Nassau Bay Volunteer Fire Department

Severe storms can strike with little warning in Texas. Is your family prepared for tornadoes, flash floods, and damaging winds?
- Create an emergency communication plan
- Have multiple ways to receive weather alerts
- Identify your home's safest location for sheltering
- Prepare a go-kit with essentials
- Know the difference between watches and warnings

As you tackle spring cleaning, don't create new dangers. Follow these safety tips to prevent fires, falls, and chemical exposures:
- Never mix bleach with ammonia, which creates toxic fumes
- Clean dryer vents to prevent fire hazards
- Store flammable liquids properly
- Practice proper ladder safety
- Dispose of expired medications properly

Every 13 seconds, a poison control center responds to a call. Keep your family safe with these poison prevention tips:
- Save the Poison Help number into your phone: 800-222-1222
- Store cleaning products up and away from children
- Keep medicines in original containers with safety caps
- Know your plants - household plants may be toxic
- Never call medicine candy

Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries!
As we spring forward this weekend, take 10 minutes to protect your family and belongings. Working smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are critical spring cleaning activities.
- Replace batteries in all smoke and CO alarms
- Test alarms by pressing the test button or noted by the manufacturer
- Replace smoke alarms older than 10 years
- Install alarms in every living space and outside each bedroom

When cardiac arrest strikes, quick intervention of effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can increase survival rates.
- Call 9-1-1 if you see someone collapse and be prepared to give requested information such as your current location
- Push hard and fast in the center of the patient's chest
- Don't be afraid to act or fear hurting the patient further, your actions are critical to their chance of survival
- Find local CPR classes through the American Red Cross

Knowing how to respond to emergency vehicles on the roadway can be stressful. It's important to remember that when you see emergency vehicles with lights and sirens, your calm and quick actions can can mean life or death for you, those around you, the patient(s) in need, and the responders. The Texas Move Over Law isn't just a courtesy, it's the law. What to do when you see an emergency vehicle:
- Signal early and move over quickly, but safely
- If you can't move over, slow down or stop and make room where possible
- Never speed up to get past emergency vehicles
- Avoid blocking intersections; move to the right side of the road when able
- Emergency vehicles may brake or take wide turns suddenly. Don't follow closely
- Wait for all emergency vehicles to pass. Sometimes more than one will respond together
- Take care re-entering the roadway or traffic pattern once all vehicles have passed

With the winter storm approaching our area quickly, the NBVFD wanted to remind us all to protect the 4 P’s; People, Pets, Pipes and Plants!

See the graphics for some more info and refer to our list of common DO’s and DONT’s for winterizing your home.

Stay safe and stay inside if you can.

Start your 2026 safely! Consider adding these 5 simple safety habits to your list of resolutions.
- Test smoke alarms monthly
- Practice your home fire escape plan
- Keep space heaters 3 feet from anything flammable
- Install carbon monoxide detectors
- Store household chemicals safely away from children

Per the U.S. Fire Administration, residential heating equipment and operations is the second leading cause of house fires. Keep your family warm and safe this winter with proper heating practices.
- Establish a safety zone between portable heating equipment and kids, pets, or foot-traffic
- Turn off portable heaters when leaving room or sleeping
- Never use the oven to heat your home
- Use proper fuel for fuel-burning space heaters
- Have your chimney inspected and cleaned annually

Firefighter Sparky was excited to participate in CANBE's annual Reindeer Fun Run yesterday while the engine crew stood by to support the runners, walkers, and event organizers. Congratulations to all those that challenged themselves! Sparky is looking forward to hitting the starting line again next year.

Deck the halls safely! Keep your holiday decorations festive AND fire-safe with these reminders:
- Inspect light strings for damage
- Don't overload electrical outlets
- Keep candles away from flammable materials
- Turn off decorations when leaving home or sleeping
- Water holiday trees regularly. Consider replacing trees that have brittle branches or needles that fall easily