Fire Station 37 Safety Fair aimed to engage and educate
Fire Station 37 Safety Fair aimed to engage and educate
The doors were wide open at Fire Station 37 at the corner of 35th SW and SW Holden for their Fire Safety Fair on April 1.
photo by Patrick Robinson
Sat, 04/01/2023
The Seattle Fire Department Station 37 was aiming to engage kids and their parents on April 1 at their Fire Safety Fair.
The station at 35th SW and SW Holden Street opened their doors to the public and had a series of education stations set up inside to better inform people about the importance of fire safety.
Seattle Fire Department Education and Outreach advisor Carrie Brazil said, "The purpose of the fair is to educate kids and adults about the basics of fire safety and prevention. It's really important to talk to children as young as two to three year olds, to start the conversation about it."
Brazil explained that they start at a fundamental level for example "if a child sees a match or a lighter you don't touch it, you tell an adult, that a flame hurts, that you stay away from hot objects and most importantly that if there is a fire in your home that you know how to get out quickly. it's vital that you have a fire escape plan for your home."
If a fire starts, you only have about two to three minutes to get out. So a plan that everyone knows is important. They need to know where to go, and where you will meet, and then to call 911.
"It's also extremely important to tell kids not to go back inside. As precious as some things are, you can replace things but humans cannot," Brazil said.
Most people who die in fires don't die due to the flames, but the smoke and other gasses that are released when furniture and other materials burn.
Brazil also stressed that having working smoke alarms that you test was very helpful in saving lives. They recommend changing the batteries twice a year.
If you've wondered about why they always send so many units on what is often a minor matter like a food on the stove fire, Brazil has the answer. "Food on the stove is the number one cause of home fires. Often you can just cover a pan with a lid or a cookie sheet and tamp down the flames."
Beyond that of course it's better to be safe than sorry and often these calls from from multi-family dwellings where the risk to life and property is multiplied.
During the fair Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scroggins paid a visit to read stories to children too.
