Residential Area This page is to help residents within Essex Junction with commonly asked questions that could be posed to the fire department regarding your home. If you have a question that is not on this page, and you can't find it on the FAQ page, feel free to e-mail your question to us by any applicable e-mail address on the Contact Page. If your question is common, you could see your question listed on this page! Q. Where can I find local/state building codes? A. The Department of Public Safety website has lots of useful information (www.dps.state.vt.us/fire). Q. Where and how many smoke detectors do I need for my home? A.At least one smoke detector should be on each floor of your house. In addition there should be a smoke detector in each bedroom. Q. If I am a landlord, where can I learn more about my local/state fire codes? A.The Department of Public Safety website has lots of useful information (www.dps.state.vt.us/fire). Q. If I am a landlord or I plan on selling my home, what measures must be made to follow local/state fire codes? A.The Department of Public Safety website has lots of useful information (www.dps.state.vt.us/fire). Q. What do I do if I smell "rotten eggs?" A.Normally Propane gas is odorless, but the "rotten eggs" smell is added to it so that we can detect it when it leaks. If you smell "rotten eggs" then it is very likely that you smell a propane leak. Do not turn on or off any lights, leave your house immediately, and go to a neighbor's house or use a cell phone near a neighbor's house far away from yours to contact 911. Stay outside or at a neighbor's until the fire department and your gas company has been contacted and checked everything out. Q. What do I do if I see fire in the woods? A.Call 911. Try to give the 911 dispatcher as much information as you can (i.e. the nearest address to the fire, do you see just smoke or fire, how big of an area appears to be on fire). Do not try to get closer to the fire, brush fires can grow very quickly and without warning. You can be most helpful by just giving the 911 dispatcher as much information as you can. Q. What should I do if I smell smoke in my house? A.Leave your house immediately and either use a neighbor's phone or a cell phone to call 911. Do not try and locate the origin of the smell yourself. Do not return to your house until the fire department has checked everything out. Q. What do I do if smoke comes out of the fireplace and fills my house, and it doesn't appear to go up the chimney? A.Leave your house immediately and either use a neighbor's phone or a cell phone to call 911. Do not try and remove any logs from the fireplace, remember they are on fire, even if they don't burn you; you might start a fire in the woods. Do not try and go back into the house until the fire department has checked everything out. Q. What should I do if I plug in an electrical item and the plug shuts off and I see or hear a "pop" or "snap?" A.Unplug the item, go to your circuit breaker and turn off the breaker that powers that outlet. If you don't know how to do this, unplug the item and call an electrician. If your wall starts to discolor and/or appears to be hot to the touch around the outlet, leave your house immediately, and go to a neighbor's house or use a cell phone near a neighbor's house far away from yours to contact 911. Instruct the operator you think there is a fire in the wall. Q. What do I do if I am cooking on the stove and a fire breaks out? A.First, do NOT put water on it. Water will not put out a grease fire, it will only spread it. If you have quick access to an extinguisher use that. If the extinguisher fails to put out the fire or you cannot get to one quickly, immediately leave the house and call 911 from a neighbor's house or a cell phone. Do not try to reenter the house until after the fire department has said it's ok. Q. What brand/type of smoke/carbon monoxide detectors do you recommend I buy? A.We do not endorse any particular brand of detector; however, if you visit your local hardware store they will be sure to provide different brands. We also suggest that once you do own smoke detectors, you should test them each month and change the batteries at least twice a year. Remember to use brand new batteries whenever you change your clocks. Q. What is a CO detector and do I need one? A. CO is Carbon Monoxide. It is an odorless, colorless gas that can quickly overcome and kill people. CO is a byproduct of combustion (i.e. car exhaust, fire places). It is recommended that every house has a CO detector in addition to a smoke alarm. It is very important to have one if you have any of the following: an attached garage, fireplace, and gas appliances. Install the CO detector according to manufacture's instructions. Q. What does a smoke detector & a Carbon Monoxide Detector do? A.They save you or your loved ones life. Q. Where should I install a new smoke/carbon monoxide detector? A.You should have a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector on every floor of your house and outside the bedrooms.