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Educating
the public pays off
Over
the years, the fire service has come to the realization that one of the best
ways to reduce fire deaths and limit property damage is through inspections
and public education prog rams.
I think we all would agree that it is far better to prevent a fire
than to extinguish it after it has caused someone’s death or dama g ed their
proper ty.
The inspections division is required to inspect all c o m m erc i a l
proper ties, p r ivat e schools and day cares. One of the responsibilities of
the firefighters is to assist the inspections division with the increasing
number of inspections that are required.
Our main objective when we inspect businesses is not just to cite
violations of the fire code and create hardships for businesses.
We want to work with each business to eliminate fire hazards and make
the building safe.
Fire prevention also makes sense when you just consider dollars and
cents.
A major fire could easily cause enough damage that a business owner
could not afford to rebuild, which would cost people their jobs and
livelihood.
It is not our desire to cause undo hardship for any business, but fire
prevention is an investment in the future that makes sense.
Among the many responsibilities of firefighters, public education is
one of the most important. It is considered important enough in the High
Point Fire Department that a public education team was started to help spread
the message of prevention and safety.
The main focus of the program is kids. The main tool of this team is
the fire safety house. The trailer is set up to look like a house and is
designed so that non-toxic smoke can be introduced into the rooms to simulate
a fire.
It is a great way to teach kids how to escape a fire.
It’s also set up to teach kids about fire prevention and natural
disasters. One of the favorites of everyone is the tornado simulator that
actually makes the trailer shake and the blinds on the windows vibrate while
a weather announcer talks about the approaching tornado.
If you are interested in scheduling the fire safety house, contact
Denita Lynch at 883-8551.
We should never forget that preventing a fire is easier than
recovering from the destruction and death that a fire can leave in its wake.
24/7/365: You call; we res p o n d .
KENNETH LEE KNIGHT is a battalion chief in the High Point Fire
Department.
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