October 4-10 Is Fire Prevention Week: “Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned”

This week is Fire Prevention Week, and our local fire departments are teaming with the National Fire Protection Association to urge residents to “Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned,” which is the theme of this year’s campaign. To that end, local fire agencies recommend the following simple safety rules: keep hot foods and liquids away from table and counter edges so they cannot be pulled or knocked over; have a three-foot “kid free” zone around the stove; never hold a child in your arms while preparing hot food or drinking a hot beverage; be careful when using hot things such as curling irons, oven, irons, lamps and heaters; install tamper-resistant receptacles to prevent a child from sticking an object in the outlet; never leave a child alone in a room with a lit candle, portable heater, lit fireplace or stove, or where a hot appliance might be in use; wear short or close-fitting sleeves when cooking; set your hot water temperature not higher than 120 degrees; and install anti-scald valves on showerheads and faucets. Fire Prevention Week is supported by fire departments across the country and, locally, by the San Bernardino County Fire Department, including the Fawnskin and Baldwin Lake stations, the Big Bear Lake Fire Department, and the Big Bear City Fire Department, all of which will be hosting a progressive open house event this coming Saturday, October 10 (details of which will be outlined in a future newscast/story). In the meantime, your local firefighters ask that you join in Fire Prevention Week, which is now 85 years running, by staying fire smart, so you don’t get burned.