LIBERTY — Fire Chief Doug Theobald urged community members to be more cautious following a series of recent traffic accidents caused by adverse weather conditions and fatal fires in surrounding areas.

At a regular trustee meeting Monday, Theobald explained that despite the work of Wayne Hickman, who oversees the road department, the township has had “quite an uptick” in motor accidents due to the chilling weather conditions.

Because of this, Theobald suggested that residents plan errands according to the weather and try and get them done before conditions worsen.

“If you’re out and about, take your time, allow plenty of distance between yourself and others,” Theobald said. “Because maybe someone else is not as prepared as you are.”

Theobald also stressed the importance of checking up on smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

He said several local fires — like a recent one in Warren — involved a lack of working smoke detectors.

“Absolutely check that smoke detector. Just because you have a hardwired smoke detector and it has a battery backup, the smoke detector does not charge the battery,” Theobald said.

Theobald said township residents can reach out to the fire department if they need a smoke detector.

“Any smoke detector greater than 10 years old is not reliable, so you should be considering replacing those.”

Theobald said they’ve seen “extremely high” carbon monoxide levels in the township due to malfunctioning heaters and similar items.

“I would stress with everyone, it would be in your best interest to have it — a working carbon monoxide detector on the sleeping floor, wherever that is — of your home in a wall outlet,” he said.

“Don’t put it above or anything like that,” Theobald said, “it should be at the lowest point where you can plug it in.”

Theobald said the detectors have a lifespan of five to 10 years. They’ll begin to produce false readings after that period, he added.

Theobald recalled a fire in Girard that their department provided mutual aid to, that a man in the building was able to get upstairs, get his wife and dog, and his phone to contact 911. A working smoke detector made a “huge difference,” Theobald said, as it helped make the man’s efforts possible.

Trustee Greg Cizmar asked if all residents could get smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, free of charge.

Theobald said while only senior citizens can get carbon monoxide detectors for free, the fire department can get a smoke detector for every resident’s home.

SHOPPING CART UPDATE

Township Administrator Martha Weirick commended Robyn Mediate, manager of the Liberty Plaza Walmart at the intersection of Belmont Avenue and Goldie Road, for hiring a service to collect stray shopping carts around the township and return them to the store.

Weirick said several township officials met with Mediate and WRTA representatives regarding carts left at roads around the area, most notably at bus stops.

Weirick said they’ve also asked WRTA representatives to evaluate a few of their bus stops and consider eliminating them or changing the route, as some stops are located in the front yards of property owners.

“We plan to meet again after the evaluation of the routes,” she added.

Zoning inspector Jim Rodway said the Goldie Road bus stop, which is seen as the main issue, will be moved into the Liberty Plaza, possibly as soon as March 1.