Fire safety month Check smoke detectors and have exit plan

The month of October is national Fire Awareness Month. The firefighters are busy getting the word out about how to be fire safe. All month long the fire department will be busy educating the public about the dangers of fire and how to keep yourself and your homes safe.

We have already been in the elementary schools, meeting with the kindergarten classes, educating them on firefighters and how to use the 911 system, as well as being safe around fire. Later this week and on into the following week all of the first grade classes will be taking field trips to the fire station to visit with me. I will be giving them a tour of the fire station, educating them on the lifestyle of a firefighter as well as how to be safe at home in regards to fire.

This October we would like to emphasize the importance of smoke detectors in every room as well as knowing and having an exit plan for your house in the event it was to catch on fire. Smoke detectors are our earliest warning signs of a fire in our residences, however if they are not working properly or you have not changed your batteries in years, chances are they are not going to be very effective. There should be a working smoke detector in every room of your house, they should be tested and the batteries should be changed every six months. Having a well-planned exit route in case of a fire or other emergency is also heavily requested. Know the exit routes for your house; know alternate routes in case the primary exit route is blocked off. Have a meeting place outside of the home where the whole family will know where to go. Knowing how to use the phone to call 911 may seem like an easy enough task but does your child know your home phone number, or their address in case of an emergency. These are all important factors when talking to your family about fire safety.

This past week we had our annual Pancake Breakfast and we had an amazing turnout. Lots of loving people turned out in support of their local firefighters. We ate, we laughed and had a good time while educating the public as well as getting a chance to meet a lot of new faces. The fire department would like to thank all of the sponsors and volunteers: Albertsons of Boulder City, The Coffee Cup, BCHS Honor Society, BCHS Interact, Barb Agostini, Boulder City Social and the Boulder City News Paper.

This weekend the Boulder City Fire Department will be participating in Trunk-or-Treat at 5 p.m. Saturday at Veterans Park. The Boulder City Fire Department will be there passing out candy and goodies.

For any questions please contact me at the fire house at 702-293-9228 or email at bshea@bcnv.org.

Brian Shea is a Boulder City paramedic/firefighter.