A proclamation was read at the Oct. 5 Cottage Grove City Council meeting, declaring Oct. 9-15 to be Fire Prevention Week in the city this year. Citing 100 years of official Fire Prevention Week …
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A proclamation was read at the Oct. 5 Cottage Grove City Council meeting, declaring Oct. 9-15 to be Fire Prevention Week in the city this year. Citing 100 years of official Fire Prevention Week history, the city would like to make sure residents stay informed and plan ahead to keep themselves safe.
Reading from the official proclamation, Council Member Tony Khambata said, “Fire is a serious public safety concern, both locally and nationally, and homes are where people are at greatest risk from fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association’s most recent data, U.S. home fires resulted in 2,580 civilian deaths in 2020. Fire departments in the United States responded to 356,500 home fires. Smoke alarms sense smoke well before you can, alerting you to the danger in the event of a fire, in which you may have as little as two minutes to escape safely.
“Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in reported home fires in half, and residents should be sure everyone in the home understands the sound of the alarms and knows how to respond. When it sounds, respond by going outside immediately to a designated meeting place. Residents who have planned and practiced a home fire escape plan are more prepared, and will therefore be more likely to survive a fire.”
Khambata continued, “Cottage Grove Public Safety Fire Division and the City of Cottage Grove are dedicated to reducing the occurrence of home fires and home fire injuries through prevention and protection education. The 2022 Fire Prevention Week theme ‘Fire Won’t Wait, Plan Your Escape’ effectively serves to remind us that it’s important to have a home fire escape plan.
“This encourages all Cottage Grove residents to be aware of their surroundings, look for places fire could start, listen for the sound of the smoke alarm, and learn and practice home fire escape plans in the city of Cottage Grove.”
Cottage Grove Police Chief Pete Koerner emphasized the importance of community outreach, saying, “Public education and community involvement are extremely important to us. I couldn’t be prouder of the last couple years, especially with Covid. All of the things we still continue to do, like drive-by parades for birthdays and vets. You name it and we’re out there doing it. We’re doing neighborhood parties. The ‘Night to Unite’ event was extremely successful. Fire Prevention Week has been going for 100 years, and I’m excited that we get to open our doors again at the fire station to do some tours.”
Chief Koerner introduced Cottage Grove Fire Department Lieutenant and Public Education Officer Mike Dandl and District Fire Chief Jeff Brown to comment further.
Dandl said, “My goal has been to be interactive for adults, kids and our firefighters. The big thing will be the tour of the station. The city should be very proud of the station that was opened in 2018. It’s always exciting when we get everybody to come in and they’re wowed by what they see. They’ll be able to go into all of our trucks. Our brandnew ladder truck has been a big hit at all of the events that we’ve been able to take it to, so that will be a great opportunity for those that haven’t seen it or haven’t been able to touch it yet.”
Noting expected participants in the event, Dandl added, “We’re excited to have Regions Hospital come down. They’re kind of our medical direction for our ambulances. They’ll do a lot of EMS and some other topics. Marathon Refinery is hoping to come and bring their new truck. I’ve gotten some confirmation that 3M’s E Squad will be coming out as well. We’ll have a makeshift house that kids can use a fire hose and spray. They like it, and adults get a kick out of watching their kids spray the hose.
“We’re excited to also have the Lions coming out, doing food,” Dandl said. “We’ll be handing out hats and stickers. We just got a whole bunch of new plastic hats that say Cottage Grove Fire Department on them. Again, we’re really looking forward to everybody coming out next Saturday.”
District Fire Chief Brown made a few points of his own, saying, “You mentioned how important it is to have smoke detectors. The UL has done studies that show that people cannot smell while they’re sleeping. They’re not going to smell the smoke. There’s going to be something else that would hopefully wake them up before it’s too late, and that’s the smoke detector.
“There’s also the ‘Close Before You Doze’ campaign. It’s important that parents and children close their bedroom doors at bedtime and for slumber, because the door is known to give people about 30 minutes worth of protection in the event they can’t get out of their house or room. It prevents the smoke from coming in while the smoke alarms do their thing.”
Council member Steve Dennis concluded by saying, “Thank you, gentlemen. We appreciate not only that information, but also the great work that your entire team does here on the behalf of the community.”