Firefighters educate base during fire prevention week

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Battles
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Each year in the U.S., more than 2,500 people die from home fires and approximately 14,000 are injured, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

In recognition of National Fire Prevention Week, firefighters at the Aviano Air Base Fire Department hosted a series of events oriented at educating children on fire safety, Oct. 5-11.

"The purpose of fire prevention week is to educate the base population on fire safety," said Staff Sgt. Kyle Rollins, 31st Civil Engineer Squadron fire prevention specialist.

Following this year's theme, "Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Test Yours Every Month!," Aviano's firefighters specifically educated individuals on the importance of maintaining their smoke alarms and testing them regularly.

"It's an early detection system that recognizes a dangerous atmosphere and notifies you to leave the premises," said Rollins. "Instilling this into young children is extremely important."

According to Tech. Sgt. Timothy Muller, 31st CES fire prevention specialist, individuals should test their smoke alarms monthly, ensure they are installed in accordance with the manufactures specifications and replace them every ten years.

In addition to an open house and child development center visit, the fire department hosted a library reading and a fire safety demonstration for the elementary school.

"Like any program requiring long-term impact, it's been shown that reaching young, impressionable children can set the stage for desired behavior later in life," said Muller. "Instilling a sense of fire safety in them at a young age works to eliminate risky fire behavior down the road."

National Fire prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed 300 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed 17,400 structures and burned 2,000 acres.