2015 West Michigan Fire Prevention Activities Fire Prevention Month, Safety, , ,
21
Sep 2015

fireman-boots-9-2014

October is the month when fire departments across the country promote fire prevention education.  October 4 through 10 is Fire Prevention Week.  This year’s fire prevention theme is “Hear the BEEP where you SLEEP! Every bedroom needs a working smoke alarm.” Michigan has seen a dramatic increase in home fires resulting in injury and death. This listing provides numerous free opportunities for children and families to learn about fire safety, injury prevention and smoke alarm maintenance close to Where You Live. If you have questions about fire prevention and safety or need a smoke alarm, e-mail escape@wotv4women.com.

(Please note: event dates and times may be subject to change. Please check with your local fire department or event coordinator for more details).

Allegan County

Dorr Township Fire Department
5th Annual Dorr Twp. Fire Dept. Pancake Breakfast and Open House
4196 18th Street
Dorr, MI 49323
Saturday October 10, 2015
7:30 am – Noon

  • The pancake breakfast is to assist in the funding of the Dorr Township Fire Department Scholarship Fund.
  • Activities will include games for the children, silent auction for gift baskets, and tours of the apparatus.

 

Leighton Township Fire Department
Fire Safety Open House
At Leighton Township Library: 4451-12th Street
Wayland, MI 49348
Monday October 5, 2015
7pm – 8:30pm

  • Come out and meet the firefighters, look over the equipment.
  • Vanguard Fire Services will be doing a fire extinguisher demonstration/training.
  • Trooper Booms and his partner Pido of the Michigan State Police will be doing tracking demonstrations, and Allegan dispatch will have information on 911.
  • We will have information on smoke alarms, fire escape plans, home safety plans and other useful information.
  • Inflatables and other activities for the kids will be on location.
  • Hot dogs and refreshments will be available.

 

Saugatuck Township Fire District
18th Annual Fire Prevention Open House
3342 Blue Star Highway
Saugatuck, MI 49453
Sunday October 4, 2015
Noon – 3pm

  • Bring your family and friends to meet your Firefighters and First Responders.
  • Free chicken barbecue and hot dogs, fire truck display and smoke house.
  • Climb, play and learn about fire safety.
  • Dunk tank with firefighters, bungee run basketball, blood pressure checks, live Jaws of Life demonstration.
  • See a car get cut to pieces at 1pm.
  • Fire extinguisher training from Noon – 2pm (must be 18 years old to participate).
  • Fire extinguisher inspections (Free! Limit 2 per person or 2 per household).
  • Live burn fire sprinkler comparison. Two demonstration rooms set ablaze at 2:15 pm.
  • Electronic and household recycling – electronics includes anything with a plug or battery. (No large appliances or units containing freon). Household includes cardboard, glass, plastic bottles and pop cans.
  • American Red Cross Tent.
  • Allegan Co. Sheriff’s Marine Division.
  • Michigan State Police/Saugatuck Post.
  • Get to know your friends in public safety.

 

Wayland Fire Department
Fire Prevention Week Open House
160 West Superior Street
Wayland, MI 49348
Wednesday October 7, 2015
6pm – 8pm
Any questions feel free to call 269.792.6300

  • Kent County Sheriff Department Deputy Dale Dekorte, K-9 handler and his accelerant sniffing dog Ritzey will be conducting demonstrations.
  • Jake The Fire Safety Dog will be giving away prizes!
  • Fire prevention and safety handouts.
  • Free refreshments and cookies will be provided

 

Calhoun County

Battle Creek Fire Department
Fire Department Open House
Station #1, 195 East Michigan Avenue
Battle Creek, MI
Saturday October 10, 2015
2pm-4pm

  • Come join us for fun at the fire station.
  • There will be Station tours, viewing of fire apparatus’ s and an opportunity to meet you local firefighters.
  • Enjoy grilled hot dogs, chips, refreshments and watch the kids participate in our raffle drawing contest with lots of prizes.
  • You won’t want to miss the Big Prize in store for the last round , it’s an Epic One!
  • Full blast will also provide some entertainment as well.
  • Put this date in your calendar and we will see you there!
  • Call 269-966-3521 for more information.

 

Eaton County

Bellevue Community Fire Department
Fire Prevention Open House
115 East Jackson Street
Bellevue, MI 49021-1225
Sunday October 11, 2015
4pm – 6pm

 

Olivet Fire Department
Halloween Open House
117 East Street
Olivet, MI 49076
Saturday October 31, 2015
6pm – 8pm

  • Free cider and donuts, meet your Olivet Firefighters and tour the fire trucks. Meet Firepup and Jake the Fire Safety Dog!

 

Kalamazoo County

12th Annual Family Fire Safety Day
Lowe’s of Portage
Portage Department of Public Safety – Fire Division
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety – WOOD TV 8 – WOTV 4
5108 South Westnedge Avenue
Portage, MI 49002
Saturday October 24, 2015
10am – 2pm
www.escapeinc.org
www.jakethefiredog.org
www.wotv4women.com/category/maranda/escape-fire-safety/

  • Meet WOOD TV 8’s Bill Steffen and Jake the Fire Safety Dog.
  • Free 9-volt batteries and smoke alarms will be available (while supplies last).
  • The E.S.C.A.P.E. Smoke Demonstration trailer will teach families how to be safe from fire.
  • Tour the Portage Public Safety Fire Engine, Life EMS Ambulance and learn about smoke alarms from Safe Kids of Kalamazoo County.
  • Free games and prizes for those who know the correct answers to the safety questions presented throughout the day.
  • Halloween costume contest begins at 11am with prizes.

 

Comstock Township Fire & Rescue
Fire Department Open House
Station #2
5947 East H Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49048
Saturday October 3, 2015
11am – 2pm

  • Meet the firefighters, learn about a fire truck, use a thermal imaging camera, visit with Sparky™ and Friends, enjoy refreshments and win door prizes.

 

Kalamazoo City Department of Public Safety
Open House
Station 4/5
601 North Park Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Saturday October 10, 2015
Noon – 4pm

 

Kalamazoo Township Fire Department
Station #2 – Eastwood
75 Year Anniversary
2703 East Main Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49048
Saturday October 3, 2015
11am – 3pm

 

Portage Department of Public Safety
Public Safety Open House
7830 Shaver Road
Portage, MI 49002
Saturday October 10, 2015
10am – 2pm

  • We will have crafts and games for the kids.
  • We will also have displays of the fire apparatus and equipment and there will be various demonstrations for fire safety.

 

Richland Township Fire Department
Fire Prevention Week Open House
7401 North 32nd Street
Richland, MI 49083
Saturday October 10, 2015
10am – 1pm

 

Texas Township Fire Department
Fire Prevention Week Open House
7110 West Q Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
Saturday October 3, 2015
10am – 1pm

 

Kent County

Caledonia Fire Department
Caledonia Public Safety Open House
8192 Broadmoor Avenue
Caledonia, MI 49316
Saturday October 10, 2015
10am – 2pm

    • The Caledonia Fire Department is hosting its bi-annual Public Safety Open House at the fire station in Caledonia.
    • This is the 6th time this open house is being held and it is a very well attended event in the community.
    • This is held during fire prevention week and it is meant to not only showcase the safety vehicles that people see on the roads each day but it also stresses and teaches about fire safety preparedness to the attendees.
    • The entire department is there representing and talking to all who stop by.
    • Also participating are other partner agencies like the Kent County Sheriff Department, Life Ambulance, NOAA and Caledonia Kiwanis Club just to name a few.
    • The Kiwanis club sponsors a car seat check during the event in conjunction with Safe Kids Grand Rapids.
    • The fire department also conducts demonstrations of safety equipment like the Jaws of Life or a fire rescue simulation during the event.

 

Cannon Township Fire Department
Annual Pancake Breakfast and Open House
Donald E. Goodell Fire Station #2
6878 Belding Road
Rockford, MI 49341
Saturday October 3, 2015
8:00 am – 10:30 am

  • Serving: Pancakes, eggs, sausage, juice and coffee
  • Donations accepted with all the proceeds going to the Great Lakes Burn Camp which helps children who have been victimized by fire.
  • Building tours, meet firefighters and see all the fire trucks

 

Grandville Fire Department
Fire Department Open House
3215 Wilson Avenue
Grandville, MI 49418
Tuesday October 6, 2015
6pm – 8pm

  • Learn fire safety and CPR.
  • Meet the firefighters, police officers and paramedics.
  • See the fire trucks, police cars and an ambulance.
  • Meet Sparky® the Fire Dog.
  • Enjoy cookies, popcorn and drinks.

 

John Ball Zoo Goes Boo
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety / Grand Rapids Fire Department
1300 West Fulton
Grand Rapids, MI 49501
Saturday October 17, 2015
10am – 3pm

  • Meet Jake The Fire Safety Dog and visit with your local Grand Rapids Firefighters.
  • Take a tour of their fire trucks and learn how to Be Fire Smart inside the E.S.C.A.P.E. fire safety trailer.

 

Plainfield Fire Department
and Lowe’s Home Improvement
Fire Safety and Education Day
At Lowe’s – 4297 Plainfield Avenue, NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Saturday October 10, 2015
10am – 1pm

  • Fire safety and injury prevention material available to handout.
  • Vehicle extrication demonstration and other activities for children and families.

 

Sparta Fire Department
Halloween Open House
36 Elmwood Street
Sparta, MI 49345
Saturday October 31, 2015
11am – 2pm

  • There will be an Open House and games at the fire station.

 

Walker Fire Department
Fire Prevention Open House
4101 Lake Michigan Drive NW
Walker, MI 49534
Monday October 5, 2015
6pm – 8pm

  • Activities will include tours of the fire station and apparatus.
  • Home fire safety information and packets will be distributed to attendees.
  • Nozzle the Clown will deliver a fire safety presentation.
  • There will be free smoke alarms available for those who visit with an emphasis on Walker firefighters installing them for Walker residents.

 

Muskegon County

Casnovia Township Fire Department
Fire Department Open House
17569 Bailey Road
Bailey, MI 49303
Saturday October 17, 2015
4pm – 6pm

 

Dalton Township Fire Department
Dalton Township Open House
1650 E. Riley Thompson Road
Muskegon, MI 49445
Wednesday October 14, 2015
6pm – 8pm

  • Free food (Hot dogs, chips, and drinks).
  • Fire truck rides, bounce house, fire extinguisher trainer, 911 demonstration, spray house, vehicle extrication demonstration and “touch-a-truck”

 

Muskegon Fire Department
Fire Prevention Week Open House
Central Station – 770 Terrace Street
(next to Hot Rod Harley)
Muskegon, MI 49440
Sunday September 27, 2015
2pm – 4pm

  • Food and refreshments.
  • Station tours, fire extinguisher training, fire safety house, bounce house, Safebuilt of Muskegon, static displays, several vendors, and viewing of newly arrived fire engine.
  • Fire prevention material give-a-ways, viewing of fire safety videos in the theatre and 911 dispatch activities for kids.

 

Muskegon Township / North Muskegon Fire Departments
Fire Prevention Open House
Muskegon Township Fire Station #2
1699 North Getty Street
Muskegon, MI 49445
Thursday October 1, 2015
6pm – 8pm

(Additional parking available across the street at Meijer’s)

  • There will be a static display of fire department equipment.
  • Attendees will be able to spray a model house with water.
  • Other activities include: Smoke house, burn cells-showing the operation of smoke alarms and a sprinkled building vs. an un-sprinkled building, Vehicle extrication demo, Firefighter recruitment, Muskegon County 911, Pro Med Ambulance, Red Cross booth, Safe Kids.

 

Norton Shores Fire Department
Fire Prevention and Public Safety Open House
1100 East Pontaluna Road
Norton Shores, MI 49444
Saturday September 26, 2015
10am – 3pm

  • Featured appearances and activities include: Michigan State Police, fire extinguisher training, kids activities, fire truck rides, drawings and prizes to win a boys and girls bicycle.

 

Ottawa County

Crockery Township Fire Department
Fire Prevention Open House
16875 Main Street
Nunica, MI 49448
Monday September 28, 2015
6pm – 8pm

 

Georgetown Charter Township Fire Department
Fire Prevention Open House
Fire Station #1
1415 44th Street
Jenison, MI 49428
(Corner of 14th Avenue & 44th Street)
Thursday October 8, 2015
6pm – 8pm

 

Prevent injuries on the playground Safety,
09
Sep 2015

playground-injury-prevention

According to information compiled by Volunteer Firemen’s Insurance Services, Inc. (VFIS), each year more than 200,000 children go to U.S. hospital emergency rooms with injuries associated with playground equipment. Between 2001 and 2008, 40 deaths were associated with playground equipment and the average age was six years old, with the median age being four years old.

Learn the who, what, when, where, and how of playground injuries and learn how to keep your children and students safe.

Who

Between 2001 and 2008, 218,851 children between the ages of zero and 12 were treated in emergency rooms across the United States for injuries they received on playground equipment.

What 

Here is a breakdown of the most common types of injuries:

  • 36% fractures
  • 20% contusions/abrasions
  • 17% lacerations
  • 12% strains/sprains
  • 5% internal organs
  • 3% other
  • 2% concussions

When

The following are the top equipment pieces associated with playground injuries:

  • 23% climbers
  • 22% swings
  • 17% slides
  • 9% overhead ladders

Where

Here is a listing of locations where the injuries are occurring:

  • 51% public playground equipment
  • 19% home playground equipment
  • 20% not recorded
  • 1% other

How

This breakdown lists how injuries are occurring:

  • 67% falls or equipment failure
  • 8% hazards around but not related to equipment
  • 7% collisions with other children or equipment
  • 7% entrapments

Prevention Checklist:

  • Make sure surfaces around playground equipment have at least 12 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand or pea gravel. Surfaces could also be mats made of safety-tested rubber or rubber-like materials.
  • Check that protective surfacing extends at least six feet in all directions from play equipment.  For swings, be sure surfacing extends, in back and front, twice the height of the suspending bar.
  • Make sure play structures more than 30 inches high are spaced at least nine feet apart.
  • Check for dangerous hardware, like open “S” hooks or protruding bolt ends.
  • Make sure spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs, measure less than three-and-a-half inches or more than nine inches.
  • Check for sharp points or edges in equipment.
  • Look out for tripping hazards like exposed concrete footings, tree stumps, and rocks.
  • Make sure elevated surfaces, like platforms and ramps, have guardrails to prevent falls.
  • Check playgrounds regularly to see that equipment and surfacing are in good condition.

Remember to carefully supervise children on playgrounds to make sure they remain injury free.  For more information on ways to keep kids and families safe, visit www.escapeinc.org.

ESCAPE Marks 20 years of fire safety E.S.C.A.P.E. 20 Years, Safety, ,
02
Sep 2015

ESCAPE-Logo-courtesy-ESCAPE-Facebook

It’s happened 44 times. When you’re in the fire safety business like ESCAPE founder, firefighter and Certified National Fire Instructor Michael McLeieer is, you remember the number of times people have told you what they learned from you saved their life – or that of someone whom they know.

ESCAPE fire safety and education organization is marking its 20th anniversary spreading the word about fire safety. Many times, it’s children who are the target of the message.

Hear why McLeieer does what he does during an interview on WBCK radio by clicking the video below.

Read More: ESCAPE Marks 20 Years of Fire Safety |

 

Be fire safe for back to school Maranda, Safety, , ,
02
Sep 2015

A fire alarm with built in strobe light to alert in case of fire.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. fire departments respond to approximately 5,690 fires at education buildings each year. These fires caused an annual 85 civilian injuries and $92 million in direct property damage. Almost a quarter of all school fires are started intentionally. Safety education and preparation should be a priority for every family and school official.

E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety offers these tips to play it safe as children and adolescents return to school:

  • Fire drills should be held at least once a month while school is in session (weather permitting).
  • Principals, teachers or other school staff must inspect all exits daily to ensure that stairways, doors, and other exits are working properly and are unblocked.
  • On the day of the drill, the emergency drill alarm should be sounded on the school fire alarm system. Make sure everyone can recognize the sound of the alarm and knows what to do when it sounds.
  • Teachers, officials, and staff should be familiar with the school’s fire protection system, including the location of fire alarms pull stations and sprinklers.
  • Every room in the school should have a map posted identifying two ways out. In schools with open floor plans, exit paths should be obvious and kept free of obstruction.
  • On the day of the fire drill, everyone in the school should participate.
  • Students with specific needs should be assigned an adult or a student buddy to assist them. Fire drills are a good opportunity to identify who among the student population requires extra assistance.
  • While it’s important to make sure that students leave the building as quickly as possible, order is more important than speed when it comes to conducting a safe fire drill.
  • Use the class rosters to ensure every student is accounted for.
  • Fire drills should be held both at expected and at unexpected time, and under varying conditions in order to simulate the conditions that can occur in an actual emergency.
  • School fire drills are a model for students to use in their homes. Encourage students to practice their escape plans at home – just as they do at school

If a student engages in firesetting or other negative high risk taking behavior, contact your local fire department or visit www.kidsandfire.org for a list of West Michigan Fire Department based Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention programs.

College Fire Safety

While the above tips focus mostly on elementary, middle and high schools, they can also apply to college buildings, where firefighters respond to about 3,810 fires each year – 88% of which are due to cooking mishaps. Here’s a college-level course in fire prevention:

On-campus precautions

  • Cook only in designated areas
  • Keep cooking areas clean and free of clutter
  • Never leave cooking unattended
  • In case of a fire inside a microwave, close the door and unplug the unit

Campus lab precautions

  • Never leave lab experiments or pressure vessels unattended
  • Keep flammable gases and chemicals away from heat

Off-campus precautions

  • Be sure each bedroom has a working smoke alarm
  • Make sure the building sprinkler system is well maintained
  • Building heating and fire-prevention systems need to be checked annually by fire officials

General precautions

  • Identify the two closest exits and all possible evacuation routes
  • Know locations of fire alarms and how to use them
  • Report vandalized fire equipment to campus security

Fire Prevention Week is recognized each October. However, fire safety should be practiced 365 days a year. Whether you’re at home, in the office or at school, safety should come first. Do your part to protect yourself and those around you Where You Live!