April 20, 2024

90th annual Fire Prevention Week promotes smoke alarms in every bedroom

By BAILEY POOLMAN

Creston Fire Captain Gary Thompson gives a fire prevention presentation to Creston fourth-grade students Tuesday in the elementary school commons. During Fire Prevention Week, which started Monday, Thompson and other Creston firefighters give in-class presentations and large group PowerPoint presentations to promote that children be safe around flammable materials and how to escape during a house fire.

It’s been 90 years since former President Calvin Coolidge designated the first full week in October as Fire Prevention Week, and Creston Fire Department is one of many departments promoting fire prevention to local youngsters.

The theme for 2015 is “Hear the beep when you sleep,” which means to have smoke alarms in every sleeping room, in addition to the basic protocol of having an alarm on every floor.

“The biggest thing we tell people is to be prepared for a fire,” said Todd Jackson, Creston fire chief. “You can’t always prevent them, but you can get out safely.”

Active in community

Fire prevention became an important issue after the Great Chicago Fire that ravaged the city in 1871, killing more than 300 people and leaving more than 100,000 homeless.

“Oct. 8, 1871 was the Great Chicago Fire, so it’s a week that fire departments emphasize fire safety in preparation of fire disasters,” Jackson said.

Creston firefighters actively raise fire awareness by doing presentations for kids at local schools. They do in-class presentations, where one firefighter discusses with kids how to have a plan of action and escape the burning building the correct way, while another shows kids the gear firefighters use and explains to not be afraid of them.

“We go to all the schools. I think that’s 1,150 students, and we hand out material,” Jackson said. “We’ll do extinguisher classes for our factories and our commercial properties. We do some inspections and give suggestions to owners about things to improve fire safety.”

Creston Fire Department is also hosting a pancake supper today from 5 to 7 p.m. at the fire station, 500 N. Sumner Ave. Pancakes, sausage patties, juice and coffee will be available, and fire gear, trucks and other equipment will be showcased for those interested.

Fire prevention

Here are some statistics for home fires and deaths, according to the National Fire Protection Association:

• In 2013, reported home fires killed an average of eight people every day.

• Of those deaths, half were during reported fires that occurred between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

•A quarter of reported home fire deaths were caused by fires in a bedroom. Another quarter were caused by reported fires in the living room, family room or den.

• Between 2007 and 2011, three out of every five reported home fire deaths were caused by fires in houses with no smoke alarms, or no working alarms.

• Working smoke alarms cut the risk of death in a reported home fire in half.

“Fires are going to happen, so you can’t necessarily prevent all the fires,” Jackson said. “Obviously, we can reduce all the things (that cause fires), like combustibles too close to a flame. ... Probably our biggest emphasis is on preparation in case you have a fire. Our big goal is to make sure people get out safely.”