The April Monthly Meeting of the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance was held Monday night with Guest Speaker Deputy Chief Inspector Chuck Holzinger talking about fire safety in your home. Pictured above (L - R) are VNNA Treasurer John Messenger, VNNA President Bernadette Ferrara, Deputy Chief Inspector Chuck Holzinger, VNNA Senior Advisor Bob Nolan, VNNA Secretary Marion Manfredi, and VNNA Vice-President Sharlene Jackson-Mendez.
Deputy Chief Inspector Holzinger spoke about changing the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms every year, and that new alarms are hitting the market where when the alarm goes off a person will not be able to just take out the battery to turn off the alarm, but the alarm will be sealed and have a battery life of ten years.
He spoke about buying new hair dryers and irons every few years, because the filament wears out and can become a fire hazard. Electric extension should not be overloaded especially in the hot weather months when the electricity level drops as demand increases. A surge in power when the demand drops can be a cause of fire if these extension cords are not able to handle the surge of electricity. He warned about cheap wire strip plug in electric extenders, and said make sure that what you buy has the UL tag for safety.
Representatives of local elected officials gave community reports, and the NCO officers went over a few calls in the area that were handled by the 49th Precinct including a mentally disturbed person police had to take care of.
The next VNNA meeting will be on Monday May 6th with Postal branch managers from 10460, 61, and 62 in attendance to answer questions about local mail service. Friday May 10th is the Annual VNNA Dinner for more information call Bernadette Farrara at 917-498-5786 or Marie Santillana at 646-305-4913 for more information.
Monday May 27th the Annual Memorial Day Parade and services begin at noon in front of the Van Nest Memorial at White Plains Road and Van Nest Avenue.
