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Q: Can I burn yard debris in my yard inside city limits?
A: The Town of Sharpsburg has an ordinance that bans all open burning. However, The Town of Sharpsburg allows the burning of small logs inside of a fire pit. Fire pits being defined as a pit dug into the ground or a free standing metal vessel that contains burning embers.
Q: What can I burn in my yard if I live outside the city limts?
A: Only the burning of natural materials such as downed trees, limbs, leaves, pine straw and any other yard debris that was grown on your property. The burning of any material such as scrape lumber, mattresses, tires, wires, collapsed structures and any other material that was not naturally grown on your property.
Q; Will the fire department come fill up my swimming pool?
A: No, Sharpsburg Fire Department does not fill swimming pools using fire trucks or fire department equipment. You can contact any pool company and they will be able to give you directions on filling you pool without having to use water from your water hose. Any pool company should be able to direct you to a pool filling company as well.
Q: My smoke detector is chirping, what does that mean?
A: Most modern smoke detectors will chirp to alert you that the batteries are low. You should replace batteries and test you smoke detector every 6 months of when you change the time on you clock for daylight savings time. Smoke detectors can be purchased at any hardware store. If you are in need of assistance installing smoke detectors, contact Sharpsburg Fire Department for help on where and how to install them.
Q: How do I check my smoke detector?
A: Every smoke detector has a test button, usually in the center of the detector. Press the test button and hold it for a few seconds. If it is working correctly, the alarm will sounds and will automatically stop after a few seconds. Remember to check you batteries monthly and change the batteries in your smoke detector at least once a year.
Q: How do I get an Incident Report for a fire that happened at my house?
A; Contact Sharpsburg Fire Department anytime Monday thru Friday between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm. Someone will take your information and provide you with further instructions on how to obtain the report.
Q: Why do fire trucks have all the red lights and sirens going when they go through a stop light that is red, then cut them off after getting through the intersection.
A: Emergency lights and sirens are used only when responding to a call. Sometimes several units are dispatched to the same incident. When the first unit arrives on scene, they may assess the situation and inform all other units that the units that are on scene already is enough to handle the situation. All units that are still responding to the call, but not arrived on scene yet will then cancel and return to the station and be placed back in service and be ready to take the next call that is dispatched.
Q: What should I do when I see an emergency vehicle approaching with lights and sirens while I am driving?
A: NC General Statute dictates that all vehicles shall move to the far right lane or curb, all vehicles shall come to a complete stop and remain stopped until all emergency vehicles have passed or unless otherwise directed by law enforcement or fire department personnel. Refer to http://www.ncleg.net/enacted/legistation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_20/GC_20-157.html for further information on fines and details related to motor vehicle violations while in the area of emergency vehicles or an emergency incident.
Q: I live in Sharpsburg Fire Departments fire district, why do I see fire trucks from other fire departments responding to emergencies in Sharpsburg's fire district?
A: Sharpsburg Fire Department participates in an Automatic Aid Agreement with departments all over Nash, Wilson and Edgecombe Counties. When you call 9-1-1, your call and location is entered into a computer at a dispatch center for the county in which you are calling from. Depending on the type of call that is received depends on how many different departments that are dispatched. For example; all structure related calls automatically gets 3 fire departments minimum dispatched. On certain motor vehicle accidents where someone is trapped inside a vehicle, a rescue department is dispatched to extricate (remove) the person from the vehicle with extrication tools (Jaws of Life). So depending on what resources are needed to handle the emergency depends on how many departments respond. Also during times of high emergency call volumes, all fire trucks and personnel from Sharpsburg Fire Department may be busy handling other emergencies in our district. At that time the tnext closest department will be dispatched so the person calling 9-1-1 is guaranteed to get a fire truck or an ambulance to their emergency.
Q: My CO (Carbon Monoxide) Detector is going off, but I don't see or smell anything inside my house, should I bother calling 9-1-1 or the fire department?
A: Yes, call 9-1-1 after assuming that everyone has evacuated the residence safely! Carbon Monozide is an odorless, tasteless, invisible gas. Carbon Monoxide detectors are very sensitive and designed to alert occupants prior to Carbon Monoxide reaching a deadly level. If your detectors begin to alarm, evacuate your house and call 9-1-1. Be sure to inform the dispatchers if anyone in the home is experiencing flu-like symptoms, headaches and/or light-headedness. Sharpsburg Fire Department has specialized equipment to detect and measure the amount of CO in your home. Please DO NOT leave doors and windows open before the fire department arrives, because this makes it difficult to determine the cause of any Carbon Monoxide that may be present.
Q: Why does the fire truck respond when someone has called 9-1-1 for an ambulance?
A: In most areas, fire departments are closer to medical emergencies than an ambulances and EMS stations. Most fire department personnel are trained to the medical responder level and can arrive on scene quickly begin assessing the patient, obtaining vital signs, and begin certain treatments for life threatening emergencies.