Fire prevention week celebrated in schools

“Our biggest priority with events like this is to try to educate these kids on fire safety and other hazards,” Russellville Fire Chief Joe Mansell said. “We want them to know what the hazards are and know that if they see one of these hazards, they shouldn’t try to handle it themselves. They should tell their moms and dads.”

To give the students an idea of what hazards they should be on the lookout for, the RFD brought the fire safety house.

According to Franklin County Fire Marshal Bobby Malone, the fire safety house contains an artificial fireplace and oven and different safety hazards such as a rug over extension cords, ashtrays and lighters.

“The children can go through the safety house and see what fire and safety hazards actually look like,” Malone said. “That way if they see a hazard similar to one they’ve seen here, they can tell their parents.”

Malone added that the fire safety house also has a bedroom that fills with artificial smoke and a heater that makes the bedroom door feel warm so they can show the students the proper way to exit a room during a house fire.

“We teach the children that if they wake up and there’s smoke in the room, they should roll out of bed and try to reach safety,” Malone said. “We use the heater on the door to show them that if the door is hot, there is fire behind it and they should go out the window. There’s a window in the safety house and the guys help the children exit that way.”

Mansell also explained that getting out of the house is important, but it is also important for the students and their parents to have a designated meeting area outside in the event of a fire so everyone in the home can be accounted for, and the fire safety can help them teach all these things.

“Even though we house the safety house at Russellville, different agencies have used it all over the county,” Mansell said. “We had several sponsors who made getting this simulator possible, and it has really been beneficial when we demonstrate fire safety.”

In addition to touring the fire safety house, students were shown different aspects of the fire trucks and the gear the firefighters wear during a fire.

“We look and sound very different in our gear and we want the kids to be familiar with what we’ll look like if we ever have to come to their house for a fire,” Mansell said. “We don’t want them to be scared of us.”

Neal Taylor, with the Alabama Forestry Commission, said that this year they have partnered with the RFD because it is important for students to learn about outdoor fire safety as well.

“I know Franklin County residents have seen recently on Highway 24 what kind of damage a fire can do on the forestry end,” Taylor said. “We bring Smoky the Bear and make sure the kids understand that they should never play with matches and that if they go camping, they should always put out their camp fires.”

The RFD and the AFC also offer other services to ensure homes in the area remain fire safe.

The AFC offers a booklet called “50 Ways to Make Your Home Fire Safe” and anyone wanting a copy can call the local AFC office at 256-332-2460 to speak to Neal Taylor or Scott Daniel. Residents can also call 1-800-942-3107 to report a forest fire or request a burn permit.

The RFD is still offering their smoke detector program where residents in the city of Russellville can call the fire department and request a new smoke detector that the RFD will install. Also, Fire Marshal Bobby Malone will inspect any home where the resident thinks there might be a fire hazard.