Violet Township Fire Annual Open House Sunday, October 14 from 1-3 p.m.
The Violet Township Fire Department will be hosting their annual Open House at NEW Fire Station 591, 21 Lockville Rd., Pickerington, OH 43147. The day will feature:
- A Fire Safety House which permits children to escape from NON-HAZARDOUS smoke-filled environment. This allows them to learn how to get out of their home in case of fire.
- Kids can dress up in fire gear and get a picture taken.
- Take a turn putting out a virtual fire.
- Meet Sparky the Fire Dog and Sparky the Robotic Dog.
There will be a host of fun, kid-friendly educational activities for the entire family. Please come join us for this community event.
Fire Prevention Week is October 7-13, 2018
This year’s campaign, “Listen. Look. Learn. Be Aware, Fire can happen anywhere,” places an emphasis on the fact that today’s home fires burn faster than ever. In a typical home fire, you may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Knowing how to use that time wisely takes planning and practice.
Many people think fire is something that happens to other people. Unfortunately, this common misperception continues to put Americans at risk to fire each year, particularly at home, where people think they’re safest from fire but are actually at the greatest risk. This over-confidence contributes to a complacency toward home fire escape planning and practice. Here are this year’s key campaign steps:
- Look for places a fire could start
- Listen for the sound of a smoke alarm
- Learn two ways out of every room
Home Fire Escape Planning
Home fire escape planning and drills are an essential part of fire safety. A home fire escape plan needs to be developed and practiced before a fire strikes. Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.
A home escape plan should include the following:
- Two exits from every room in the home – usually a door and a window.
- Properly installed and working smoke alarms – check at least twice annually.
- A meeting place outside, in front of the home, where everyone will meet after they exit.
- A call to 9-1-1 or the local emergency number from a cell phone or a neighbor’s phone.
- Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.
Other Home Fire Escape Tips
- Make sure your address is clearly marked and easy for the fire department to find.
- Close doors behind you as you leave – this may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
- Once you get outside, stay outside. Never, ever go back inside a burning building.
Smoke Alarms
- Smoke alarms detect and alert people of a fire in the early stages. Smoke alarms can mean the difference between life and death in a fire.
- Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half.
- Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement.
- Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button.
- Make sure everyone in the home understands the sound of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond.
Situational awareness is a skill everyone needs to use wherever they go. No matter where you are, look for available exits. If the alarm system sounds, take it seriously and exit the building immediately.
Violet Township Purchases the Wigwam
By John Eisel, Director of Operations and Holly Mattei, AICP, Development Director
Violet Township is excited to announce the purchase of the Wigwam, an exclusive secluded gem that was previously owned and operated by Wolfe Enterprises, Inc. The complex, located at the northwest corner of Blacklick Eastern Road (SR 204) and Taylor Road, dates back to the early 1920s. The existing facilities are rich with history, charm and purpose, and will be preserved and utilized to benefit our community.
Wolfe Enterprises, Inc., through Capitol Square, Ltd, its real estate division, was actively exploring commercial and residential redevelopment options for the property. The Township was concerned about the potential loss of the existing structures and approached Capitol Square with an idea of purchasing the complex with the intent to use it for community enrichment purposes. The Township and Wolfe Enterprises, Inc. worked collaboratively on a purchase agreement, and the Township took possession of the property on July 16.
The Township’s vision is to preserve, showcase, and utilize the complex to its fullest capacity to benefit our government operations and our community. There are a total of 21 buildings on this site, which include an original lodge, a 303-seat theater and a large banquet hall.
The Township will transform the original lodge into its administrative offices and plans to rent the theater for the community theater events, dance recitals, small venue concerns, holiday pageants, and public meetings. The banquet hall, which can comfortably seat up to 400 people with tables and chairs, will be rented for weddings, conferences and other corporate and community events.
The Township also plans to relocate the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, Violet Township substation to this property and reserve approximately two acres for a future fire station. It is also the intent to preserve the existing 26 acres of woods along Blacklick Eastern Road.
The northern 10 acres with frontage on Interstate 70 is planned to be developed in the future with the potential for office, retail, and other professional business uses in partnership with the Violet Township Port Authority.
“This brings an entirely new dimension to our community for our residents to enjoy in many ways. We will now have an additional performing arts venue and large meeting space. The property also includes approximately 20 acres of woods, and part of our vision is to preserve and convert this area to walking trails and a shelter house,” says Darrin Monhollen, Violet Township Board of Trustees Chairman.
Violet Township staff have already started the process to convert the lodge into the township offices. Work has also begun on the banquet hall to include video screens and upgrade the sound system to make it a state-of-the-art event venue in the central Ohio region. Work will continue over the next several months with the intent to open this facility to the public in 2019.
Community Toy Drive Kicks Off on November 22nd
The Violet Township Fire Department and Pickerington Local Schools are once again teaming up to provide holiday assistance for children and families throughout the Pickerington and Fairfield County areas. This partnership has proven to be particularly successful in the past years. In 2017, we assisted approximately 641 families with nearly 2,000 children.
Thanks to the generosity of local schools, businesses, and churches, our red toy collection boxes will be located at several sites throughout Canal Winchester, Pickerington, and Reynoldsburg. The toy drive officially kicks off on November 22 and runs through December 24. If you would like to contribute, drop off a new, unwrapped toy in any Violet Township Fire Department toy drive box. You may also donate at any of the three Violet Fire stations. Items of particular need are always gifts for middle-to high school-age children such as gift cards, electronics, cologne/perfume, etc.
Girl Scout Troops from the Pickerington area will host the annual Toy Drive-Thru at Violet Fire Station 592 at 8700 Refugee Road. This event will be on Saturday, December 15 from 9 a.m.-3p.m. Donations may be dropped off as you drive through the fire station, where the fire trucks typically sit, without even getting out of your car. Violet Township firefighters will also attend various school and community events to promote the toy drive.
Due to the dedication of generous community members and leaders, Violet Township Fire Department and Pickerington Local Schools are able to make a difference in the lives of children and families during the holiday season. Thank you in advance for your continued support and we hope you and your family have a safe and happy holiday season.
It’s time to start cutting calleries
By Chad Lucht, Fairfield SWCD and Jason Van Houten, Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Division of Forestry
A pest is taking over Violet Township and you might not even realize it. You may have seen them each year as they emerge from their winter slumber; like popcorn heated in the microwave, the white, prominent flowers of this invader seem to burst forth in almost instantaneous fashion well before any of its kin. Though by summer they become just another inconspicuous feature on the landscape. Planted meticulously along subdivision streets, filling in the natural areas around I-70 and US-33, or overwhelming abandoned fields and unmanaged park land, thousands of this unwelcome nuisance are possibly growing and multiplying right in your own neighborhood. If you haven’t already heard, it’s time to be aware of the Callery pear.
Callery pear is a tree native to southeast Asia. It is a small tree that can be recognized by its pyramidal shape. When mature, it can range in height of 30 to 40 feet and have a spread of 20 to 30 feet. It has an alternate branch structure and a simple leaf (a leaf whose blade is not divided to the midrib even though it is lobed shape). The leaves range from 1.5 to 3 inches long, are oval in shape, shiny and have slightly serrated wavy leaf margins. They produce white flowers in early spring before, or even as leaves emerge. The inedible fruits are small (typically 0.5 inches in diameter) and round. The fruit matures in early fall turning from a green color to a brown color. In wild areas, young trees often form dense thickets and have small spines.
It was first introduced to the United States in the early 1900s with hopes that its resistance to bacterial fire blight might be bred into commercial pear trees. Later, interest shifted to its use as rootstock for commercial pear trees. In the 1950s, Callery pear caught the eye of the horticulture world and was first planted as an ornamental tree near Washington D.C. It quickly became very popular because of its abundant white spring flowers and rapid growth. Popular cultivars include Bradford Pear, Cleveland Select Pear, and Aristocrat Pear.
However, as these trees matured, it became apparent that they had poor branching structure and were highly susceptible to windstorms, ice storms, and heavy wet snow. To alleviate this problem, new varieties were developed that had better branching structure. These trees were breed to be genetic clones, having a sterile seed and unable to pollinate themselves. However, as more and more varieties were planted, the increase in genetic diversity allowed for cross-pollination and fruit production.
In the early 2000s, land managers began to notice Callery pears popping up in a variety of open areas, especially in areas like roadsides and abandoned agricultural fields. This popular ornamental tree had become invasive. It outcompetes native vegetation with its fast growth, early reproduction (as early as 3 years of age), and profuse fruit production spread by birds. Because it has been introduced outside of its native range, it has very few ecological checks and balances to limit its growth. Callery pear is on the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s invasive plant list and can no longer be legally sold after January 2023 as the nursery industry phases it out.
To control this newly designated invasive plant, it is recommended to pull out young trees by hand when soils conditions are moist to allow for easy pulling. For smaller trees too large to pull by hand, it is recommended to use a foliar herbicide treatment during the growing season. For larger trees, they should be cut down and removed. If they are in large open fields, they can be girdled with a herbicide treatment to the cut. Whenever you are using herbicides, the law requires that one reads and follows the directions on the herbicide label to protect the environment and obtain effective results.
Remembering When
“Remembering When: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults,” was developed by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help older adults live safely at home for as long as possible. Part of the program is built around 8 key fire prevention messages.
Safety tips
To increase fire safety for older adults, NFPA offers the following guidelines:
- Keep it low: If you don't live in an apartment building, consider sleeping in a room on the ground floor in order to make emergency escape easier. Make sure that smoke alarms are installed in every sleeping room and outside any sleeping areas. Have a telephone installed where you sleep in case of emergency. When looking for an apartment or high-rise home, look for one with an automatic sprinkler system. Sprinklers can extinguish a home fire in less time that it takes for the fire department to arrive.
- Sound the alarm: The majority of fatal fires occur when people are sleeping, and because smoke can put you into a deeper sleep rather than waking you, it´s important to have a mechanical early warning of a fire to ensure that you wake up. If anyone in your household is deaf or if your own hearing is diminished, consider installing a smoke alarm that uses a flashing light or vibration to alert you to a fire emergency.
- Do the drill: Conduct your own, or participate in, regular fire drills to make sure you know what to do in the event of a home fire. If you or someone you live with cannot escape alone, designate a member of the household to assist, and decide on backups in case the designee isn't home. Fire drills are also a good opportunity to make sure that everyone is able to hear and respond to smoke alarms.
- Open up: Make sure that you are able to open all doors and windows in your home. Locks and pins should open easily from inside. (Some apartment and high-rise buildings have windows designed not to open.) If you have security bars on doors or windows, they should have emergency release devices inside so that they can be opened easily. These devices won't compromise your safety, but they will enable you to open the window from inside in the event of a fire. Check to be sure that windows haven't been sealed shut with paint or nailed shut; if they have, arrange for someone to break the seals all around your home or remove the nails.
- Stay connected: Keep a telephone nearby, along with emergency phone numbers so that you can communicate with emergency personnel if you're trapped in your room by fire or smoke.
