Winter & Holiday Reminders

Trash Collection Schedule

Trash collection for Christmas and New Year's will be "bumped" by one day. If you trash collection day is Wednesday, it will be picked up on Thursday. Thursday will be Friday, Friday will be Saturday. Collection on Monday and Tuesday will remain unchanged.

Prepare for Winter

Sign Up for CodeRED Alerts

Be prepared for winter conditions by signing up for our Town's CodeRED computer alert system. It is used to quickly notify large groups of people for emergency situations like criminal activity, severe weather, road closures, evacuations, and missing persons. It's free and secure to sign up for cell phone alerts. Select how to receive alerts: text, phone call and/or email. Help us keep you informed and safe by signing up for CodeRED.

Snow Reminders from Public Works

• Clear all items (basketball hoops, etc.) from the edge of the roadways (at least 12-15 feet from the edge of the pavement). This better enables us to clear the roads properly and reduces the chance of items being damaged.
• When clearing your driveway of snow, please do not shovel or snow blow into the roadways. This creates additional dangerous and unnecessary conditions for everyone. Clear snow to the down side (or right side) of your driveway to save you a backache when you have to re-clear your driveway after the plow comes through.
• Be aware of and abide by parking bans. Cars left on the street during a storm/parking ban significantly limit our ability to clear the roads, and entire sections of streets may be negatively affected as a result.
• Place your trash and recycle carts in your driveway, not on the roadside. They can be a few feet up into your driveway – the “arms” on the trash trucks can reach them from here.
• Road conditions worsen when it snows. NOW is the time to put snow tires on your car. Allow yourself extra time, go slow, and get to where you are going safely!
• Did you lend your snowblower to that friend that recently moved here from a warm southern state? Did they borrow it to familiarize themselves with this foreign piece of equipment? You’d better get it back, and advise them to go buy their own. You will need yours, and they will appreciate this sage piece of New Englander advice.

Questions? Contact Public Works at pwinfo@scarboroughmaine.org or (207) 730-4400.

Fire Safety Tips

Clear Driveways & Walkways

Emergency access and egress leads the list of priorities. If you have an emergency that requires fire, police, or EMS it is very important that we have adequate access to get to you. That means the driveway and walkways are clear so first responders don’t have to shovel their way in, wasting precious time that could be better spent resolving your emergency.

Prepare Your Home Evacuation Plan

Every home should have at least two remote means of egress. That means at least two different ways to leave in case you have a fire or some other type of emergency that requires immediate evacuation. Are your front door and steps shoveled and is there a path beyond the steps where you can safely and quickly get away from the house and meet the fire department near your driveway or mailbox at the designated meeting space you identified in your home evacuation and safety plan?  How about your back door?  It is very easy to get lazy and fail to shovel the secondary steps and doors that aren’t routinely used during the winter, but that is the very means of egress you may need to use in an emergency.  Once you get out of the house, are you up to your waist in snow, or do you have a shoveled path where you can quickly and safely evacuate a safe distance away while you wait for help?

Keep Heating Vents Clear

During severe winter storms the fire department responds to a number of calls for Carbon Monoxide (CO) problems. The vast majority of these are due to direct vent heating appliances with blocked exhaust vents due to drifting snow that hadn’t been removed. Many heaters are vented directly through the wall where they are installed. It is critically important that these vents remain clear so they function properly. If the vent becomes blocked the byproducts of combustion, including CO, will back up into the home possibly causing illness and even death if concentrations are high enough. When you’re clearing a safe egress path after the next snow storm, make sure to check your exhaust vents to confirm they are clear of snow or other restrictions.

Test Your Carbon Monoxide Detector

Carbon Monoxide is colorless, odorless, and tasteless so it is critical that you install and routinely test a CO detector on each level of your home to alert you if concentrations are unsafe.  Carbon Monoxide kills over 150 people each year because human senses can’t see or smell it.  

During the wind storms over the past couple weeks many homeowners relied on portable generators when they lost power.  Please remember that if you use a portable generator make sure you do so outside.  Generator exhaust contains CO and other dangerous chemicals and should never be started or run inside a home or garage.

Prevent Home Heating Fires

Heating is the second leading cause of home fires following cooking, and 29% of home heating fires occurred because the heat source was too close to combustible materials. If you are using space heaters, fireplaces, or stoves make sure that you keep anything that can burn at least three feet away.

Please take a few minutes after each snowstorm to make sure your house and property is in order, and while you’re at it, check on your neighbors and family members. The life you save by following these winter fire safety tips may be your own!

If you have any questions about this or any fire department issue please contact jbrennan@scarboroughmaine.org or (207) 883-4542.