City of Yuma issued the following announcement on Dec. 29.
From Sunday December 19, 2021 through Saturday December 25, 2021, the Yuma Fire Department responded to 365 emergency calls for service:
7 General Fire Responses
Including: 1 for smoke from a residential water heater, and various alarms
4 Mutual Aid
Including: 2 to assist Rural Metro with medical emergencies in Yuma County, 2 to assist Imperial County (1 with a brush fire in Winterhaven area, and 1 with a medical emergency at the “Q”
30 Motor Vehicle Crashes
Including: 2 involving 3 vehicles, 3 head-on crashes, 1 involving a rolled semi on I-8, 2 involving motorcycles, 2 involving pedestrians, and 2 involving poles
308 Other Medical Emergencies (serious to minor)
Including: 43 for difficulty breathing, 18 for chest pain, 43 for falls, 16 for unconscious people, 10 seizure cases, 3 possible stroke cases, 3 for an intoxicated person, 3 for persons under the influence of drugs, 5 for drug overdoses,15 for people with psychiatric problems (8 threatening or attempting suicide), 1 for dehydration, 2 for medical alarms, 2 for an allergic reaction, 3 for choking, 22 for altered or decreased level of consciousness, 3 for fever, 1 for broken bones, 3 for diabetic emergencies, 9 for man down calls, 4 for bad headaches, 1 for gunshot wounds, 5 for assaults, 2 for back pain, 11 for abdominal pain, 9 pregnancy related, 3 for deceased persons, 1 for a person who swallowed a chicken bone, 1 for a police motorcycle on fire, 1 for someone who mistook an essential oil container for eye drops, 1 for a person whose jaw got stuck when they yawned, 1 for a 13 year old whose hand was injured by fireworks, and other illnesses and injuries
16 Special Duty, Public Assistance, and Residential Assignments
Including: 1 for assisting with flooding in a church, 1 for an electric wheelchair stuck in the dirt, 1 for a person stuck on a roof when their ladder broke, 1 for downed power line, 1 for fuel leaking from a vehicle, 2 for vehicle fires, 2 for dumpster fires (1 started by hot coals, 1 started by fireworks), 1 for a brush fire, 1 for a transient camp on fire under the Ocean to Ocean Bridge, 1 for a mailbox on fire, and various alarms
The Yuma Fire Department has responded to over 17,492 emergency calls for service so far in 2021 (up over 1,000 from last year at this time). Many of these calls were for preventable injuries. For 2022, make a “Resolution for Safety” and think about what you can do to make the coming year a safer one for you and your family. Preventable injuries occur on the street, at home, and at work.
Here are a few safety resolutions to consider for 2022:
-Be patient and allow extra time when driving, and plan your route to avoid congestion. This can help you avoid traffic crashes
-Avoid leaving things cooking unattended on the stove. The #1 cause of fires in the home
-Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children, and never leave an unattended candle burning Candle with Care
-Learn CPR and Basic First Aid. Prepare a 72-hour emergency kit, have and practice emergency plans in your home or at work. This can better prepare you should a personal, family, or community emergency or disaster occur.
-Oh, and let’s not forget, firearms are not toys or noisemakers for celebrating the New Year. Using firearms to “ring” in the New Year is not only a serious crime (Felony), it is also dangerous.
-AND, fireworks that explode (firecrackers), leave the ground (bottle rockets, mortars, etc.), or send flaming material into the air (roman candles) are all still illegal. Fireworks are also not legal on sidewalks, streets, or in parks and can only be used on private property.
--If you do decide to use fireworks, make them the legal kind, and be sure to soak down the remains before throwing them away. Post fireworks trash can fires are not uncommon and several have ignited house fires.
The last 2 years have been bad enough, please don’t start 2022 off with a fire, a criminal charge or an emergency room visit!
Have a Safe and Happy New Year!
For more information about fire and injury prevention classes we offer, contact the Yuma Fire Department Public Information Office at 373-4855, you can also “Follow” us at www.twitter.com/YumaFireDept
Original source can be found here.
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