Fire Chief Greg Janik of the Saugatuck Township Fire District in Allegan County was the recipient of the Public Fire Educator of the Year award from the Michigan Fire Inspectors Society (MFIS) at a dinner banquet held at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center in East Lansing on Thursday September 15, 2016.
Chief Janik was selected to receive the Public Fire Educator of the Year award from a list of statewide candidates because of his leadership and commitment to delivering year-round public education programming in the Saugatuck Public School system and to the citizens throughout the Saugatuck community.
Saugatuck Fire Chief Greg Janik receives Public Fire Educator of the Year Award
Janik joined the Saugatuck Township Fire District on November 20, 2001 as a paid on call firefighter. In 2004, he was hired as a full time fire inspector, firefighter and medical first responder with the department. That same year, he quickly realized the importance and benefits of delivering age-appropriate fire prevention and education programming to school aged students throughout the community. He began the public education program that same year in the community’s school system with the goal of having school-aged youth be the fire inspectors in their home and teach family members about fire safety.
On May 17, 2013, Janik was hired as the Chief of the Saugatuck Township Fire District. That same year, the Chief conducted a community risk assessment to identify and prioritize hazards which impacted the community. It was determined that residents would not only benefit from fire safety education, but also from having smoke alarms installed in homes where they were needed, free of charge.
In 2014, Chief Janik and the Saugatuck Township Fire District were one of the first to join the WOTV Operation Save A Life program. Operation Save A Life provides free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to fire departments as well as fire safety information to residents throughout West Michigan. Alarms are installed in homes by firefighters or the American Red Cross at no cost to residents. For more information on Operation Save A Life or to schedule your free alarm installation, email [email protected] or call toll free 1-844-978-4400.
E.S.C.A.P.E. would like to congratulate Chief Janik for receiving this prestigious award and thank him for his continued commitment to Making West Michigan S.A.F.E.
Firefighter Michael McLeieer from E.S.C.A.P.E. shares some back to school fire safety tips on the WKZO Morning Show with Jim McKinney.
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!