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National Fire Prevention Week starts Monday
City fire fighters will promote fire prevention and safety during a yearly observance that officially begins Sunday.
The Mountain Home Fire Department is joining forces with stations across the United States to celebrate National Fire Prevention Week.
The longest running public health and safety observance on record, the event commemorates the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed more than 250 people and left more than 100,000 others homeless, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
This year's event focuses on the theme, " Hear The Beep Where You Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm."
The key message of this year's fire prevention campaign, is to encourage people to install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping are, and on every level of their home, including the basement, the NFPA reported. Larger homes may need more alarms.
"Smoke alarms can make a life-saving difference in a fire, but they need to be working," said Lorraine Carli, outreach and advocacy vice president with the national fire prevention organization. "Unfortunately, many home fire deaths result from fires where a smoke alarm is present but does not operate."
Roughly half of home fire deaths result from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep, according to NFPA statistics. Having a working smoke alarm in the home cuts the risk of dying in a fire in half.
"The vast majority of home fire deaths are preventable, and working smoke alarms play a big role in helping reduce those numbers," Carli said.
City fire crews started their annual fire prevention effort Monday by meeting with students in local area schools and daycare centers.
During their briefings with students, firefighters don their gear to give the children a firsthand look at how these rescuers will look if they have to enter a burning home.
Children can get easily scared if they see a firefighter in all of their gear and become equally intimidated by all of the sounds the equipment makes, said city fire marshal Brian Reed said. Giving the youngsters a chance to see all of it in a classroom setting helps calm their fears "so they're not afraid if a firefighter shows up at their house."
Reaching out to children in the local area remains a vital part of promoting fire safety in homes across Mountain Home, Reed added.
It encourages youngsters to take an active role in fire safety by going home and encouraging their families to check their smoke detectors on a regular basis, develop a fire escape plan for their home and to test those plans during fire drills.
This year's fire prevention week observance will culminate with the department's annual open house, which will run from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 8.
During the evening, the department will give children and adults a chance to ride the fire trucks on brief trips through town, complete with sirens blazing and lights flashing.
Meanwhile, members from the city fire department and other local agencies will offer a number of handouts for children, including fire helmets and badges. Free refreshments will also be available.
Near-record crowds packed into the city's main fire station to enjoy an evening of fun during last year's open house. Although weather kept some people from attending, the station had approximately 1,800 people show up for the annual observance.