Chesterfield Kicks Off National Fire Prevention Week With Open House

Members of the helped kick off National Fire Prevention Week on Sunday with activities and demonstrations aimed at educating residents about fire safety.

Dozens of families came to the department’s annual open house at Station 3 on 23 Mile to meet firefighters, learn and have fun. Fire Prevention Week runs Oct. 9-15.

“Usually, when we meet people it’s not under the happiest circumstances, and it’s nice to get them out here to have a little fun and take a look at the trucks,” Chesterfield Township Fire Chief Doug Charbonneau said during the event. “For the kids, it teaches them that we’re nothing to be afraid of, because we can be kind of scary looking when we show up with all the equipment on, so we want them to learn to trust the firefighters.”

Chesterfield Township resident Linda Miller said she brought her son William, 5, and daughter Sara, 8, to the fire station to teach them firefighters are there to help people. 

“They love the firefighters,” Miller said. “They called them heroes before we got here.”

Educating on Fire Safety

Many fires in the township result from unattended cooking appliances or smoking-related incidents, Charbonneau said. He said any gas appliance, such as a stove, could malfunction and added that carelessly discarded cigarettes often cause smoking fires.

In addition to having functional carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, Charbonneau stressed that families should have an escape plan and a common meeting place so that parents can know that all children are out of the house if a fire occurs. 

"I've witnessed some terrible tragedies from people who didn't have working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors," he said.

When approaching a fire, the firefighters’ main priority is to save any lives involved and then to save property. If everyone is out, the firefighters can start saving the building.

"An escape plan is key; it protects your family and protects your property," Charbonneau added.

The fire department gave a Jaws of Life demonstration at the facility to show residents how accidents are handled.

“Those incidents are very traumatic to be part of,” Charbonneau said. “But to see what our guys can do and how quickly they can do it builds their confidence in us.”

Get more fire safety and prevention tips at the Chesterfield Township Fire Department website. Learn more about National Fire Prevention Week from the National Fire Protection Association.