2. Public Safety

Fire / Ambulance

*In light of the recent fires in the valley, The City of Cedar Hills along with American Fork Fire and Rescue is asking for your help.
In the event of an evacuation we are asking that you place your garbage can in the middle of your driveway a few feet off the sidewalk. This will signal to police and fire departments that you have evacuated your home and do not need contact. This will help expedite the process and help ensure that everyone is quickly and safely evacuated.

Fire and emergency medical services are provided through the city’s membership in the American Fork Fire Department.

For all fire, medical, and other emergencies, dial 911.  For non-emergencies, dial Central Utah 911 at 801-794-3970.

American Fork Fire & Rescue

Aaron Brems, Fire Chief
96 N. Center St.
American Fork UT 84003
Station Number: 801-763-3045

American Fork Fire Station in Cedar Hills
3925 W Cedar Hills Drive
Cedar Hills UT 84062
801-763-5365

City Council Representative:  Mike Geddes

Safety classes and tours are offered for children’s groups and Scout troops. Please call the American Fork station at 801-763-3040 to set up an appointment.

Fire Station Staffed Full Time

The American Fork Fire & Rescue, which serves both American Fork and Cedars Hills, has full-time staffing at the Public Safety Building in Cedar Hills. There are four full-time firefighters/emergency medical staff at the station 24/7.

Fire Safety Classes, Tours & Presentations

Due to COVID-19, tours are cancelled until further notice.

Safety classes, tours and presentations are offered free to the citizens, youth groups, and scout troops located in Cedar Hills.  Please call the American Fork Fire Station at 801-763-3045 to set up an appointment.

Plan Ahead! Fire Escape Safety Tips

If a fire breaks out in your home, you may have only a few minutes to get out safely once the smoke alarms sound. Everyone needs to know what to do and where to go if there is a fire.

  1. Make a home escape plan. Draw a map of your home, showing all doors and windows. Discuss the plan with everyone in your home.
  2. Know at least two ways out of every room, if possible. Make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily.
  3. Decide on an outside meeting place where everyone should meet (tree, light pole, mailbox).
  4. Practice home fire drills with everyone in your home at night and during the day twice a year.
  5. Practice using different ways out of the home.
  6. Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.
  7. Close doors behind you as you leave.
  8. If the smoke alarm sounds and you see or smell smoke, GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND STAY OUT. Do not go back inside for people or pets.
  9. If you have to escape through smoke, GET LOW AND GO under the smoke.
  10. Call 911 from outside your home.

“Use Candles with Care; When You Go Out, Blow Out!”

Home candle fires have risen as most other causes of home fires have declined, according to the non-profit National First Protection Association (NFPA). Here are a few tips to help use candles safely:

  • Never leave a burning candle unattended. Carefully put out candles when you leave the room or go to bed.
  • Keep candles at least one foot away from anything that can burn, including curtains, blinds, wallpaper and clothing.
  • Never leave a child unattended in a room with a burning candle.
  • Use candle holders that are sturdy, won’t tip over easily, are made from a material that can’t burn, and are large enough to collect dripping wax.
  • Keep candle wicks trimmed to one-quarter inch.
  • Store matches and lighters up high and out of children’s sight and reach, preferably in a locked cabinet.

Because candle fires spread so quickly, we are urged to ensure that smoke alarms are installed on every level of the home. Residents should test smoke alarms once a month, replace alarm batteries twice a year, and replace smoke alarms after 10 years. Each member of the household needs to know the first escape plan, and all should practice it twice a year.

Smoke Alarm Safety and Cleaning Information

Smoke alarms save lives. Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. When there is a fire, smoke spreads fast and you need smoke alarms to give you time to get out.

  • Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. Smoke detectors can be hard wired or battery operated. With interconnected smoke alarms, when one sounds, they all sound.
  • Test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button.
  • Smoke rises; install smoke alarms following manufacturer’s instructions high on a wall or on a ceiling. Save manufacturer’s instructions for testing and maintenance.
  • Smoke alarms detect smoke, not fire. An alarm doesn’t mean that there is fire somewhere in the structure if there is no smoke. It could be an alarm malfunction due to a bad battery or a dirty or faulty detector.
  • Replace batteries in all smoke alarms at least twice a year. When you change your clocks, change your batteries. If an alarm “chirps” the battery is low. Replace the battery right away.
  • Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they do not respond properly.
  • Be sure the smoke alarm has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.
  • Alarms that are hard-wired (and include battery backup) must be installed by a qualified electrician.
  • If cooking fumes or steam sets off nuisance alarms, replace the alarm with an alarm that has a “hush” button, which will reduce the alarm’s sensitivity for a short period of time.
  • An ionization alarm with a hush button or a photoelectric alarm should be used if the alarm is within 20 feet of a cooking appliance.
  • Smoke alarms that include a recordable voice announcement in addition to the usual alarm sound, may be helpful in waking children through the use of a familiar voice.
  • Smoke alarms are available for people who are deaf or hearing impaired. These devices use strobe lights, and vibration devices can be added to these alarms.

Carbon Monoxide Safety Tips 

Often called the silent killer, carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas, which is created when fuels burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel can be sources of carbon monoxide.

  • CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes, or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
  • Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement and mounting height.
  • Test CO alarms at least once a month; replace them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • If the audible trouble signal sounds, check for low batteries. If the battery is low, replace it. If it still sounds, call the fire department.
  • If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a safe location and stay there until emergency personnel arrive.
  • If you need to warm a vehicle, remove it from the garage immediately after starting it. Do not run a vehicle or other fueled engine or motor indoors, even if garage doors are open. Make sure the exhaust pipe of a running vehicle is not covered with snow.
  • During and after a snowstorm, make sure vents for the dryer, furnace, stove, and fireplace are clear of snow.
  • A generator should be used in a well-ventilated location outdoors away from windows, doors and vent openings.
  • Gas or charcoal grills can produce CO — only use outside.

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide (CO) enters the body through breathing. CO poisoning can be confused with flu symptoms, food poisoning, and other illnesses. Some symptoms include shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, light headedness, or headaches. High levels of CO can be fatal, causing death within minutes. The concentration of CO, measured in parts per million (ppm), is a determining factor in the symptoms for an average, healthy adult.

  • 50 ppm: no adverse effects with 8 hours of exposure.
  • 200 ppm: mild headache after 2-3 hours of exposure.
  • 400 ppm: headache and nausea after 1-2 hours of exposure.
  • 800 ppm: headache, nausea, and dizziness after 45 minutes; collapse and unconsciousness after 1 hour of exposure.
  • 1,000 ppm: loss of consciousness after 1 hour of exposure.
  • 1,600 ppm: headache, nausea, and dizziness after 20 minutes of exposure.
  • 3,200 ppm: headache, nausea, and dizziness after 5-10 minutes; collapse and unconsciousness after 30 minutes of exposure.
  • 6,400 ppm: headache and dizziness after 1-2 minutes; unconsciousness and danger of death after 10-15 minutes of exposure.
  • 12,800 ppm: immediate physiological effects, unconsciousness and danger of death after 1-3 minutes of exposure.

 

National Fire Protection Association discourages use of outdoor gas-fueled turkey fryers

Outdoor gas-fueled turkey fryers use a substantial quantity of cooking oil at high temperatures, and units currently available for home use pose a significant danger that hot oil will be released at some point during the cooking process. The use of turkey fryers by consumers can lead to devastating burns, other injuries, and the destruction of property.

  • Hot oil may splash or spill at any point during the cooking process. Any contact between hot oil and skin could result in serious injury.
  • A major spill of hot oil can occur with fryers designed for outdoor use. NFPA does not believe that consumer education alone can make the risks of either type of turkey fryer acceptably low because of the large quantities of hot oil involved and the speed and severity of burn likely to occur with contact.
  • In deep frying, oil is heated to temperatures of 350 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Cooking oil is combustible, and if it is heated beyond its cooking temperature, its vapors can ignite.
  • Propane-fired turkey fryers are designed for outdoor use, particularly for Thanksgiving, by which time both rain and snow are common in many parts of the country. If rain or snow strikes exposed hot cooking oil, the result can be a splattering of the hot oil or a conversion of the rain or snow to steam, either of which can lead to burns. Also, moving an operating turkey fryer indoors to escape bad weather is extremely risky. Fires have occurred when turkey fryers were used in a garage or barn or under eaves to keep the appliance out of the rain.
  • The approximately 5 gallons of oil in these devices introduce an additional level of hazard to deep fryer cooking, as does the size and weight of the turkey, which must be safely lowered into and raised out of the large quantity of hot oil. Many turkeys are purchased frozen, and they may not be fully thawed when cooking begins.
  • There is a new outdoor turkey cooking appliance that does not use oil. NFPA believes these should be considered as an alternative. NFPA understands that this appliance will be listed by a recognized testing laboratory.

NFPA continues to believe that turkey fryers that use oil, as currently designed, are not suitable for acceptably safe use by even a well-informed and careful consumer.