Hot tip:
Do a detector check

Kids Stuff
By William Feldman

Welcome to Kids Stuff. Today’s column includes stressing the importance of maintenance of your smoke detectors, plus information for schools and teachers about applications for this year’s Environmental Community Service Award.

LIFESAVING ADVICE
You remembered to change your clocks, but what about your smoke detector batteries? Well, if you haven’t changed those batteries and are in the process of reading my column, put down the Northeast Times, and do it right now — and then return to my column. It could save your life as well as your family’s. This is as important, if not more important, then good dental habits, eating healthy and exercising.
Here are some good suggestions to follow when thinking about your smoke detectors:
• If your smoke detector starts chirping or beeping off and on, change the batteries.
• Check your smoke detector at least once a month.
• Until I read an article on the subject, I never realized some older adults and the physically impaired may have problems reaching and testing smoke detectors. Don’t worry. I read there is one brand of smoke alarm on the market on which the test feature can be activated by shining a flashlight on it. Another brand has an automatic test that activates at the same time and day, once a week, or you can possibly install smoke detectors in a house which may be operated from the household electrical power and not need battery replacement and hire a monitoring service.
• Again, another article stated that smoke detectors installed in a new house will be operated from the household electrical power and do not need battery replacement. These types all have a "power on" light to tell you that the detector has power. It also mentioned that fires do not generally affect the power until they get very large, so it is rare that such detectors fail to work due to a loss of power.
• Make sure you will hear the smoke detector if it goes off.
• Avoid getting any paint or dust on your smoke detector.
• Replace all smoke detectors after 10 years.
• If a smoke detector goes off unexpectedly in your home, get out of the house. Call 911 from a neighbor’s home.
• I read that you should make sure that the smoke detector you choose has been tested by an independent testing laboratory.
For more information, go to http://www.wdm-ia.com/userdocs/forms/fa-130.pdf or http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pyfff/smkalarm.html

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
The goal of the award is to raise awareness of environmental concerns and to encourage middle and high schools in the Delaware Valley to participate in a community service project that will enhance and improve the quality of life in their community.
The applications for this year’s Environmental Community Service Award will be available online at www.wawa.com, www.nbc10.com and www.mgkflaw.com
The deadline is Friday, Feb. 22. Winners will be announced just prior to Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22.
The judges of this educational competition are representatives from the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, from Pennsylvania and New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection and Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, including individuals from each of the sponsoring organizations.
To launch the 2008 Environmental Community Service Award, a kick-off event was held Oct. 26 at the 10! show studio at NBC10 in Philadelphia.
News anchor Terry Ruggles announced the details of the program, and a luncheon catered by Wawa followed in the studio for science leaders in the region. Also chairing the luncheon were Robb Fox, a partner at the law firm Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, and Fred Wood, facilities and energy director of Wawa.
For more information about the Environmental Community Service Award, visit the Web sites listed above. The application(s) can be submitted by e-mail or regular mail.
The e-mail address is publicrelations@wawa.com (providing it is sent from an official school e-mail address). It can also be mailed to Wawa, Public Relations Department, 260 Baltimore Pike, Wawa, PA 19063. It must be signed by a school official. For more information, schools can call Wawa’s Customer Call Center at 1-800-444-9292.
The second year of the award was a great success. The winners were W.B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences in Roxborough, and the Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander University of Pennsylvania Partnership School in West Philadelphia.
Winners of the 2005-06 award were the middle school of Friends Central, in Wynnewood, Pa., and Camden High School in New Jersey. Each year, one high school and one middle school receive a $5,000 honorarium to further their environmental programs.
The sponsors,. Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, concentrates its practice in environmental and land use law and litigation.
Wawa, a privately held company, traces its roots back to 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Owner George Wood started a dairy processing plant in Wawa, Pa., in 1902. The milk business was a success, due to its quality, cleanliness and "certified" process.
In 1964, George’s grandson Grahame Wood opened the first Wawa Food Market in Folsom, Pa. Today the company operates more than 540 stores in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Wawa is the Lenni-Lenape Indian word for flying goose.
NBC10, one of 10 owned and operated NBC television stations, is located in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. There are millions of viewers throughout Greater Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley, South Jersey and Delaware. NBC 10’s 4 p.m. news — All That & More — is the only fully interactive news program in the region. Viewers also tune in daily to watch the 10! show, a one-hour lifestyle and entertainment show featuring local, national and internationally known celebrities.
Recognized as the No. 1 Web site (www.nbc10.com) in the top 50 markets, NBC10.com received the prestigious National Edward R. Murrow Award. ••
Columnist William Feldman can be contacted by e-mail at wmkidscolumn@aol.com