install and maintain smoke alarms on every level of the home

* Properly dispose of all smoking materials

* Maintain and properly use gas and electrical appliances.

* Never leave food cooking unattended; turn off the burner if you leave.

* Keep matches and lighters away from children.

* Never leave candles burning unattended.

* Develop and practice a fire escape plan.

Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as two minutes to escape safely. Your ability to get out depends on advance warning from smoke alarms and advance planning—a home fire escape plan that everyone in your family is familiar with and has practiced.

Remember, when you change your clock, check your smoke alarms and batteries – put a finger on it!

Appliance Fires

I wanted to make all of you aware of some outstanding fire prevention information that our friends from the U.S. Fire Administration put out recently in regard to Appliance Fires. It is a topic you have seen on our site over the past few weeks as it relates to power outages and then power surges when the power is restored to the home.

So please take a moment and click on the link below and learn more about what you can do to help PREVENT an appliance fire in your home. The vast majority of fires in Montgomery County and across our great land are preventable incidents and NOT accidents! Most are the result of actions we did, or did not, take.

That said, please take positive action and click here to learn more: Appliance Fires

Stay Safe!
 
Bill Delaney

Fire Fighter Bob Talks About Keeping Your Fire Hydrant Clear of Snow

MCFRS is asking all community members to please make sure we can see, and have access too, the fire hydrants in your community.

Snow, Snow, and then - more SNOW!

Inviting everyone out there to safely enjoy the snow storm. Hang out with loved ones. Review home escape plans and make sure your smoke alarms are working!

We are hosting the Snow, Snow, and then - more SNOW event on our Facebook page. Click here to get there and join in: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=298842242568&ref=mf

In addition, if you look to your left, we have two poll’s up on the snow event. Please feel free to vote and let us know “What Will You Be Doing During the Storm?” and “How Many Inches of Snow Will We Get?”

Make sure you also sign up for Alert Montgomery to get all of the latest emergency updates. We will attempt to mirror all of the updates on our Twitter page (link below left side of this page).

Stay SAFE out there today!

Bill Delaney

MCFRS Social Media Continues to Grow!

Recently, our Facebook and Twitter pages have exceeded 1,700 and 600 fans respectively! All good stuff in a relatively short time span.

It has been truly amazing to watch this grow and see how the various fire safety messages spread well beyond our listed fans. I have observed Twitter messages, in particular, being “re-tweeted” (forwarded) and going to look at each persons’ Twitter page and seeing hundreds and thousands of “followers” for them thus meaning that many more are receiving the message.

We also send out this information via “regular” email newsletters that have over 2,000 subscribers who in turn forward the email on to their civic/community groups or other individuals.

I have also learned, and am still learning, to utilize tracking tools that show me that many more people than just our registered friends and fans are clicking in to read up on our various messages. I can also even see where they are tuning in from!

Even more interesting is the fact we have received some fantastic information from these sites. Folks have requested smoke alarm checks for their homes, File of Life requests, fire safety questions, as well as tips on potential code enforcement issues.

Hope all of our friends have had a great start to 2010 and, as always:

Stay Safe!

Bill

Fire & Carbon Monoxide Risks During Cold Weather

As many of you are all too aware, winter is HERE! With temperatures well below the seasonal average, and looking to be here for the foreseeable future, I thought it would be a good time to remind all of you of some of the risks during cold weather.

I am really concerned that many people sometimes turn to drastic measures to heat their homes – especially if money is very tight. This can prove to be very dangerous! Even traditional alternative heating sources, such as a fireplace or space heaters can be dangerous if not used properly.

The winter months are traditionally a peak time for house fires and carbon monoxide poisonings in Montgomery County. Please take a moment to click on the below links and learn more about how to protect you and your loved ones:

Fire/Carbon Monoxide Risks During Cold Weather

Winter Fires: Safety Tips for the Home

Stay Safe and WARM!

Bill Delaney
Program Manager - Community Safety Education
Division of Community Risk Reduction Services
Montgomery County Fire & Rescue

Holiday Candle Safety

This week and next will no doubt see an increase in candle use. Flameless battery powered candles aside I want everyone to remember that candles, when lit, are an open flame and can be dangerous if not used properly. With that in mind, I would ask that you take a moment to watch and listen to the below presentation on Candle Safety.



I am also including a link here: Candle Safety to a safety tip sheet that covers basically the same information for your review.

I wish all of you a Happy and SAFE Holiday season!

Best Regards,

Bill Delaney
Program Manager - Community Safety Education
Division of Community Risk Reduction Services
Montgomery County Fire & Rescue

An Extra Effort After A Fire

I wanted to make everyone aware of an extra effort made by personnel assigned to our Fire Station 31 yesterday. Our fire trucks were sent to Tobytown Drive for smoke coming from a town house. Units arrived on scene to find fire in the flue of a malfunctioning furnace. The fire was extinguished and fire fighters found flue from furnace to be significantly clogged.

Based on these findings, they planned a door to door saftey check in the neighborhood that same day to try and make sure smoke alarms were working and that homes did not have any carbon monoxide buildup (which can result from a clogged flu).  See the Google Map street view below as this is a new feature we are trying.  You can walk the neighborhood as well.  (If no map is visible it is because there is a high volume of traffic on the Google site.  Just click on "View larger map" link and it will come up)

View Larger Map
Led by Captain Troy Lipp, crews from Enging 731 and Truck 731 walked door to door to each home on Tobytown Drive and checked the homes (and around the furnaces) for carbon monoxide emmisions and made sure each home had working smoke alarms.  They also made sure to distribute furnace safety information to all 25 homes on the street.


All in all MCFRS personnel:

MET WITH 14 OCCUPANTS


DISTRIBUTED LITERATURE AT: 25 RESIDENCES


TESTED: 24 SMOKE DETECTORS


INSTALLED: 3 NEW SMOKE DETECTORS


INSTALLED: 2 NEW BATTERIES

Many thanks to Captain Lipp and the crew at Fire Station 31 for being proactive and attempting to prevent any future 9-1-1 calls and making 25 homes in the county just a little bit safer for the holiday's! 
 
As always, I hope everyone out there STAYS SAFE!  Bill Delaney

From Our Fire House to Your Home

One year ago, our department initiated a proactive fire safety campaign designed to ensure that all county residents have working smoke alarms in their homes.

How, you might ask, would we be able to accomplish our goal? Simple! By going directly to your home!

Every Saturday afternoon, the women and men of MCFRS go to various neighborhoods in their communities knocking on doors, handing out fire safety information, and offering to check resident’s smoke alarms. If you are in need of a new smoke alarm or just a new battery, we will install them for FREE! If you are not home you will find a little something on your door knob (look to right of this article) letting you know we were by with a list of safety tips and a number to call if you would like us to stop by your home on another day to check your alarms.

What we have found is we are actually going into roughly 20% of the homes whose doors we knock on. Of that, roughly 50% of those homes do not have a working smoke alarm! The good news is that they will before we leave!

Why is it important to have working smoke alarms in your home? About two-thirds of home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms and they can reduce your risk of dying form a fire in your home by almost half!

Here are some updated numbers from our door to door campaign through the end of November:

Homes Visited: 31,417

Smoke Alarms Installed: 972

Batteries Installed: 1119

So there are about a couple of thousand homes in Montgomery County that are now a little bit safer as a result of our program! Do not wait for us to stop by your home. Take a moment now to “Put A Finger On It” and test your smoke alarms to make sure they are working!

Stay Safe,

Bill Delaney
Program Manager, Community Safety Education

Stand By Your Pan This Thanksgiving!

It is that time of the year again when family and friends gather to celebrate, eat, drink, and be merry. Likewise, it is also the time of year where everyone is practicing to maybe be the next Iron Chef. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), cooking fires are more likely on Thanksgiving than any other day.

With the last sentence in mind, I would like to offer all of you out there some information that you might find useful not only for Thanksgiving this week but for all of the various holidays and observances over the next several weeks.

I will be hosting a Cooking Safety Show this Wednesday, November 25th at 1 PM – 2 PM at MCFRS Blog Talk Radio Show.

You can listen live on your computer and I will be taking phone calls as well as Instant Messages. If you can not listen live no worries! The show will be available for download on the web site to listen when you can.

Our friends at the NFPA urges cooks to stand by their pan to prevent fires. Both MCFRS and NFPA discourage the use of outdoor gas-fueled turkey fryers that immerse the turkey in hot oil.

Go here to read more: Turkey fryers

Go to our YouTube site to see a great video by Underwriters Laboratory (UL) that highlights the dangers: MCFRS on YouTube

NFPA also have some other resources you might find helpful:

NFPA's printable fact sheet on cooking fires

NFPA's cooking safety tips

Here’s wishing you and yours a SAFE and Happy Thanksgiving!

-Bill

Fire & Carbon Monoxide Risks During Cold Weather

Cold temperatures may prompt families to turn to drastic measures to heat their homes. Even traditional alternative heating sources, such as a fireplace or space heaters can be dangerous if not used properly. As temperatures drop in your community, some simple tips can help keep families safer.

Winter months in particular are the peak time for house fires and carbon monoxide poisonings, with most incidents due to improperly ventilated or malfunctioning heating sources. Families can better protect themselves by having working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms on every level of the home and in sleeping areas. Read On 

Candle Safety

The Holidays are fast approaching and candles are in demand. See and hear a quick presentation on Candle Safety. Click Here: MCFRS on Screenr

Have a Safe and Spook-tacular Halloween

With Halloween quickly approaching, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service offers residents some safety tips to help prepare for a safe Halloween:

Plan a safe route.

1. Children are four times more likely to be hit by a car on Halloween than any other night of the year. Accompany children and remind them to stop at all street corners, cross only at intersections and crosswalks. Teach them to look left, right and left before crossing the street and to continue looking both ways as they cross. If you’re a motorist, please slow down and be prepared to give trick or treaters a brake.

2. Stay in familiar neighborhoods and have an adult accompany trick or treaters. Visit only those houses where the lights are on. Accept treats only in the doorway and NEVER go inside a house.

3. Secure emergency identification (name, address, phone number) discreetly within Halloween attire or on a bracelet.

4. Safety in numbers. If they’re old enough to trick-or-treat without an adult, designate a route before the kids go trick or treating, tell your kids to stay in a group, avoid taking short cuts through backyards and alleys and ask them to check in regularly.

5. Have an adult inspect treats BEFORE eating anything. Do not eat any unwrapped, partially wrapped, or homemade looking treats.

6. Stay away from open flames or jack-o-lanterns with candles burning.

7. Stay on the sidewalk. Don't walk or run in the street.

Be a good neighbor.

1. Keep your porch lights on and eliminate tripping hazards on your porch and walkway. Remove outdoor safety hazards such as toys, bicycles and lawn ornaments. Make sure the driveway and steps are cleared of leaves, which can be a slipping and falling hazard. Make sure that the driveway and walks are well lit for incoming trick-or-treaters. Replace burned-out or broken light bulbs.

2. Pets get frightened on Halloween. Confine your pets for their safety and for that of trick or treaters.

Be Safe – Be Seen.

1. Encourage kids to follow all the rules for pedestrian safety. That includes obeying all traffic laws, looking both ways before crossing, using crosswalks, crossing at intersections and corners and never darting between parked cars.

2. Consider adding reflective tape or decals to costumes. Be sure kids carry a flashlight and use glow sticks for extra visibility.

3. Teach children their home phone number and to how call 9-1-1 if they have an emergency or become lost. Remind them that 9-1-1 can be dialed free from any phone.

Decorate Safely.

1. Illuminate your jack-o’-lanterns with flashlights or battery-operated candles instead of real ones. You won’t have the worries of an open flame coming in contact with anything . . .or anyone.

2. If you do use candles, keep them well away from where trick or treaters will be walking or standing.

3. Review with your children the principle of “stop, drop and roll” should their clothes catch fire.

4. When shopping for costumes, wigs and accessories purchase only those with a label indicating they are flame resistant. Shorter IS safer. Ensure costumes are not so long they could trip and shoes should fit - - - even if they don’t go with the costume.

Have a happy and safe Halloween.

Arrive Alive and Don’t Text and Drive!

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue and Calleva Outdoor Adventures are sponsoring a new “Don’t Text and Drive” campaign at Markoff’s Haunted Forest in Poolesville. Each year Markoff’s haunted forest attracts thousands of people from across the Washington DC area.

This year the haunted forest patrons will be greeted by a shocking visual display of what could happen in the event that you text and drive. In addition, volunteers from some of Montgomery County’s local fire and rescue departments are passing out “Don’t Text and Drive” flyers and talking with the patrons about opportunities to volunteer at the local departments.

Calleva Outdoor Adventures sponsors the Markoff’s Haunted Forest every year to help raise funds for their outdoor camps. The haunted forest will be open at sundown all weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), checkout there website for directions www.markoffshauntedforest.com.

On your way out to the haunted forest remember: Arrive Alive and Don’t Text and Drive!