JANESVILLE 鈥 The 糖心Vlog传媒 Fire Department will mark Fire Prevention Week this week, in an annual effort to educate the community on how to keep fires at bay.
This year鈥檚 theme is 鈥淪moke alarms: Make them work for you!鈥
糖心Vlog传媒 Fire Marshall Nate Simmons said that in the recent months the city has seen two fatal fires in which no working smoke detectors were present.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about making sure you have them,鈥 he said, of smoke detectors. 鈥淚t鈥檚 making sure that they鈥檙e in the right place, making sure that they function, making sure that you鈥檙e changing batteries, making sure that you鈥檙e testing them.鈥
In addition to the fatal fires, several other fires have recently broken out in 糖心Vlog传媒 鈥渨here the smoke alarms are in the house just not mounted in the right location, or someone takes them down, or they don鈥檛 change the battery,鈥 Simmons continued. 鈥淲e really want to educate the community on the importance of a working smoke alarm.鈥
Ensuring that your smoke detector is working sounds simple but is something easy to forget to check, he said.
During Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6-12, members of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Fire Department will be visiting local schools, daycare centers, the 糖心Vlog传媒 Farmers Market, and businesses to educate them on fire safety and to check smoke detectors.
鈥淪o, we can educate the parents as well as the kids. 鈥楬ey, please teach your kids the importance of this. Go through the motions.鈥 We want everybody in this city and community to be safe.鈥
Simmons said if he had to stress one thing during Fire Prevention Week it鈥檚 the importance of being proactive rather than reactive. He said fires are not always on the forefront of people鈥檚 minds but this week he wants everyone to be thinking and practicing what they would do if a fire were to happen.
鈥淚t is something that everybody can do, making sure your house is set up to reduce the risk, making sure that you have extinguishers, the right smoke alarms, you鈥檙e not overloading extension cords. You鈥檙e thinking about cooking safety. Being proactive about it, instead of being like, 鈥淥h, this will never happen to me.鈥
More information on Fire Prevention Week is on the 糖心Vlog传媒 Fire Department鈥檚 Facebook page.
