Fire departments educate public during safety week
By Adam Smith
The North Jefferson News
It may be National Fire Prevention Week, but the Gardendale Fire Department is making a month out of it.
The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) designated the week of Oct. 4-10 as National Fire Prevention Week, but Gardendale Fire Marshal Rick Smith said fire safety education can’t be confined to seven days.
Just like in years past, the department has hosted several school groups at the fire station to teach them proper fire safety techniques and give tours of the station and demonstrate how equipment is used. Firefighters also offer educational tips on not playing with matches and the stop, drop and roll technique.
“Last year we had 2,000 to 3,000 kids come out and we’re expecting even more this year,” Smith said. “We do this kind of thing year-round, whether it’s talking to churches or Boy Scout groups or senior citizens.”
The Fultondale Fire Department is also spreading the word about fire safety this week. Chief Larry Holcomb said firefighters would be at Fultondale Elementary School today talking to students about safety.
On Tuesday, two four-year-old classes from Gardendale Christian Academy visited the Gardendale Fire Station and listened to firefighters Bobby Price and David Uselton explain features of the station’s pumper truck and rescue truck.
The firefighters also asked the children if they had fire extinguishers and working smoke detectors in their homes.
“My dad has one in the garage,” said one of the children when asked about extinguishers.
Smith said at least 12 school groups have booked a tour of the station this year. However, he said many of the children who tour the station this year may have also received the same tour and safety tips in years past.
“The principles are the same, but we try to change the message from year to year,” he said. “If you don’t change it up, they [children] sometimes say it before you can even get it out of your mouth.”
The department and the NFPA issued information last week on fire tips that can be followed by both children and adults. The theme of the department’s National Fire Protection Month is “Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned.”
Some of the department’s tips include:
• Keep hot foods and liquids away from tables and counter edges so they cannot be pulled or knocked over.
• Have a 3-foot “kid-free” zone around the stove.
• Never hold a child in your arms while preparing hot food or drinking a hot beverage.
• Be careful when using things that get hot such as curling irons, oven, irons, lamps, heaters.
• Install tamper-resistant receptacles to prevent a child from sticking an object in the outlet.
• Never leave a child alone in a room with a lit candle, portable heater, lit fireplace or stove, or where a hot appliance might be in use.
• Wear short or close-fitting sleeves when cooking.
• Set your hot water temperature no higher than 120 degrees.
• Install anti-scald valves on shower heads and faucets.
For more information visit www.firepreventionweek.org