The annual Hastings Fire Department Open House is more than just an excuse to let children crawl through fire trucks and spray water from fire hoses. The event is part of the fire department’s outreach into the community, not only to make community more familiar and comfortable with the fire department, but to spread vital information about fire prevention.
“The most important thing is preventing it,” said Fire Chief John Townsend.
Demonstrations of dealing with grease fires, and how firefighters go about cutting open and into cars played out before the crowds while children did, yes, crawl through fire engines and spray water down Eddy Street.
For Blaine Raway, a firefighter overseeing said children crawling over and through the fire engine, even that practice serves a purpose: “It’s so they understand it. So they are not afraid of it,” said Raway.
In recent weeks firefighters have toured through Hastings schools showcasing their gear, how they go about fighting fires and what to do in the event of one. Part of the community outreach is simply familiarity. Raway references the “Darth Vader-like” sounds of a firefighter’s breathing apparatus that could be frighting especially to a child during an emergency.
“If they were hiding in their bedroom, if there were a fire in the house, they would come to us,” rather than continuing to hide out of fear of the noise, said Raway.
Fire Inspector Jamie Stevens spoke about grease fires during the demonstration while firefighters Robert Wargo and Robert Erickson suited up to face the fire itself. An inch of vegetable oil was heated to boil as Stevens spoke to kitchen safety measures like the placement of pot handles, grease disposal, and placing fire extinguishers away from the stove.
The proper way to put out a grease fire is to slide a lid over the top of the pot containing oil in order to stop oxygen from getting to the fire, then to turn off the burner. But that was not why the crowd came to watch.
Using a pole with a cup of water at the end, Wargo gingerly dumped water on the fire. The spitting inferno that erupted from the pot drew gasps from the crowd.
“That is why we don’t put water on a grease fire,” said Stevens.
As usual, this year’s open house coincides with Fire Prevention Week, a week spreading awareness about fire prevention sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association. This year’s theme for Fire Prevention Week is “Smoke Alarms: Make them WORK for you!”
The focus on fire alarms is especially relevant now, as a common refrain for changing batteries of fire alarms twice yearly is meant to overlap with daylight savings time: “change your clock, change your battery.” This year’s daylight savings is less than a month away on Nov. 3. It is also recommended to test smoke alarms monthly.
Other common practices to prevent fires include putting out candles if you are leaving the room, not leaving items on the stove unattended, and keeping children away from stoves and ovens.