National Fire Prevention Month

October is National Fire Prevention month. The 104th Fighter Wing fire department takes aggressive steps to ensure that we limit the fire threat to the unit to ensure mission readiness.

This is done through routine fire inspections, providing fire safety education to members, as well as ensuring that fire suppressions systems and equipment are maintained. In addition to these important steps, firefighters from the 104th Fighter Wing fire department also conduct rigorous training to ensure that if a fire does occur on our base we are prepared to take whatever steps necessary to safely extinguish it.

All of these proactive steps are to ensure the safety of the 104th Fighter Wing and its personnel.  We are also aware that it's not just the local footprint of the wing that we want to address.  We want the members of the wing to also embrace concepts of fire safety and prevention on the home front.  The message of this year’s National Fire Prevention Week is “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety.”  

Key messages for "Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety" include:

• When a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide (CO) alarm sounds, respond immediately by exiting the home as quickly as possible.            
• If your alarm begins to chirp, it may mean that the batteries are running low and need to be replaced. If the alarm continues to chirp after the batteries are replaced, or the alarm is more than 10 years old, it is time to replace the alarm.         
• Test all smoke and CO alarms monthly. Press the test button to make sure the alarm is working.           
• If there is someone in your household who is deaf or hard of hearing, install bed shaker and strobe light alarms that will alert that person to fire.
• Know the difference between the sound of a smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide alarm - three beeps for smoke alarms; four beeps for carbon monoxide alarms.

A fire occurring at the home of one of our members will certainly have a drastic effect on that individual and their family.  Whether through the physical loss, or the emotional toll that the aftermath of a fire can have on them.  We encourage members to review this year’s message and the importance of fire alarms in their homes.  We also want to encourage them to speak about fire safety with their families.

Whether the other members of the household are adults, teenagers, or children, we encourage households to develop evacuation plans.  Everyone in the home should know how to get out, and where to go when they do.  Having a plan in place has proven to improve the chances of survival and reduce the risk of injury in the event of a fire.

If any member of the wing has any questions regarding fire safety and prevention in the workplace OR the home, we encourage them to contact the 104th Fighter Wing fire department and we will be more than happy to assist in any way that we can.

Stay Safe!