2 Thursday, October 17, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com
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Please recycle this newspaperSHELLY KEHRLE-SULSER
Executive Editor
The day after they attended an
areawide community fire prevention
open house with other departments in
Pennfield Township Wednesday, the
City of Battle Creek Fire Department
continued their fire prevention educa-
tion programs in the schools.
“This year’s Fire Prevention Week
campaign, ‘Smoke alarms: Make
them work for you!™’ strives to edu-
cate everyone about the importance
of having working smoke alarms in
the home,” according to the National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Indeed, that was the first topic of
discussion when Inspector Bill Payne
addressed kindergarteners in nine
Battle Creek Public and Lakeview
School District elementary schools
last week.
October is Fire Prevention Month.
Firefighter Steve Nemeth, Lt.
Brendan Caid, firefighter Brandon
Root and Payne, all from Station 4,
on Thursday educated Prairieview
Elementary kindergarteners not only
on the importance of smoke detec-
tors but also on how and when to call
911, how to put out a fire on their
clothes using “stop, drop and roll,”
and how a firefighter looks when
wearing fire fighting “turnout” gear.
Each station in the department par-
ticipated in fire prevention education.
“Generally, the kids are very
excited for us,” said Payne after the
Prairieview visit. “And, we’re always
excited to come out and talk to them.
Unfortunately, we had a real structure
fire come in and that threw us for a
loop but all in all, I think it went rela-
tively well.”Youngsters learn about smoke alarms during Fire Prevention Week
Part of Fire Prevention Week education was to show children what a firefighter
will look like in the event of a fire inside their home. (Shopper News photo by Shelly
Kehrle-Sulser)Firefighter Brandon Root, left, shows youngsters how to stop, drop and roll in
the event they ever find their clothes on fire during fire prevention education
at Prairieview Elementary last week. (Shopper News photo by Shelly Kehrle-Sulser)
The Prairieview program began
with an assembly in the gym and
ended with an outdoor tour of the
fire engine and its on board equip-
ment.
“We’re in the process of restructur-
ing the program,” said Payne after
the presentation, “so we can maybe
reach other grades to cover maybe
more sophisticated fire safety topics.
It’s difficult when you have such a
young age bracket to go over fire
safety in a way where it resonates
but we’re doin our best.”
According to the State of
Michigan, last year, the State Fire
Marshal’s Office and MI Prevention,
a statewide community risk reduc-
tion program, reported 125 Michigan
residents were killed in 112 residen-tial fires and that fire departments
throughout Michigan responded to
17,040 home fires in 2023.
As of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s
Oct. 1 Fire Prevention Month
Proclamation, MI Prevention report-
ed 72 Michigan residents were killed
in 69 residential fires and that fire
departments throughout Michigan
responded to 8,859 residential fires
so far in 2024:
“30 percent of these 67 fatalities
reported as having a disability or
mobility issues limiting their escape.
“80 percent of the residential fatal
fires in Michigan were reported as
not having working smoke alarms at
the time of the fire; and,