“It’s Fire Prevention Week! Protect Your Family From Fire!” was the theme for Fire Prevention Week 2011. Since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls, but for St. Tammany Fire Protection District No.1, every week is Fire Prevention Week. Throughout 2011, the members of the FD1 Fire Prevention Bureau and the Fire Suppression Division brought the fire safety message to 9,220 citizens of the Slidell area Fire Protection District.
According to Chief of Fire Prevention Neil Ricca, “This year’s fire prevention education activities were a huge success!” The 2011 Fire Prevention Activities of Fire District No.1 included 80 events. During these events, the fire and life safety message was delivered to 1,118 adults and 8,102 children. Throughout the year, FD1 visits schools, churches, civic groups, businesses and safety fairs to provide information and practical hands on training to keep citizens safe from the effects of fire.
The Fire Prevention Bureau utilizes several tools including a 911 phone simulator to demonstrate how to call for assistance during an emergency. Working smoke alarms are used to familiarize individuals with the sound made by these devices and the need to evacuate a building when heard. A 32’ Fire Safety Trailer that can be filled with “theatre” smoke is used to simulate conditions similar to those in a house fire to show citizens how to “Crawl low under smoke!”, check doors to determine if they are safe to open, and execute their escape through exterior doors and windows to get outside. Members of the community are also taught that once they are safely out of their house, they are to stay outside and go to their meeting place with the rest of their family until the Fire Department arrives. The Bureau also uses a “Stop, Drop and Roll” mat to teach kids how to extinguish a fire on their clothes. Finally, “Eddie” a talking fire truck is used to reinforce the fire prevention messages taught to children by the Fire Prevention Officers.
The Fire Prevention Bureau also provides free fire safety and fire extinguisher training to local businesses, retirement communities, Senior Citizen groups as well as the Boy and Girl Scouts. The Fire Prevention Bureau also participates in the annual Safe Kids event held at Ochsner Northshore Hospital. This year, the Fire Prevention Bureau has partnered with the Louisiana State Fire Marshall’s Office to provide smoke alarms to those in need through “Operation Save a Life.”
Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, an 1871 conflagration that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. Fire Prevention Week is designed to keep the public informed about the importance of Fire Prevention. The members of St. Tammany Fire Protection District No.1 work every day to keep the Fire Prevention Message alive and to protect the citizens of the District and their property safe from the effects of fire.
Fire Prevention Week 2012 is scheduled for October 7-13, 2012.
For more information about the St. Tammany Fire Prevention Bureau, “Operation Save a Life” or to schedule a free voluntary home safety inspection or public education event contact the St. Tammany Fire Protection District No.1 Fire Prevention Bureau at (985) 646-4387
For more information about St. Tammany Fire Protection District #1 visit us at www.SlidellFire.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Captain Van Joffrion
PIO / Fire Prevention Officer
vjoffrion@SlidellFire.org
Cell (985) 201-5566