Pets and animals are an important part of our lives. One special dog in particular, can help us save lives in the event of a fire.
Jake the Fire Safety Dog visited Maranda in studio during the Pet Show. For 11 years now, Jake has been helping children across West Michigan learn how to get out of their homes if a fire breaks out.
Jake is part of the E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety Team that brings the smoke trailer to events like the Maranda Park Party. The smoke trailer demonstration shows families what would happen if a fire occurs in their home. The trailer fills with theatrical fog. Participants get to see where the smoke enters, how to stop it from entering, and watch Jake show them how to crawl low under the smoke.
For more information about Jake the Fire Safety Dog visit www.jakethefiredog.org.
Score more points this year by putting kitchen fire safety in your line upWhether you cheer for the Patriots or the Eagles or maybe just watch for the half time show and commercials, the Super Bowl has become an American holiday. Share the information below to keep your communities safe. Super Bowl Sunday is the USA’s second biggest day for food consumption. That means a lot of time spent planning and preparing game day snacks. Before you kick off your menu, take a look at these tips for safer cooking.
Kitchen Huddle Prepare your cooking area. Use back burners or turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Move things that can burn away from the stove. Keep a timer handy and use it when you’re roasting or baking.
Penalty Flag Frying poses the greatest risk of fire. Keep an eye on what you fry. Start with a small amount of oil and heat it slowly. If you see smoke or if the grease starts to boil in your pan, turn the burner off. Even a small amount of oil on a hot burner can start a fire.
Defense Stay awake and alert while you’re cooking. Stand by your pan. If you leave the kitchen, turn the burner off. Keep a large pan lid or baking sheet nearby in case you need to smother a pan fire.
Illegal Contact Prevent burns when you’re cooking. Wear short sleeves, or roll them up. Don’t lean over the burner. Use potholders and oven mitts to handle hot or steaming cookware.
Defensive Linemen Children need constant adult supervision. If you have young children in the home, keep them three feet from anything that can get hot, including the stove. Put hot objects and liquids beyond a child’s reach so they can’t touch or pull them down. Never hold a child when you cook.
Touchdown! Keep safety in mind when serving on game day too. If you burn candles, position them out of reach of children and away from anything that can burn. Consider using flameless candles that are lit by battery power instead. Food warmers and slow cookers get hot. Place them toward the back of the serving table so they won’t get knocked off. Provide hot pads to prevent burns. Light the chafing dish fuel can after it is placed under the warmer. Make sure nothing comes in contact with the flame. If young children are in your home, supervise them and keep matches and lighters locked away.
For additional fire safety and burn prevention information, visit USFA online at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/cooking.html. Follow USFA on Twitter at @USfire and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usfire.
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http://woodtv.com/2017/12/06/tips-for-preventing-a-christmas-tree-fire/
The most wonderful time of the year is also the most likely time of the year for house fires. A fire hazard may be right in front of you in the form of a well-decorated Christmas tree.
“Christmas tree fires are…a fast, fast fire,” said Todd Kowalski, Kalamazoo Township fire marshal.
A simple spark can turn a dry Christmas tree into a torch in just 12 seconds, according to a demonstration by the National Fire Protection Association. The same study showed how a Christmas tree fire can engulf an entire room in flames in less than 30 seconds.
The results can be just as harrowing in real life. Firefighters say a faulty electrical connection in a Christmas tree is to blame for a fire that destroyed a home in Hartford earlier this week. The two people who were asleep inside the house when the fire sparked escaped unharmed when a passerby saw the flames and pounded on their door.
To keep your season merry, the Consumer Product Safety Commission provided these Christmas tree tips:
- Fresh, watered trees are much less likely to catch fire. So when buying a tree, look for branches with vibrant, green needles that don’t come off the branch easily.
- Make sure your tree is at least three feet from any heat source, like a fireplace, heat vent or candle.
- Water your tree daily.
- If you buy an artificial tree, make sure it’s labeled “fire resistant.”
“People forget once they go out and cut that tree or buy the tree off the lot, they forget to cut the two inches off the bottom of the tree,” Kowalski added. “That allows the water and kind of everything to soak up through the tree.”
Kowalski said it doesn’t take much to set off a major house fire.
“It’s just a spark,” he said. “Especially if you get a dried-out tree, something that’s been sitting around for a while, something that’s been baking over the top of a furnace register or next to a fireplace, it dries them out even quicker, and it’s off to the races at that point.”
Firefighters also recommend that you have working smoke detectors.