Steve Denzien, Fire Chief
October is here and once again, it is fire safety month. This provides a great opportunity to review fire safety practices. By focusing on simple things daily, you will be able to significantly reduce fire risks, and increase not only your personal safety but those around you as well. We will look at three separate areas; out in public, in the yard, and at home. Follow along to see where you can make a difference!
Take great care when out in the community, as many people are frequently distracted or preoccupied with other activities instead of being focused on their tasks. Be aware of your surroundings especially when entering into a building or somewhere new. Quickly familiarize yourself with exit locations, fire extinguisher placement, if there is a defibrillator in the area, and any hazards that may delay a rapid exit. If you experience limited mobility, whether normally or temporarily, sit close to an exit to decrease the distance to safety if required. When you do exit the structure immediately turn a sharp right or left to get out of flow of the remainder of people attempting to exit, providing you more time to make a safe exit.
Moving our focus to outside brings us cooling weather where many of us enjoy a warm campfire under the stars with friends. Burning clean wood, keeping seating a safe distance away, checking for wind and weather conditions prior to lighting, and having proper extinguishment handy while enjoying the fire is necessary. Be sure to fully extinguish the fire with large amounts of water when you are going in for the night. Ashes can stay hot and smolder for days. This can cause the fire to rekindle which could burn out of control.
Finally, when relaxing in the comfort of your home it is important to keep fire safety in our thoughts. Begin by ensuring that all flammable material is kept away from any ignition source, like gasoline cans in the garage, recycled papers near open flames and having nothing stored in or on the stove. Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher (ABC rated) charged and near an exit point so that if a fire breaks out you will have a chance to extinguish it. If you are unfamiliar with how to use a fire extinguisher there are numerous videos available through internet searches or if you have a group of interested individuals, contact your local fire department for training.
This fall, keep safety in mind, your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with fresh batteries, and your doors closed while you sleep!
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