MSU to host fire safety event for Fire Safety Day
Oluwatomike Bali
Staff Writer
As far back as the year 1992, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has sponsored the community observance fire prevention week. President Calvin Coolidge declared the Fire prevention week a national observance in 1925 and it has been that way till date.
The fire prevention week is observed yearly in the month of October, more specifically the week of October 9th in remembrance of the Great Chicago Fire.
This year’s fire safety day is on Tuesday, October 9th, while the fire prevention week runs from the 7th of October till the 13th.
The importance of this day is to bring awareness to the high risk of death that can occur in the case of a fire incident, and to also provide informative resources to people of all ages, color, and social status in order for everyone to be safe.
Fire can happen anywhere so it is important to educate people about the essential steps that can be taken to reduce the chances of having a fire and in the event of one, knowing how to safely escape.
Out of all the resources on fire prevention are three essential that everyone should be aware of. “Look” for places fire could start, “Listen” for the sound of smoke alarm, “Learn” two ways out of every room and make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter.
According to Lydia Lane, “I think that it is important to be educated about the safety that goes into fires. Grease fires are the number one cause of fires in cities that have colleges, So I think this event is important.”
The Mankato fire department does events like this often and they also cater to kids which makes it very conducive to learn for all ages.
MSU is going to be hosting a similar Fire Safety event on September 13th at the CSU Mall, outside Memorial Library.
The event will include a fire extinguisher usage demo, cooking fire demos, fire truck tours, a lesson in basic first-aid and CPR, as well as distracted driving information.
This event is for anyone who wants to attend and is recommended especially for college students who might not know some of the information presented.
Feature photo courtesy of Flickr.