When a tragic fire happens, communities come together to address fire safety. But what if there was a way for communities to work together before a fire broke out, to help save property and lives before they were lost?
Operation Save A Life is a free smoke and carbon monoxide installation program in select communities across West Michigan. The program can make a big difference in reducing deaths and injuries in a fire or during carbon monoxide incidents. See video above for more information on this program.
Maranda had the chance to interview fire chiefs and firefighters about Operation Save A Life and how the program have impacted the community in a positive way.
You go girls! Maranda also had the opportunity of talking with some of the women firefighters, and hearing their stories.
Operation Save A Life can be very beneficial in mobile homes. Typically, older adults live in these homes, making it difficult to retreat. Also, due to size, the layout and household items can burn hotter and faster.
Smoke alarms are the life-saving success stories of the past 30 years. However, each year, three out of five home fires in the United States that are reported have either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
Here is a list of some of the area smoke alarm installation programs across West Michigan:
Allegan County:
Dorr Township Fire Department – 616-681-9874
Fennville Area Fire Department – 269-561-2148
Ganges Township Fire Department – 269-227-3806
Graafschap Fire and Rescue – 616-396-4060
Salem Township Fire – 616-292-7789
Saugatuck Township Fire District – 269-857-3000
Branch:
Coldwater Fire Department – 517-278-4177
Calhoun:
Battle Creek Fire Department – 269-966-3519
Eaton:
Olivet Fire Department – 269-492-3340
Kalamazoo:
American Red Cross – Raul Galvan – 269-762-1935
Portage Department of Public Safety – Fire Division – 269-329-4487
Kent:
American Red Cross – Leslie Montgomery-Bean – 616-490-5571
Cutlerville Fire Department – 616-455-7670
Dutton Fire Department – 616-541-0119
Grand Rapids Fire Department – 616-456-3966
Kentwood Fire Department – 616-554-0800
Walker Fire Department – 616-791-6840
Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan (must live in Grand Rapids, Kentwood, or Wyoming and have a resident child 14 years of age or younger. Both tenants and owners are eligible) – 616-241-3300 or email [email protected].
Montcalm:
Home Township Fire Department (Edmore) – 616-902-3923
Muskegon:
Blue Lake Township Fire Department – 231-288-9220
Casnovia Township Fire Department – 231-834-7066
Dalton Township Fire Department – 231-766-3277
Egelston Fire Department – 231-788-2254
Fruitport Township Fire Department – 231-773-9312
Holton Township Fire Department – 231-343-6861
Montague Fire District Authority – 231-893-3311
Moorland Township Fire Department – 231-769-9402
Muskegon Charter Township Fire Department – 231-773-4316
Muskegon Heights Fire Department – 231-733-8893
Muskegon City Fire Department – 231-724-6795
North Muskegon Fire Department – 231-744-1766
Norton Shores Fire Department – 231-799-6809
Ravenna Fire Department – 231-638-1142
White Lake Fire Authority – 231-893-6503
Ottawa:
Allendale Fire Department – 616-895-6295, ext. 30
Crockery Township Fire Department – 616-837-6700 (fire station) or 616-837-6868 (township hall)
For more information on fire safety or to find a smoke alarm installation program near your community, call toll free 1-844-978-4400 or email [email protected].
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