October is Fire Prevention Month but it’s important your family is prepared and stays safe all year long! The Keeping Michigan S.A.F.E.™ Installation Program has created a list of area smoke alarm and/or carbon monoxide alarm installation programs across West Michigan. Check it out below!
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
- Wayland Fire Department – 269-779-2999
Barry County:
- Yankee Springs Fire Department – 269-779-299
Branch County
- Bronson Fire Department – 517-369-6475 – [email protected]
- Coldwater Fire Department – 517-278-4177
Calhoun County:
- Battle Creek Fire Department – 269-966-3519
- Marengo Township Fire Department – 269-781-8422
Eaton County:
- Bellevue Community Fire Department – 517-719-0861 – [email protected]
- Charlotte Fire Department – 517-543-0241 – [email protected]
- Olivet Fire Department – 517-588-9440 – [email protected]
Kalamazoo County:
- American Red Cross – 269-353-6180
- Kalamazoo Township Fire Department – 269-888-2171 – [email protected]
- Portage Department of Public Safety – Fire Division – 269-329-4487
Kent County:
- American Red Cross – 616-456-8661
- Byron Township Fire Department – 616-878-9174 – [email protected]
- Cutlerville Fire Department – 616-455-7670
- Dutton Fire Department – 616-541-0119
- Grand Rapids Fire Department – 616-456-3966
- Kent City Fire Department – 616-678-4330 – [email protected]
- Kentwood Fire Department – 616-554-0800
- Lowell Area Fire Department – 616-897-7354 – [email protected]
- 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 County:
- Home Township Fire Department (Edmore) – 989-427-3211
Muskegon County:
- 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 – [email protected]
- Ravenna Fire Department – 231-638-1142
- White Lake Fire Authority – 231-893-6503
Newaygo County:
- Newaygo Fire Department – 231-519-0494 – [email protected]
Oceana County:
- Walkerville Area Fire & Rescue – 231-742-1656 – [email protected]
Ottawa County:
- Allendale Fire Department – 616-895-6295, ext. 30
- Coopersville/Polkton Fire Rescue – 231-638-1444 – [email protected]
- Crockery Township Fire Department – 616-837-6700 (fire station) or 616-837-6868 (township hall)
- Grand Haven Department of Public Safety – 616-842-3460 [email protected]
- Spring Lake Fire Department – 616-215-1590
St. Joseph County:
- White Pigeon Township Fire Department – 269-483-9414
Van Buren County:
- Bangor Community Fire Department – 269-427-8980 – [email protected]
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].
E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc., an award-winning fire safety organization is teaming up with AARP Michigan, WOTV 4 Women, the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®), First Alert®, the National Volunteer Fire Council and the Michigan fire service for Fire Prevention Week 2020. This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!™ The campaign runs from October 4-10 and works to educate everyone about simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe.
According to NFPA, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States. Almost half (44%) of reported home fires started in the kitchen. Two-thirds (66%) of home cooking fires start with the ignition of food or other cooking materials. “Cooking fires are preventable,” said Firefighter Michael McLeieer, president and founder of the non-profit charity E.S.C.A.P.E. “It’s important that people stay in the kitchen when they are cooking, use a timer as a reminder when the food is done and avoid distractions such as electronics or televisions. These are some of the important steps everyone can take to keep families safe in their homes,” according to McLeieer.
A cooking fire can grow quickly. Each year many homes are damaged and people are injured by fires that could easily have been prevented.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc. and AARP Michigan offer this recipe for Fire-Safe Cooking.
- Keep an eye on what you fry. Never leave cooking food unattended. Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling or broiling. If you have to leave, even for a short time, turn off the stove.
- Stand by your pan. If you are simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking and use a timer to remind you that you’re cooking.
- You have to be alert and awake when cooking. Alcohol and some drugs can make you sleepy.
- Always keep an oven mitt and pan lid nearby when you’re cooking. If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan to smother the flames. Turn off the burner and leave the pan covered until it is completely cool.
- Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so no one can bump them or pull them over.
- Have a “kid-free and pet-free zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.
To learn more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities Where You Live, please contact your local fire department. For more information about cooking fire prevention, visit www.nfpa.org/fpw or www.escapeinc.org.
Interview with E.S.C.A.P.E. Inc. president Lt. Michael McLeieer Monday September 29, 2020 at 8:50 a.m. on WKZO AM 590 or FM 106.9.
As the temperatures cool down outside, you may want to start a fire in the fireplace or turn on the furnace to stay warm, but is your chimney ready to handle the heat?
National Chimney Safety Week 2020 is September 27 – October 3 and is designed to educate homeowners on the inherent dangers of fireplaces and provide them with tips to reduce their risk of suffering a chimney fire or carbon monoxide-related health emergency.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC), an average of 17,600 chimney fires occurred annually in the United States between 2015 and 2017, and although this represents a significant drop from previous years, the Chimney Safety Institute of America believes there’s still much room for improvement. CSIA’s vision is that every family enjoys a safe, warm home.
The Facts About Chimney Fires
Your chimney–and the flue that lines it–adds architectural interest to your home, but its’ real function is to carry dangerous flue gases from your fireplace, wood stove or furnace safely out of your home. As you relax in front of your fireplace or bask in the warmth of your wood stove, the last thing you are likely to be thinking about is the condition of your chimney. However, if you don’t give some thought to it before you light those winter fires, your enjoyment may be very short-lived.
Why?
Dirty chimneys can cause chimney fires, which damage structures, destroy homes and injure or kill people. Indications of a chimney fire have been described as creating: loud cracking and popping noise a lot of dense smoke, and an intense, hot smell Chimney fires can burn explosively – noisy and dramatic enough to be detected by neighbors or people passing by. Flames or dense smoke may shoot from the top of the chimney. Homeowners report being startled by a low rumbling sound that reminds them of a freight train or a low flying airplane. However, those are only the chimney fires you know about.
Chimney fires are preventable. When burning wood, only use dry, seasoned wood.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends chimneys be inspected annually and cleaned as-needed. Having your chimney inspected by a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep before lighting your first fire of the season, is the number one way to prevent potential damage to your home or even the loss of life that may result from a damaged or blocked chimney.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety reminds you with more than 1,800 CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps located across the United States, it has never been easier to find one near you. To locate your nearest CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep, visit www.csia.org/search and enter your zip code into the locator search tool.