Safety Tip:
The Westminster Fire Department reminds you to wear your helmet! Spring is a great time to get outside and wheel around. Whether it's a bike, rollerblades, skateboard, or scooter, go out and have fun...but make sure to protect your brain with a helmet! A majority of the Westminster Fire Department calls are for emergency medical services; we know first hand that helmets save lives and can reduce the chance of serious injury when an accident occurs. Bicycling accidents caused 770 U.S. deaths in 2006, and one in every 20 bicyclists is injured every year. For more information about helmets, including proper size & fit, go to www.helmets.org.

Call of the Week:
The Westminster Fire and Police departments responded to a building fire at the Greenbriar apartments near 82nd and Lowell at 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, April 8. A maintenance worker was soldering water pipes in the bathroom of an apartment and caught the insulation in the wall on fire; attempts to put out the fire with nearby extinguishers failed. When Westminster Fire crews arrived on the scene there was heavy smoke coming out of the building and all residents in the building had evacuated. The fire was quickly under control, but it took some time to make sure all the smoldering drywall was completely out. The incident left four apartments damaged (an estimated $20,000 in losses) and the entire building smelling of smoke. The Westminster Fire Department reminds you to call 911 immediately in the case of fire, don't wait until after you use a fire extinguisher and find out it isn't enough.