Volunteers to teach fire safety
National Fire Prevention Week will be observed on Oct. 7-13 this year, and local volunteer firefighters are reminding citizens to fly their flags at half staff on Oct. 7.
The VFD is planning to hold fun educational activities in local schools the following week, after all Homecoming activities are over.
“We will be at Nancy Smith Elementary School on Friday, Oct. 19, at 9:00 a.m.,” said fire chief Kyle Tischler. “I am still trying to get a time firmed up to be in Moran.”
This year the school children will get their first chance for an up-close look at the new fire truck. Engine 3 was officially placed into service with a traditional “Push-in Cere-mony” this past Monday evening, Oct. 1.
“We are definitely planning to take the new truck to the school,” said Tischler.
Fire Prevention Week
The annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service takes place on the first day of Fire Prevention Week, and American flags should be lowered to half staff on Sunday, Oct. 7.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware – fire can happen anywhere.”
The latest statistics from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) show that if someone has a reported fire in their home, they are more likely to die today than they were a few decades ago.
The NFPA wants to change those statistics by teaching people three simple calls-to-action that can reduce their risk of a fire and also help them be prepared in the event of one.
The three items are:
1. Look for places fire can start
2. Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm
3. Learn two ways out of each room
“People take safety for granted and are not aware of the risk of fire,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. “Paying attention to your surroundings, looking for available exits in the event of a fire or other emergency, and taking the smoke alarm seriously if it sounds can make a potentially life-saving difference in a fire or other emergency situation.”
Although fire safety should be observed everywhere, the NFPA continues to focus on home fire safety, because the majority of U.S. fire deaths (four out of five) occur at home.
“While we’ve made significant progress in preventing home fires from happening, statistics show that there’s still much more work to do when it comes to teaching people how to protect themselves in the event of one, and why advance planning is so critically important,” said Carli.
As the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years, NFPA works with local fire departments throughout North America to promote the campaign in their communities and reaches out to the public directly to encourage everyone to take action to be safe.
