Fire
Prevention Week
Annually, the National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA),.declares one
week in the month of October, as "Fire Prevention Week". Fire Prevention Week targets school aged
children and was established to improve awareness and teach children the
importance of fire safety. The NFPA assigns a theme to Fire Prevention Week
every year. Themes generally center around the
"hot" topics in fire.safety. The
Marquette City Fire Department has always endorsed Fire Prevention Week and has
promoted.participation in local schools.
To kick off Fire Prevention Week, a static display of firefighting apparatus
from every department in Marquette County is assembled at Harlow Park.
Sixteen fire departments, EMS, and County
Rescue conveyances are.present. Parents
and children are able to tour equipment from their community and others. The
static display ends with a parade of fire trucks leaving Harlow Park
and continuing down Washington
Street.
Usually the week leading up to Fire Prevention Week as well as the two weeks
after, preschool, kindergarten, and first grade children visit the two fire
stations within the city of Marquette.
These children interact with fire fighting personnel, watch fire safety videos
featuring "Sparky - the Fire Dog", and tour the facilities.
Classroom visits for Second and Third grade children are scheduled during this
time. The "Fire Safety House" is brought to the schools, and
children are taught how to exit their bedrooms when smoke detectors alert them
to a possible fire. The "little house", or "smoke house",
is a two level trailer that has a downstairs and upstairs bedroom. With fire
fighting personnel conducting the lessons, the children are trained on proper
methods for exiting bedrooms, opening windows, and what to do when encountering
smoke. A nontoxic smoke is then introduced into the bedrooms, and the children
practice safely exiting the rooms. This fire safety experience, more than any
other, seems to leave a lasting impression on the children.
NFPA (National Fire Protection Association)
Visit them on-line at:
www.nfpa.org
www.sparky.org
Also visit www.smokedetectives.com
and www.redhotdots.net
for Fire prevention activities and games.
Click here
for the Fire Safety Checklist