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Homeowners with automatic
garage door openers that do not
automatically reverse should repair or
replace them with new openers which do
reverse to prevent young children from
being trapped and killed under closing
garage doors.
Approximately 60 children between the
ages of 2 and 14 have been trapped and
killed under automatic garage doors
since March 1982. This is approximately
4 such deaths per year. Other children
have suffered brain damage or serious
injuries when the closing door contacted
them, and failed to stop and reverse its
direction.
We urge consumers to check the condition
and operation of their garage door and
the opener. A properly operating garage
door will be "balanced." This
means that the door will stay in place
when stopped in any partially opened
position. A severely unbalanced garage
door could unexpectedly crash to the
floor possibly striking someone under
the open door.
To check the garage door, the garage
door opener must be detached from the
door while in the closed position. On
most openers manufactured since 1982, a
"quick-release" mechanism is
provided which permits the opener to be
detached from the door.
To avoid amputation or crushing
injuries, homeowners should be careful
when manually operating the door not to
place hands or fingers between door
sections or near pulleys, hinges, or
springs. The door should not stick or
bind when opened or closed. If doors are
not "balanced," or if they
bind or stick, they should be serviced
by a professional.
Once the garage door is operating
properly, homeowners should check to see
that the garage door opener's force and
limit settings are adjusted according to
manufacturer's instructions. Check the
garage door operator owners manual for
any instructions on testing the safety
features. One quick test is to place a
2x4 on the floor of the garage in the
door's path. If the door does not
properly reverse on striking the 2x4
then the garage door opener should be
disengaged until the unit is either
adjusted according to the instructions
in the owners manual, repaired, or
replaced with a new garage door opener.
A professional garage door service
should be contacted if the homeowner is
not comfortable with performing these
tests, repairs and adjustments.
All homeowners should disconnect all
garage door openers that have not been
certified as meeting the requirements of
the voluntary ANSI/UL standard
325-1982.The standard calls for a number
of safety features not found on earlier
openers, and also subjects new openers
to more stringent safety tests. |
We caution consumers that not all
devices that open and close the garage
door are necessarily safe. Some old
openers are equipped with a mechanism
that only stops the closing door when it
strikes an object, not reversing the
door in the process. Other pre-1982
openers have a device intended to
reverse the closing door when it strikes
an object, but for reasons related to
age, installation and maintenance, these
products may not be safe enough to
pre-vent entrapment of a child. These
openers cannot be adjusted or repaired
to provide the automatic reversing
feature found on later devices.
The CPSC requires that all garage door
operators manufactured or imported after
January 1, 1993, for sale in the United
States be outfitted with an external
entrapment protection system. This
system can be an electric eye, a door
edge sensor, or any other device that
provides equivalent protection. If an
electric eye is used, it should be
installed at a height of 4 to 6 inches
above the floor.
Consumers should inspect garage doors
and operation of the door opener every
30 days to verify that the system is
functioning properly. Hardware and
fittings should be checked to keep the
door on track at all times. Should a
hazard exist, homeowners should
disconnect the automatic opener from the
door as specified in the owner's manual,
and manually open and close the garage
door until needed repair/ replacement is
completed.
Lastly, homeowners should relocate the
wall switch in the garage as high as
practical above the floor in an effort
to restrict children's use of the
automatic garage door. Remote control
door operating devices should be kept
locked in the car and away from
children. Parents should also tell their
children about the potential hazard. |
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The recent Taylor County Burn Ban was lifted August 18.
Please continue to be careful.
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Congratulations to Jeremy Williams for
his recent promotion to Lieutenant!
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HELP PREVENT GRASS
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BE CAREFUL WHILE
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When was the
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Your Abilene
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Never cross a road that is covered in
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"FIREWATCH"
FIREWATCH
every Monday on
KRBC 9 "Abilene's First News" during the
5:00pm Newscast
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CODE RED
The CodeRED system calls
only those who are in the telephone database. To ensure
no one is omitted, individuals and businesses are
encouraged to log onto the City of Abilene’s website, www.abilenetx.com,
and follow the link to the "CodeRED Residential and
Business Data Collection" page. Those without
Internet access may call Emergency Plans Office
(676-6525), Monday through Friday No one should
automatically assume his or her phone number is
included.
Questions should be
directed to the City of Abilene’s Office of Emergency
Management, (325) 676-6683.
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