Johns Creek voted this week to build a new Fire Station to address slow response times in the northwest portion of the City.  We will not spend much time talking about the process we witnessed, other than say it left much to be desired.

What we will say is that the only effort we witnessed was to reduce the time required to respond to a 911 call to get to some locations within the City.

Nothing was said or done about reducing the time for residents to place the call to 911 to get the vehicles rolling.

We have no idea about just how long it takes for someone to place a call to 911 after the first signs of a fire(smoke, etc.,).

We do not know if there is a lag time as people get their loved ones to safety first prior to dialing 911.  Does that take seconds or minutes?

What we do know is we have very few structure fires.  According to the database, we have more stovetop fires confined to a pot than structure fires.

We also have more brush and rubbish fires than structure fires.  So what are we doing to eliminate or minimize these types of events on the front end?

Want Faster Emergency Response?

Here are three suggestions that you, the Johns Creek homeowner can do today to prevent situations or save time on the front end of an emergency so that the negative impacts of response time on the back end is minimized.

• Get an up to date alarm system installed and have it monitored(and register with Johns Creek). It’s never been easier to have a monitored system. A fire starts somewhere in your house, not only will it notify you, allowing you to get your family to safety, the monitors will contact 911 immediately when you do not answer the call, getting help on the way.  Many systems have two-way communications so that the monitors can talk to you in your home and help to assess the situation so that the Fire Department will know what they might be responding to before they get there.  The newer systems can also report medical emergencies as well.
• Check the Fire Extinguisher in your kitchen. Odds are it is way out of date.  Mine was.  Each one has an expiration date.  Why take the risk that it will not work when you need it the most?
• If you are burning rubbish or trash outside, use some common sense. Clear boundaries around the area where you are burning.  Monitor the fire.  Have a source to put out the fire if it gets out of hand.  Is it smart to build a fire that you cannot extinguish yourself?  No.

We also encourage you to check around your home for fire risks.  If it looks dangerous, it probably is.  If you are not sure, do some research or ask a professional. Reach out to the Fire Department, they provide free inspections for potential dangers and will identify the best placements for smoke detectors.

Win a Free Fire Extinguisher!

Should anyone depend on an extinguisher from the Reagan Era?

If you can beat this date above, then we will enter you into a contest for a free replacement(although we encourage you to replace it immediately).

Let's do what we can to minimize the response time delays if we can, or eliminate the need for a response time entirely.  Take responsibility for what we can do on our end.  The choice is ours.