Maranda is bringing a Park Party to Kollen Park in Holland on Thursday July 14! Free food and free family fun. Meet Jake the Fire Safety Dog and the E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety team!
Maranda brings a Park Party to Kalamazoo on July 7 from Noon to 2pm. Join E.S.C.A.P.E. and Jake the Fire Safety Dog to learn about fire safety. Everyone is invited and everything is free!
Having a campfire can be one of the greatest joys of summer. Whether roasting marshmallows, cooking a meal, or surrounded by family and friends, it’s important to understand how to stay safe around a campfire.
- Select an appropriate location. Before creating a campfire, make sure you understand any rules or regulations for your area. Avoid building the fire near low-hanging branches, tree roots, structures, and other flammable items. Try to choose a location where your fire will be sheltered from the wind and use campfire rings or other designated campfire accessories whenever possible.
- Use the appropriate campfire fuel. Soft woods like pine, fir, and cedar are best for starting a fire. Start the fire by building a small teepee of dry sticks and igniting it with a match. As the fire gets started, add larger pieces of wood. Remember to keep the fire small. Don’t burn items that may explode or give off toxic fumes. Items should never be thrown in a fire. That includes batteries, plastic bags, glass, and aluminum cans.
- Supervise the campfire area continuously. A responsible adult should always be present while a campfire is burning. Encourage small children to stay seated several feet away from the fire. Extinguished campfire areas should still be monitored after the flames have gone out to make sure the campfire does not re-ignite and to make sure that children are not burned by embers, which still retain heat even after the fire is extinguished.
- Completely extinguish the campfire. A roaring fire is both a success, and a responsibility. It is your job to properly maintain and extinguish your campfire when you are finished. Make sure you always have a large bucket of water and metal shovel on hand to put out the fire. Pour lots of water on the fire, drown all embers, not just the red ones, until the hissing sound stops. Stir the campfire ashes and embers with a shovel and pour more water on the ashes, then feel the area to make sure they are cold to the touch.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety reminds you that summer activities are more fun when you know that your kids are safe Where You Live!
Connecting families to make sure children have a great start. That was the goal of the Play, Learn, Explore Early Childhood Resource Fair.
The fair took place at the Kent Career Technical Center on April 23. Hundreds of families came to see more than 60 preschool and child care centers and 20 vendors that serve families with young children. There were free resources for families to learn about health, dental care, maternity health, children’s development, and more. It was fun for kids too, with plenty of activities, crafts, music, food, and more!
Kids got to visit with mascots from the West Michigan Whitecaps and Grand Rapids Griffins along with Clifford the Big Red Dog and Curious George. The United Dairy Industry of Michigan was there with easy snacks you can make it home that pack a nutritional punch with dairy. The Kent County Oral Health Coalition talked to families about importance of oral health and access to dental care they have through Healthy Kids Dental.
John Ball Zoo spread the word about family memberships and classes for kids ages three up to high school age. Bethany Christian Services talked to families about being refugee parents. Michael McLeieer of E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc. and Operation Save a Life educated children about fire safety and the importance of smoke alarms. And Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital’s Injury Prevention Program focused on three safety measures – making sure kids are in proper car seats, wear helmets when riding bikes, and never leaving kids unattended in or around water.
For 20 years now, Michael McLeieer of E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc. has been teaching children and adults about fire prevention. Now his work and dedication has earned him a national award, the 2016 Fire Prevention and Education Award.
The award, sponsored by Nest, was established in memory of volunteer firefighter and NVFC board member Marc Mueller. Each year, it honors a person who has made a major contribution in the field of fire prevention.
McLeieer founded E.S.C.A.P.E. more than 20 years ago to teach children and adults about fire prevention, CPR, and first aid. He is a regular at Maranda Park Parties every summer, spreading his message of fire safety to more than a million children in West Michigan.
Lt. McLeieer will be recognized at a banquet on May 6, 2016, in Alexandria, Virginia. To read more about his accomplishments and the award, click here.
Michael McLeieer, Jake the Fire Safety Dog, and Maranda in the WOTV 4 studio
Michael McLeieer of E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc. is the proud recipient of the 2016 Fire Prevention and Education Award.
The award, sponsored by Nest, was established in memory of volunteer firefighter and NVFC board member Marc Mueller. Each year, it honors a person who has made a major contribution in the field of fire prevention.
McLeieer founded E.S.C.A.P.E. more than 20 years ago to teach children and adults about fire prevention, CPR, and first aid. He is a regular at Maranda Park Parties every summer, spreading his message of fire safety to more than a million children in West Michigan.
Lt. McLeieer will be recognized at a banquet on May 6, 2016, in Alexandria, Virginia. To read more about his accomplishments and the award, click here.
A free smoke alarm installation program is becoming even easier to take advantage of.
In 2015, more than 100 people died in house fires in Michigan. Some of those homes didn’t have enough smoke detectors or ones that worked.
Officials with Operation Save a Life, a free program designed to help install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in homes across the state, say there is now a phone number people can call to set up an appointment: 1.844.978.4400.
Michael McLeieer, with Operation Save a Life, says there’s a 50 percent greater chance of someone dying in a house fire without a working smoke alarm.
“Over 15,000 smoke alarms have been installed just this last year and we’ve had 12 documented saves that we know of from fire department and American Red Cross installed smoke alarms. So this campaign is working,” said McLeieer.
Grand Rapids residents can also call 3-1-1 to set up an appointment for free smoke alarm installation.
Since the Grand Rapids Fire Department started its Residential Safety Program three years ago, 32,000 smoke detectors have been installed in 5,100 homes, according to GRFD Lieutenant Bill Smith.
This weekend is also “Save a Life Saturday” at The Home Depot in Walker from 9 a.m. to noon. At the event you can learn fire safety tips from local experts and meet Jake the Fire Safety Dog.
When was the last time you tested your smoke alarm? Michigan leads the country in home fire deaths. Many of them occurred in homes that did not have working smoke alarms.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety reminds you that a properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you’re awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert, scanning the air for fire and smoke.
Take the opportunity when you “spring ahead” on Sunday, March 13 to test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, replace the batteries and replace alarms that are more than ten years old.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in properties without working smoke alarms. A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire.
There are many different brands of smoke alarms available on the market, but they fall under two basic types: ionization and photoelectric.
It cannot be stated definitively that one is better than the other in every fire situation that could arise in a residence. Because both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms are better at detecting distinctly different, yet potentially fatal fires, and because no one can predict what type of fire might start in a home, the United States Fire Administration recommends that every residence and place where people sleep be equipped with:
- Both ionization AND photoelectric smoke alarms, OR
- dual sensor smoke alarms, which contain both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors
In addition to the basic types of alarms, there are alarms made to meet the needs of people with hearing disabilities. These alarms may use strobe lights that flash and/or vibrate to assist in alerting those who are unable to hear standard smoke alarms when they sound.
Smoke alarms are powered by battery or they are hardwired into the home’s electrical system. If the smoke alarm is powered by battery, it runs on either a disposable 9-volt battery or a non-replaceable 10-year lithium (“long-life”) battery. A backup battery is usually present on hardwired alarms and may need to be replaced.
These batteries must be tested on a regular basis and, in most cases, should be replaced at least once each year (except for lithium batteries).
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement. Many fatal fires begin late at night or early in the morning, so the U.S. Fire Administration recommends installing smoke alarms both inside and outside of sleeping areas.
Since smoke and many deadly gases rise, installing your smoke alarms at the proper level will provide you with the earliest warning possible. Always follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions.
Smoke alarms are not expensive and are worth the lives they can help save. Ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms cost between $6 and $20. Dual sensor smoke alarms cost between $24 and $40.
Some fire departments offer reduced price, or even free, smoke alarms and may install battery operated smoke alarms in your home at no cost. Contact your local fire department’s non-emergency phone number for more information.
If you need a free smoke alarm, you may also contact WOTV’s Operation Save A Life program by e-mail at [email protected] or call toll free 1-844-978-4400.
Michigan school CPR bill could create 100,000 life savers:
http://woodtv.com/2016/03/11/quiz-do-you-know-how-to-save-lives-with-cpr/