EFD hosts family fire-education event on Glenwood Road

Staff Writer

gjohnson@theeasleyprogress.com

EASLEY - The Easley Fire Department is hosting its annual open house on Thursday in observance of fire prevention week.

The nationwide motto for the week this year is "Learn how to prevent home fires," said Assistant Chief Scott McClain.

The celebration of fire safety education has become a tradition each October as the EFD spends class time with school-age children and sponsors a smoke detector campaign.

"Life safety is our first goal, then incident stabilization and property conservation," McClain said. "Life safety, that's our No. 1 priority. The smokehouse teaches them how to get out of a house that is on fire and we distribute fire prevention materials too."

Teaching children how to escape, the importance of fire safety and hopefully influencing their future fire awareness is the point of the open house.

Festivities kick off at 5:30 p.m. and last through 8 p.m. at Fire Station No. 2 on Glenwood Road.

Everyone is invited to browse the information tables and learn how to prevent home fires.

"That's why we do this, to try to prevent things before they happen," McClain said.

Attendees will be able to tour the smoke/fire safety house as well as learn about 911, forest fires, seatbelt safety, car seat installation and safety, boating and water safety, and more.

Refreshments will be served.

Freddie the Fire Cat and Sparky the Robot will also be on hand to help children see the importance of fire safety.

This is the second year of diminished attendance at the Open House, due in large part to a new school district policy prohibiting certain literature from being sent home with students.

In times past, the Open House attracted a crowd of about 600 children, not to mention their parents, grandparents and the like. Last year, McClain said he'd be surprised if they broke 400.

"We hung posters at every elementary school," McClain said. "But as a parent, I don't go into the school, straight to the bulletin area just to see what might be new. So we're trying hard to get the invitation out there."

This age group is a crucial audience for the fire safety message, he said.

"The younger they are and the more they learn about it, it's going to have an impact on their lives," McClain said. "They'll grow up practicing fire safety which may help them when they get older as a parent, or a brother or sister."

Feedback has shown the powerful effect a child's enthusiasm has on others.

"We've had parents tell us their child came home and told them about smoke detectors, fire drills and they said, 'Wow, we've never thought about that.'"

Familiarity with something scary breeds confidence, he said.

"Getting them into the fire station, to see the things (first responders) do, not only the fire trucks, but also other people, such as law enforcement, EMS, emergency management, nature resources, stormwater, American Red Cross..." McClain said.

"It gets them to have some hands-on with us, to see what we do," he said. "The more contact they have with us, the more comfortable children would be asking for help."

Besides public schools, McClain said posters and fliers are being sent around to local daycares and even assisted living.

"It's not just for children, it's for adults and the elderly," he said. "We do fire prevention at elementary schools and daycare just like we do at retirement homes."

During the month-long campaign, random homes are selected - sometimes in neighborhoods known for older houses and residents - to receive smoke detector inspections.

The service will be provided from 4-7 p.m. Monday through Friday, for two weeks - Oct. 13-24.

"The firefighter at your door should be in uniform," McClain said.

EFD personnel will announce their arrival and show proper identification before accepting an invitation to enter the home, he said.

If batteries are needed, they will be installed. But if no detectors are present at all, the firefighter will put one in at no charge to the occupants.

Renters should be aware of state law 5-25-1330 that the property owner is responsible for keeping smoke detectors inside the rental unit.

Door-to-door service is provided to city residents only. Residents in need of a detector who reside in the two fire districts served by the EFD are welcome to visit Station No. 1 on Pendleton Street or the EFD administrative office on Pope Field Road to receive one.

For more information, visit www.cityofeasley.net and click on "fire."