Fire Prevention Week
October 7-13, 2007
www.firepreventionweek.org

Fire Prevention Day
On October 12, 2007 Schuyler Hose hosted our annual fire prevention day at the Schuylerville Elementary School.  SHC joined forces with the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to remind local residents to 'Practice Your Escape Plan.' During this year's fire safety campaign, firefighters and safety advocates will be spreading the word about the dangers of home fires and teaching local residents how to plan and practice escape from a home in case a fire occurs. 

According to the latest NFPA research, 3,030 people died in 2005 in home fires – that’s roughly eight people every day. Being alerted to a fire and knowing what to do to escape from one are extremely important, yet only 23% of households have planned and practiced a home fire escape plan.

Fire apparatus responded to the staged fire alarm at the school and positioned equipment for all students to view.  After the drill was concluded the five emergency groups set up individual lesson stations. For the remainder of the morning, classes cycled through each of the stations to learn more about fire safety

Assisting SHC in delivering the safety messages this year were our neighboring departments;

• Victory Mills
• Quakers Springs
• Gansevoort
• Gen. Schuyler EMS

After lunch every Kindergarten class made the trip to the Schuyler Hose Fire Station where they were shown an informative video about fire escape plans. Fire fighters also reviewed the steps of what to do if there was ever a fire at home and why it is so important NOT to hide in closets or under beds. Children were encouraged to discuss with their parents how to have fire drills at home and the importance of having working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Each child was treated to an apple to eat during their visit as well as a fire hat, stickers, crayons, and a coloring book stressing fire safety related topics to take with them.

Earlier in the week Kindergarten students were sent home with grid sheets provided by SHC to create a floor plan of their home and make a fire escape plan.  The plans were turned back in to the hose company and one student in each Kindergarten class was awarded a smoke detector for the best job.  Judges for the contest were SHC President Joseph Turcotte and Past Chief Ray Zerwick.

This year' fire prevention committee was; FF's Shane Buhrmaster and Matt Derway - Nice Job!