“Going out of Business” Is not a sign you would expect to see in the window of your local fire department, but it is a sign that one day we hope we will be able to hang. Our job as firefighters goes far beyond that of extinguishing fires, saving people from burning buildings, rescuing people from car wrecks and providing emergency medical attention to those in need.Our primary job is to prevent any of these incidents from happening in the first place. The best way for us to do that is through community education. We currently attend each of the 12 second-grade grade classes in our local elementary schools once a month to teach ways to prevent avoidable injuries sustained in and around the home.October is an important month for firefighters, because it is the month nationally dedicated to fire and burn prevention. The Great Chicago Fire took place in October 1871, devastating the entire city of Chicago. Since that disaster, the role of a firefighter has changed to include a primary job of prevention through education and fire code enforcement.Here are some reminders of how to prevent fires in your home.
- Never leave a candle burning unwatched; big fires always start small.
- Keep all flammable material at least 3 feet from heat sources like space heaters and water heater pilot lights.
- Turn off portable heaters before leaving your home, going to bed or taking a nap.
- Always use a fireplace screen to prevent sparks or burning embers from escaping the fireplace.
- Have a professional inspect your chimneys, wood stoves, and central heating systems at least once a year and have them cleaned when necessary.
- Keep matches and lighters in areas so that children are unable to find them.
- Talk to your children about fire safety and what to do in case of a fire.
- Smoke detectors should be installed on every level of the home and in or near each sleeping area. Be sure to check your smoke detectors once a month and change the batteries at least once a year.
- Create a home escape plan with your family and practice at least twice a year. The best two routes for escape should be a door first and the second another door or a window.
- If your exit is blocked by smoke or fire, use your second escape. If you must escape through smoke, stay low and crawl on your hands and knees under the smoke to safety. DO NOT crawl on your belly, because some heavier poisons will settle in a thin layer on the floor.
- In a two-story building, plan your escape through a window and onto an adjacent roof or porch, if possible. If you must use an escape ladder, be sure everyone knows how to secure it to a window sill.
- To make escape as easy as possible, make sure all windows and doors open with ease.
- Choose a meeting place a safe distance from the front of your home – a tree, mail box or the neighbor’s home. Everyone should gather at the meeting place then contact the fire department from outside the building.
