Operation Save A Life is reducing home fires and home fire fatalities across a 14-county region by 62%.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow today announced E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc., a fire safety educational organization in Kalamazoo, will receive $23,334 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program to purchase and install 10-year long-life battery sealed smoke alarms and provide fire safety education to West Michigan children and families.
“Providing communities with fire safety training and reliable smoke alarms will ensure that Michiganders are prepared in the event of a fire or other emergency,” said Senator Peters. “This funding will help E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc. provide West Michigan children and adults with lifesaving fire safety skills and long lasting smoke detectors that can save their lives in an emergency.”
“Our firefighters in Kalamazoo put their lives on the line to protect our families and homes,” said Senator Stabenow. “Prevention is key and these resources will help save lives and the treasured possessions of so many families.”
“Emergencies can strike at any time and it is critical that Michigan families are prepared to respond to dangerous situations,” said Firefighter Michael McLeieer, President of E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc. “By receiving this federal Fire Prevention and Safety Grant award from FEMA, we will be able to provide our local firefighters and other fire safety advocates with the tools they need to Make Michigan S.A.F.E. Our goal is to make smoke alarms available at no cost, install them, and provide fire safety education to residents in order to keep them safe.”
E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc. provides fire and life safety training to children and adults of all ages in West Michigan. Since their founding in 1995, E.S.C.A.P.E Inc. has educated over 1,000,000 children and adults. According to E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc., at least 50 people who participated in the training program have used those skills to save their family from danger in an emergency.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grants program has positively affected public safety by providing nearly $7.3 billion since 2001 for infrared cameras, personal protective gear, hazmat detection devices, improved breathing apparatuses, and interoperable communications systems. This equipment is critical to ensuring the safety of firefighters as they respond to emergencies and protect our communities.
Eligible fire departments and Emergency Medical Services organizations in Michigan and across the country can apply for Assistance to Firefighters Grants. These competitive grants help first responders purchase the equipment and obtain the training needed to handle fire-related hazards. More information about the grant can be found at http://www.fema.gov/welcome-assistance-firefighters-grant-program.
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!
Ask any teacher and they’ll tell you that the lessons can be taught but the real magic is when the student shows that the lesson was learned.
And in the Eaton County community of Olivet that lesson could have been a lifesaver.
You might remember Jake the Fire Safety Dog.
He’s an important part of the 6 News “Safety for You” effort in mid Michigan.
Every year Jake visits dozens of classrooms to demonstrate the importance of having a fire escape plan and how to crawl to safety during a fire.
Last week fire hit an Olivet garage and forced a family from their home at 2 a.m.
When firefighters arrived they found the family gathered together in a safe place while the fire was put out.
Afterwards, while talking with Fire Chief John Collins, the family was explaining what happened and what they did during the fire.
That’s when their 5-year-old daughter piped up and proudly said that they had a safe meeting place because Jake the Fire Dog taught them about it when he visited a preschool class.
No one was injured and this is the 50th documented time a family was “saved” by a child who saw a Jake the Fire Dog or other E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety presentation.
ONLINE: Jake the Fire Safety Dog
Hands of people holding glowing bengal lights
Fireworks during the Fourth of July are as American as apple-pie, but did you know that 2 out of 5 fires reported on that day are started by fireworks, more than for any other cause? Injuries and even deaths due to fireworks also increase during the Independence Day holiday.
According to the latest national data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 2015 was the worst year for fireworks injuries in at least 15 years. Injuries from fireworks accounted for 11,900 emergency room visits and 11 deaths in 2015. Of the 11 deaths, nine involved people misusing reloadable fireworks, often trying to hold them when they fired, either on their head or in their hands.
In Michigan, consumer fireworks became legal January 1, 2012, and must meet CPSC standards. They will only be sold to people 18 years of age or older. Low impact fireworks (ground-based items such as sparklers, toy snakes, snaps, and poppers) are legal for sale and use.
“The safest way to enjoy fireworks is professional displays,” said State Fire Marshal Kevin Sehlmeyer. “If you do plan to shoot your own fireworks, remember these are explosives and that if used incorrectly, can cause irreparable injury and harm. Certified fireworks retailers aim to make safety their top priority.”
You can enjoy your holiday and the fireworks by following a few simple safety tips…
Proceed with caution!
- Be safe. If you want to see fireworks, go to a public show put on by trained experts. To find a fireworks display near you, check out the listings HERE.
- Parents and caregivers should always closely supervise children at events where fireworks are used.
- Sparklers burn at more than 1,200 °F and cause 3rd degree burns in seconds.
- Place discarded sparkler wires in a metal bucket filled with water.
- 16% of fireworks injuries each year throughout the United States are caused by sparklers.
- After the firework display, children should never pick up fireworks that may be left over since they may still be active.
- Leave pets at home and keep them inside during firework displays.
For more information, visit http://www.michigan.gov/bfs or Fireworks Safety from NFPA.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety urges Michiganders to follow common sense safety rules this Fourth of July during holiday celebrations Where You Live!