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align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-VARIANT: small-caps"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Mayor Young & Consumer Protection On Safety at the
Pump:<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
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align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-VARIANT: small-caps"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">“Ways to Keep You and Your Family Safe While You Fill
Up”<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Mount <st1:City><st1:place>Vernon</st1:place></st1:City>,
NY --- Mayor Clinton I. Young, Jr. wants you to know that the Office of Consumer
Protection has started its 2009 gas station inspections.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Although we are no longer plagued by the
high pump prices of 2008, the field inspections are witnessing consumer
practices that are just as alarming and it has nothing to do with gas
prices.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In the first week of gas
station inspections this office has witnessed people smoking while pumping gas,
entering and exiting the car while pumping, and talking on cell phones while
refueling.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>“All of these things may seem like common sense, but we all need to be
reminded sometimes about ways to protect ourselves and our families,” said Mayor
Young.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“Not paying attention to
what you do at the pump has the potential to turn into a major catastrophe.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>However, this is not to scare anyone; we
just want everyone to think about their safety.”</FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>No explanation needs to be given why one should smoke while pumping gas,
but not many are aware of the danger involved when one starts to fill their
vehicle, enters and exits their vehicle, and then touches the gas nozzle.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>When you get into your vehicle, your
clothes pick up static electricity from the carpet and seats.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>When you get out of the car, you are
susceptible to a static shock.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This
static shock could and has ignited vapors.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>To date the Petroleum Equipment Institute has documented 150 cases of
this type of fire which isn’t bad considering how many people fill up in a
day.</FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>“If you must enter your car while fueling, make sure you touch metal
before you reach for the nozzle,” said Michael Paulercio, Director of the Office
of Consumer Protection. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“Touching
metal will cause the static electricity that has built up in your body to
discharge. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>You can touch your car
door or even the pump itself.”</FONT></P>
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size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>The Shell Oil Company has issued warnings regarding the use of cell
phones while refueling and many other oil companies are following their
lead.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Shell has cited three
instances of fires attributed to cell phones.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>One instance was when a cell phone rang
in their pocket during a refuel; another when a person answered a phone, and
lastly a phone on the trunk of a car ignited gas vapors when it rang destroying
the car and the pump.</FONT></P>
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style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Here are a few rules for safety at the pump:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></B></P>
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<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>Always turn off your engine.</FONT>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>Never smoke while refueling.</FONT>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>Leave your cell phone in the car and do not use
it until you have finished refueling your vehicle.</FONT>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>Do not enter you car in the midst of fueling
it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If you must, touch a piece of
metal to discharge yourself before touching the nozzle.</FONT>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>Do not fill plastic storage containers, such as
those for lawnmowers while they are in the trunk of your vehicle.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Take them out of the trunk and place
them on the floor grounding them.</FONT>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>Do not use your vehicles’ gas cap wedged in the
nozzle handle so you don’t have to squeeze it.</FONT>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>If a fire should occur during your refill, back
away from the vehicle and leave the nozzle in the fill pipe of the
car.</FONT></LI></OL>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>For more news about the City of
<st1:City><st1:place>Mount Vernon</st1:place></st1:City> please log on to our
website at </FONT><A href="http://www.cmvny.com/"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>www.CMVNY.com</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>. </FONT></P>
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