BY LESLIE A. TOOMY
Hundreds of families flocked to the Salem Central Fire Station on a recent humid autumn day to climb into the driver’s seat of Engine One and other fire safety vehicles, witness firefighters extinguish a demonstration car fire, and view live exhibits of the Jaws of Life and in-home sprinkler systems.
It was all in keeping with this year’s National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 7 to 13, from 10 to 2 p.m., when the Salem Fire Department hosted its annual open house to educate residents about fire safety.
Local folks were also provided with dozens of fire fact informational packets and given free prizes such as fire hats, forest ranger badges, stickers, raffle tickets and pens. Visitors were also treated to complimentary popcorn, pizza and candy and listened to the music of local rock band, Rock of Ages, which played hits from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
Sparky The Dog and Smokey The Bear enthusiastically greeted open house visitors that day. Children were eager to shake hands with the fire safety mentors while their parents learned more about proper fire extinguisher use and propane tank safety.
Other important materials on water conservation, carbon monoxide prevention, poison control and mobile home safety were also made available there.
“Our main goal is to do fire prevention education and to educate the public about what the fire department does,” said fire Lt. Larry Best. “We try to do something for everyone, such as the fire safety trailer for kitchen safety.”
Salem fire officials have been sponsoring the open house for more than 20 years, said Best. This year’s fire safety message being promoted by the National Fire Protection Association is “practice your escape plan.”
A 2004 NFPA survey of 1,014 adults living in the United States determined that 96 percent of Americans do have smoke detectors installed in their residences.
However, only 66 percent of Americans have an escape plan in the instance of fire and only 34 percent of them have actually practiced the escape plan.
Suggestions to improve your chances of escaping a home fire were given in pamphlets issued by B.R.K. Electronics, manufacturers of First Alert in-home fire safety products, in cooperation with the United States Fire Administration.
They recommend that people map out an escape route on a floor plan, discuss the escape plan with their family and practice with a home fire drill.
The NFPA advocates that you have a smoke alarm on every floor of your home, that you test alarms monthly and that everyone in your home be able to recognize the sound of the smoke alarm.
Smokey The Bear’s message, a Nationwide Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Campaign sponsored by the Advertising Council Inc., has been educating the public for more than 60 years on how to practice reasonable outdoor fire safety. Their Web site at www.smokeybear.com notes that “more than 900 homes are destroyed by wildfire each year.”
Promoting awareness on how to act responsibly outdoors by putting out campfires properly and making sure matches and cigarettes are extinguished completely has laid the foundation for each generation to take better care of the environment.
In addition, adherence to state and local fire permit laws and regulations is essential to the prevention of fires as well.
For more information on fire prevention, outdoor fire safety, poison control and storage of hazardous wastes you can refer to the following Web sites: www.nhdfl.org, www.nnepc.org, www.nfpa.org, www.sparky.org or contact the Salem Fire Department non-emergency line at 890-2200.