Fire Department hosts groups for safety month
By Adam Smith
The North Jefferson News
October is Fire Prevention Month and the Gardendale Fire Department is spreading the word about the benefits of home fire safety.
The department has hosted tours of the fire department to several groups this month, ranging in age from toddler to senior citizens.
Gardendale Fire Marshal Rick Smith said the station has hosted about 600 children so far and would give tours to as many as 1,200 before month’s end.
Groups who tour the fire station are shown a video on fire safety and get an up-close glimpse of the department’s equipment.
“This time of the year, especially in December and January, has the most fires,” Smith said. “If we can teach kids at a young age not to play with matches and when to call 911, hopefully that’s something that will stay with them.”
The theme of Fire Prevention Month this year is “Prevent Home Fires,” which correlates with the National Fire Protection Association’s campaign. The point of the month and Fire Prevention Week, recognized Oct. 5-11, is to prevent as many fire-related deaths as possible.
“When you look at in perspective, we lost over 4,000 Americans on 9/11,” Smith said. “But no one bats an eye when we lose the same amount of people every year in fire deaths that could have been prevented.”
He said there are many preventative steps that homeowners can take in keeping their homes safe this fall and winter, including:
• Making sure smoke detectors are in the home and functioning. Smith said detectors should be in every bedroom, outside of every living area and on every floor. He said it’s also a good idea to link the detectors together, so if one goes off, they all go off.
• Remember to keep flammable objects at least three feet away from fireplaces and space heaters.
• Check the safety of extension cords and cords on appliances. Smith said extension cords should never be used to power permanent objects like refrigerators.
Another safety measure homeowners may want to consider is a sprinkler system inside the home, which can not only help extinguish a fire, but could also provide breaks on home insurance.
“For the price of upgrading your counter tops, you can have a sprinkler system put in your home that can protect your family,” Smith said. “Nobody thinks twice about having a sprinkler system installed in their yard.”
New equipment
In addition to fire prevention efforts, the fire department received training this week on a new piece of equipment.
The ResQJack takes about five minutes to set up and is designed to help stabilize vehicles after an accident if a victim has to be extracted.
“If we have to cut a roof off or door off, this makes it safer,” Smith said.
For more information on fire prevention tips, visit www.nfpa.org.