Business

PHOTOS: NCHS Senior Internship Program, through the Lens of Kayleigh Pace

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The Senior Internship Program (SIP) is opportunity for NCHS seniors to take what knowledge they’ve gained in four years outside of the classroom and into the real world for the last month of the school year. From May 18 to June 17, 80 seniors are dispersed throughout New Canaan and Fairfield County working in a variety of different fields such as medicine, retail, business, teaching and many others. The four-week program runs throughout the hours of the typical school day in which seniors work between 20 and 25 hours a week. Organized by NCHS College and Career Center Coordinator Susan Carroll, each of the students participating in the unpaid internship program are working at pre-approved worksites in fields that they are interested in partaking in the future. Kayleigh Pace, a senior intern for Jane Beiles Photography, took the pictures above (and Jane took a couple, too) to give a glimpse of what many interns are taking part in at their work sites.

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Smoke Detector Battery Giveaway Saturday at the Fire Department; Daylight Savings Starts Sunday

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Free batteries (three per household) will be made available at the Fire Department’s Main Street headquarters from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, according to Fire Marshal Fred Baker. The giveaway, part of a nationwide “Change Your Clocks—Change Your Batteries” campaign (daylight savings starts at 2 a.m. Sunday), is the result of a generous donation from New Canaan Firefighters, Local 3224 as well as the Rotary Club of New Canaan, he said. “The New Canaan Fire Department and the Rotary Club of New Canaan also want to remind everyone to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and CO alarms,” Baker said in a press release. He continued: “ ‘There is no greater tragedy than one that could have been prevented’—I can’t take credit for this statement, however, I could not agree more and the tragedy of home fires with the devastation they create is a perfect example.”

Residents who are unable to change their own batteries due to age or disability may call fire headquarters at 203-594-3140 to arrange for fire fighters to come to your residence for assistance. If anyone has any questions or concerns about smoke detector or carbon monoxide detectors or other fire safety topics, pleased contact the New Canaan Fire Marshal’s Office at 203-594-3030.

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Fire Officials Ask Residents to Clear Hydrants of Snow, Ask Snowplow Drivers Not to Bury Them

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On the heels of yet another heavy snowfall before what’s already down had a chance to melt, New Canaan fire officials are urging homeowners to clear the areas around fire hydrants fronting their properties. Fire Marshal Fred Baker also said it’s important for homeowners to ask their private snowplow operators not to bury the hydrants. “It’s very, very critical,” Baker said. “We have flags on many hydrants that stick up in the air, but we may not be able to dig them out at a fire—the guys will just go to the next one unless it’s a mile away.”

Fire Chief Jack Hennessey said it’s crucial not to lose precious seconds at the scene of a fire because a hydrant is not immediately available. “It’s been an ongoing battle,” Hennessey said of the consecutive snowstorms that have blanketed the town and region in snow that quickly “turns to concrete,” the chief said, in this winter’s extreme cold.

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New Canaan Fire Officials Urge Locals to Check Home Fire Extinguishers following Recall of 4.6 Million Kidde-Brand Units in U.S.

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New Canaan fire officials are urging residents to check their home fire extinguishers following revelations that some 4.6 million units representing 31 models are being recalled. Fire Chief Jack Hennessey said locals should replace the Kidde-brand plastic valve disposable extinguisher if they have one. “This is a very popular extinguisher that will not function in an emergency,” Hennessey said. According to the U.S. Consumer Safety Protection Commission, the recalled models were manufactured in Mexico between July 2013 and October 2014. “A 10-digit date code is stamped on the side of the cylinder, near the bottom,” the federal agency said.

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Truck Fire on East Avenue: Too Much Damage to Determine Cause

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It isn’t clear what caused the fire in the “box” of a Salvation Army truck as it idled at a light on East Avenue just below Forest Street around noon Thursday. According to Fire Marshal Fred Baker, the drivers had picked up a load of household goods—clothing and furniture—in Weston earlier in the day, and had no idea how the fire started. “It appears to have started in the front of the ‘box,’ but there was too much destruction to determine a specific cause,” Baker said. No one was hurt in the blaze, officials say. New Canaan’s John Walsh said he was walking along East Avenue at 12 p.m. when the truck pulled up next to him and he glimpsed a flash of orange on top of it.