National Fire Prevention Month
William F. Eaton, Fire Chief/Director, North Plainfield Fire Dept.
October is National Fire Prevention Month and the North Plainfield Fire Department actively participates in this nationwide initiative. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Department modified our typical FPW activities. First and foremost, all residents should take this time and opportunity to be reminded of some important fire safety facts and tips that are listed below and provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a global self-funded nonprofit organization, devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fires.
In 2019, local fire departments across the country responded to an estimated 1.3 million fires. These fires caused roughly 3,700 civilian fire deaths (10 fire deaths per day) and 16,600 reported civilian fire injuries. Property damage was estimated at $14.8 billion. On average, a fire department responded to a fire somewhere in the US every 24 seconds in 2019. Fire departments protecting populations under 2,500 had the highest rate of fires.
This year’s theme is “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!” Cooking is the #1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of fires in the kitchen, so we are trying to raise awareness about the importance of fire safety while cooking. Of course, it is equally important to have working smoke detectors to help alert you to a possible fire. Now is a good time to test/check all your detectors for operation and change the battery.
During this campaign, activities throughout the month included working with the schools, as best as possible, to provide a revised instructional format that educates the students, while at the same time, takes health and safety precautions into account. We also kicked-off our 2020 Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program. It will be in a modified format, where visits will only be made upon request of the senior citizen, with responding Fire Department personnel wearing appropriate protective equipment and taking all necessary precautions. This cost-free program is typically for any senior citizen in the community, but we will also assist any other resident who requests our help. Interested seniors or any other participants should call fire headquarters at 908-769-2935 to schedule a time/date.
Stay safe!
