By Shawn Hogendorf, Staff Writer 

Prior Lake firefighters responded to 145 fire calls last year. Across the country, fire departments responded to nearly 400,000 house fires.

In an attempt to help people prevent house fires, firefighters will visit elementary schools during Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 5 through 11, to teach children basic fire safety tips.

The theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “It’s Fire Prevention Week: Prevent Home Fires.”

“The fact is, we have made progress in housing materials, in fighting fires, in preventing fires and alerting home occupants,” Prior Lake Fire Chief Doug Hartman said. “So, house fires seem like a thing of the distant past, but they are clearly not.”

Prior Lake and Savage firefighters will visit elementary schools to speak with different grade levels about what smoke detectors are and sound like, where detectors should be located, the “stop, drop and roll” technique, fire escape plans and creating a meeting place for families once they are out of a home in the case of a fire, said John Babin, Savage fire inspector and training coordinator.

Firefighters also will teach elementary students how to stay low in the case of a fire, feel a door to see if it is hot or not and how to get out and then stay out, said Eric Zimmerman, a Prior Lake firefighter.

“We will also talk about lighters,” Zimmerman added. “Lighters aren’t bad, but they are made as tools for adults, not kids.”

Firefighters will also talk to the students about how to call 911 in emergency situations and will provide the students with coloring books and educational materials that have been donated by local businesses to fire departments for years, Hartman said.

But fire safety isn’t just for children.

Firefighters currently receive more calls for carbon monoxide alarms and recreational fires, Hartman said. Traditionally, day light savings time means people should change all the batteries throughout the house on smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms twice a year, he said.

“I highly emphasize the need for carbon monoxide detectors in homes, because we see several serious cases every year of carbon monoxide in homes,” Hartman said. “We saw one about a month ago. The people recognized the issue because they had a near-death experience when they lived in Texas and they had another serious problem here. The legitimacy of the carbon monoxide calls is enough for me to preach this information. There are about six carbon monoxide calls a year that have elevated levels.”

Tips to prevent carbon monoxide in a home include starting the car outside, not near a home doorway, and having the water heater and furnace serviced once a year, Hartman said.

Firefighters suggest having a carbon monoxide detector on each level of a home where people are sleeping, Babin said.

Firefighters also preach the importance of fire safety with regard to recreational fires and discarding the hot ashes from fire pits, charcoal grills and wood-burning stoves.

A family in Savage was among the latest victims. A fire destroyed the home on Wednesday as a result of fire pit ashes thrown in a garbage can.

“I would like to call this an isolated incident, but fire services across Minnesota see this all too often,” Savage Fire Chief Joel McColl said.

Firefighters recommend that a recreational fire be no more than 3 feet in diameter and 3 feet high and at least 25 feet from any structure or combustibles.

“And burn firewood, not debris,” Hartman said. “Do not start a fire pit with gasoline. People can get seriously burned by gas. Just don’t do it; it is nasty stuff.”

People assume ashes are out in one or two days or a week, Hartman said.

“We’ve seen a fire start from ashes that are a week old,” he said. “People should never assume those ashes are out. Do not put them in paper bags and do not put them in your house. Put them outside.”

Babin said if people are not sure the ashes are cool, they should put them in a metal container and cover it.

Firefighters also are frequently called to house fires that start with cigarette butts that have not been properly disposed of. People should not put out cigarette buts in planters, Hartman said. A lot of planters have dried grass in them, and a lot of the dirt in planters is peat, which burns, he said.

Babin suggested putting water in an ash tray and making sure the ashes are out before throwing it in the trash.

Firefighters recommend placing a smoke detector in every bedroom, as well as outside the bedrooms in a hallway about 5 feet from the bedrooms and at least one smoke detector on every level of the house.

Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record and was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed more than 250 people, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres.

To learn more about Fire Prevention Week and how to keep your home and family safe, visit www.nfpa.org.

The Prior Lake Fire Department will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at the new Fire Station No. 2, 3906 Station Place, near county roads 21 and 42 in the Jeffers Waterfront area, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11.

The open house will include fire truck rides, an ambulance display, blood pressure checks, station tours, treats and beverages.

Seven fire safety tips

* Buy and install new batteries for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, then test the alarms and play games to explain to kids what to do if the alarms go off

* When cooking, don’t leave the source of heat unless it is turned off and hot pans are out of reach from children

* Pay to have water heaters and furnaces checked for safety and efficiency; make sure there is an uncluttered path of at least 4 feet from water heaters and furnaces

* Don’t overload circuits with extension cords or added outlets

* If you smoke, do it outside; make sure cigarette butts are extinguished

* Use candles, matches and space heaters carefully

* In the event of a fire, get out, meet at a prearranged place, call 911 and stay out

 Shawn Hogendorf can be reached at (952) 345-6374 or shogendorf@swpub.com.