Fire department hosting prevention week activities
October 7, 2011
907-474-7902
10/7/11
The University Fire Department is hosting activities Oct. 9-15 as part of the national Fire Prevention Week.
The department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association for the annual event. Members of the department will visit area schools and offer fire education programs and tours of fire trucks. The department also provides fire prevention and safety materials and station tours.
The campaign is dubbed, “It’s Fire Prevention Week. Protect your Family from Fire!” It focuses on preventing the leading causes of home fires: cooking, heating and electrical equipment, as well as candles and smoking materials. Additionally, it urges people to protect their homes and families with life-saving technology and planning.
“In 2009, 2,565 people died in home fires. Nearly all of these deaths could have been prevented by taking a few simple precautions like having working smoke alarms and a home fire escape plan, keeping things that can burn away from the stove and always turning off space heaters before going to bed,” said Fire Marshal Len DeJoria. “Fire is a dangerous opponent, but by anticipating the hazards, you are much less likely to be one of the nearly 13,000 people injured in home fires each year.”
University Fire Department offers the following tips for protecting your home, dorm and family from fire:
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove or portable space heater.
• Have a three-foot kid-free zone around open fires and space heaters.
• Replace or repair damaged or loose electrical cords.
• If you smoke, smoke outside.
• Use deep, wide ashtrays on a sturdy table.
• Blow out all candles when you leave the room or go to bed. Avoid the use of candles in the bedroom and other areas where people may fall asleep.
“While preventing fires at UAF is always our number one priority, it is not always possible,” DeJoria said. University residents need to provide the best protection to keep their homes, dorm rooms and families safe in the event of a fire, he said.
DeJoria said that families and individuals can help protect themselves by creating escape plans and practicing them.
“Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home or dorm and inspect all possible ways out,” he said. “Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors.”
To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities at UAF, contact the University Fire Department at 907-474-6303.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Len DeJoria, Fire Marshal, at 907-474-6303 or ltdejoria@alaska.edu.
MG/10-7-11/085-12