Fire Prevention Week events planned

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Base fire officials will host Fire Prevention Week events here Oct. 9 through 13 to promote this year’s theme, “Look. Listen. Learn. Be Aware. Fire can happen anywhere.”

This year’s campaign seeks to educate people about basic but essential ways to escape a home fire.

“Working in the fire service for many years, we know that people often make choices in fire situations that jeopardize their safety or even cost them their lives,” said Scott Rutherford, Hanscom Fire Department assistant fire chief of Operations. “We need to teach people about the potentially life-saving difference escape planning and practice can make.”

National Fire Protection Association statistics show that the number of U.S. home fires has been steadily declining. However, the death rate per 1,000 reported home fires was 10 percent higher in 2016 (the most recent year for which data were available) than in 1980.

Tim Moore, Hanscom’s assistant fire chief of Training, discussed that this year’s theme highlights steps personnel can take prior to an emergency.

“People should look for places a fire could start, teach their children to listen for the sound of the smoke alarm and two ways out of every room,” he said.

While the National Fire Protection Association and the Hanscom Fire Department are focusing on home fires, these fire safety messages apply to almost anywhere.

“Situational awareness is a skill people need to use wherever they go,” said Hanscom Station Chief Dan Stone. “No matter where you are, look for available exits. If the alarm system sounds, take it seriously and exit the building immediately.”

Base officials will hold events and visit base schools throughout Fire Prevention Week. A fire prevention-themed event will take place at the Base Exchange Oct. 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information about Fire Prevention Week activities at Hanscom, contact the Fire Department at 781-225-5601.

For more information about Fire Prevention Week and home escape planning, visit www.firepreventionweek.org.