IN THE CITY
By Adam Rider
It is that time of year again! Fire Prevention Week is October 4th through the 10th and it commemorates the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It was a two-day blaze that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 people homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres.
The theme for Fire Prevention Week 2015 is “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep: Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm.”
Smoke detectors save lives and this is a great time of year to promote it. In a recent online questionnaire distributed by the National Fire Protection Association showed that less than half (42 percent) of approximately 36,000 respondents did not know that a smoke alarm should be installed in each bedroom of the home.
What we should be asking ourselves is why after so many years of education are we still having fatal fires in homes without working smoke alarms? The data all shows us that having working smoke alarms increases our odds to survive a fire. Please try to make time in the month of October to change your batteries in your smoke alarms or get working smoke alarms to install in your homes.
The Presque Isle Fire Department has a smoke detector program in place. All you have to do is stop by the station and fill out an application. To be eligible you need to own your own home. We don’t install smoke alarms in rental properties, because the landlord is responsible for smoke alarms on each level of the apartment and carbon monoxide alarms near each bedroom area.
We will be hosting our annual Open House on Saturday, October 10th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We will be promoting fire safety, a bicycle rodeo where we will be giving away free bicycle helmets, having a free hot dog roast, having a child safety seat checkup event, Shrine Clowns will be on hand for the kids, and many displays from outside agencies such as the Maine Forest Service and the Fire Marshall’s Office.
We would like to remind every family to plan and practice an escape plan of your homes in case of a fire. Do a fire drill at your home, so you know what to do in case of a fire! Also, remember to test your smoke alarms at least once a month and change your batteries at least once a year. The best way to remember to change your batteries is change them when you change the clocks in the spring and fall each year.
Deputy Fire Chief Adam Rider can be reached at 769-0881 or via email at arider@presqueisleme.us.
