By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Fires can start anywhere in a home but they are more likely to start in a kitchen than any other room in the house. That makes this year's Fire Prevention Week theme all the more appropriate. Mike Smith, fire inspector for the Great Bend Fire Department, said this year's Fire Prevention Week runs from Oct. 8-14.
"NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) comes up with a theme," he said. "This year, it's 'Cooking Safety Starts with YOU! Pay Attention to Fire Prevention.' They set that up every year so we key off that. It just works out great that we happen to do a kitchen prop about every other year or third year.
Engineer Garrett Tindall said the week will once again feature visits to all of the elementary schools in Great Bend to teach K-6 students about fire safety. Instead of a skit this year, the fire department will demonstrate how to put out a fire.
"We have a kitchen prop we'll be taking around and we'll be doing a live fire outside," Tindall said, "a safe distance from the kids to show them the dangers of a grease fire and how you should handle that appropriately."
GBFD has used the kitchen prop for several years but only after giving the demonstration some pause. Some kids, when told not to call 911 for anything except for emergencies, go home and make the call anyway.
"When you show them what happens when you put water on a grease fire, the last thing you want them to do is to go home and try that or show their brother or sister," Smith said. "There was a lot of concern about that, initially. We decided to go ahead and go with it one year and we got really good reviews on it. The teachers really like it."
Part of the demonstration this year will include picking a teacher and sixth-grade student to put out a fire. How do you put out a grease fire?
"The best thing you can do is put a lid on it, pull it off the heat, and walk away from it," said Tindall. "Never put water into it."
Fire Prevention Week is a good time for other reminders such as stop, drop, and roll; replace batteries in smoke detectors once a year; and plug appliances like space heaters directly into the wall instead of extension cords or power strips.