Local News
Firefighters Give Tips During Fire Prevention Week
We’re in the middle of Fire Prevention Week – as
Rescue works to educate the public on ways to stop fires before they happen.
Division Chief of Fire Prevention Troy Haase says they’re partnering with the
National Fire Protection Association to promote the idea of “Look. Listen.
Learn. Be aware.”
Haase tells us “the look part of it is – you want to look around the house. And not only look
for hazards, you want to make sure you have clear exits, make sure you don’t
have clutter around the house. Look for extension cords overloaded. Look to
make sure any major appliances are plugged directly into the wall.”
He adds that people need to “listen for smoke detectors. Know the sound, so when that detector goes off, make sure you’re aware that it’s the smoke detector. And then the most important part about the smoke detectors is placement. Make sure you have one on every level of your home, make sure you have one outside your sleeping areas, and then every bedroom should have one.”
The step of learning also includes knowing your way out of a dangerous situation. Haase encourages people to “make sure you know the two ways out of your room or out of your building, we’ve talked about this many times. Everybody comes in the front door or back door, depending on how you come into your home – and you get used to doing that. So if there’s a fire, what are you going to do? You’re going to go where you normally go. Well if you don’t have that opportunity, you can’t get there, you have to know where that second door is. And if you don’t have that as an option, you have a window in your home.”
Fire Prevention Week runs through Saturday.