EAST LONGMEADOW — The East Longmeadow Fire Department will host its annual open house on Sunday, Oct. 6, from 12-3 p.m. at the fire station, beginning its support of nonprofit National Fire Protection Association’s annual Fire Prevention Week.
The open house event will offer information on cooking safety and lithium-ion batteries as well as give visitors the opportunity to create a Home Fire Escape Plan. Visitors can also sit in fire trucks, enjoy free hot dogs, and visit booths from the Council on Aging, East Longmeadow Public Library and East Longmeadow Police Department, Deputy Fire Chief Christopher Beecher told Reminder Publishing.
Children aged 7-9 and 10-12 will also have a chance to participate in the department’s “first-ever” Junior Firefighter Challenge at the open house, Beecher stated. During this challenge, children will be divided into the two respective age groups to complete timed “simulated firefighting activities,” such as working with a hose, forcible entry and rescuing someone. The child with the shortest time in each age group will be named the event winner.
There is no attendance fee to attend the open house. However, visitors are requested to bring one or more items to donate to East Longmeadow Food Pantry, Beecher said. Visitors who donate an item will be entered into a raffle for a home safety bundle, which contains two carbon monoxide alarms, a fire escape ladder and two smoke alarms.
The department has hosted this event each year “since the early 1990s,” Beecher stated.
In addition to the open house, Oct. 6 also marks the beginning of National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Prevention Week; an annual campaign centered on increasing public awareness of fire prevention strategies and providing access to educational resources, the nonprofit said.
Fire Prevention Week was declared a “national observance” by former President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 after it was first initiated by the National Fire Protection Association in 1922, the organization said. The event commemorates the Great Chicago Fire, which destroyed the homes of 100,000 people and burned across 2,000 acres. This fire began on Oct. 8, 1871.
The annual event focuses on a new theme each year. This year’s theme is “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!” which encourages residents to complete regular checks of smoke alarms to ensure they fully work, Beecher said.
Smoke alarms, also known as smoke detectors, are able to detect smoke within a home when installed and working properly. To ensure they are working properly, smoke alarms must be replaced after 10 years, tested each month by pressing the test button and installed in appropriate locations within the house, the East Longmeadow Fire Department stated.
In the U.S., properly working smoke alarms can reduce the risk of home fire deaths by 60%, according to a recent report from the National Fire Protection Association.
“Residents need to be aware of the age of their smoke alarms. After 10 years, a smoke alarm needs to be replaced. Also, it’s important to test your alarms every month,” Beecher emphasized.
Every house should have one smoke alarm inside and outside each bedroom space as well as an alarm on each level of the house, the Fire Department said. Residents living with multiple people should also ensure that alarms “meet the needs” of each person, such as alarms equipped for people with difficulty hearing.
When purchasing a smoke alarm, Beecher recommended residents use “name brands,” such as First Alert and Kidde. Additionally, he noted that alarms should contain an approval label from an independent testing company, naming the CSA Group, International Approval Services and Underwriters Laboratories as examples.
For more information about Fire Prevention Week and smoke alarms, visit nfpa.org/Events/Fire-Prevention-Week.
