Fire Prevention Week 2007 - 10/2007

Sunday October 7th through Saturday October 13th

   Each year, the National Fire Protection Association and the Department of Homeland Security's United States Fire Administration raise awareness during Fire Prevention Week. This year's theme is "Practice Your Escape Plan!" It's not enough to know "Stop, Drop, and Roll" and "Get out and Stay out". You need to know HOW to get out!

   This year we went to seven different schools and day care centers, had one community group come visit the fire house during the evening, and attended the multi fire company event Thursday 11th in the evening at Suburbia Village. At the schools we talked to the Kindergarteners from the AM and PM sessions. We talked to about 662 children during Fire Prevention week. That's almost 300 more than 2006. To each of the groups we gave a talk about having a fire safety plan about getting out of a house.  We talked about having WORKING Smoke Detectors and testing the detectors several times a year and replacing the batteries at least once a year, the current recommendation is that during the switch to/from Daylight Savings Time "Change your Clocks, Change your Batteries!" .  We had one of the adults from each group put on a fire fighters full fire fighting gear.  Once full suited up a fire fighter looks and sounds scary to young children.  We wanted them to see that it was a "regular" person, someone they know, inside all that gear.  We charged one of the small fire hoses and allowed the children to turn the nozzle on and off. The children had fun, and, with reinforcement from the teachers, will learn something.  We also have done several community day information handout programs and will be talking with scout, etc. groups during the school year.