Fire Prevention Week (FPW) is October 5-11 and the theme is "It's Fire Prevention Week: Prevent Home Fires". We were promoting this safety campaign by visiting every elementary classroom in the Kelso School District September 29 - October 3 to promote our FPW activities. On Sunday, October 5, we will host our 8th Annual Memorial Procession parade. The rest of the week (October 6-10), we will offer scheduled fire station tours for pre-school and elementary aged children. We will end the week with our FPW Open House on Saturday, October 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at our Headquarters Station which is located at 701 Vine St in Kelso (flyer...click here).

Our goal is to get the word out to local families that with a little extra caution, preventing the leading causes of home fires (cooking, heating, electrical and smoking materials) is within their power. In 2006, fire departments responded to nearly 400,000 home fires! Other safety topics we will focus on include: EDITH (Exit Drills In The Home); Know 2 Ways Out of Every Room; Kitchen Safety; Smoke Alarm Placement & Maintenance; Stop, Drop & Roll; Get Out & Stay Out; Heating Safety; and other General Fire Safety information.

During our FPW Open House on Saturday, October 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. we are offering some exciting, interactive activities for families to enjoy. The activities include: FREE Hot Dogs served fresh off our antique "Fire Engine Grille"; Elephant Ears, Live Magic Shows, Appearances from Smokey Bear; Junior Firefighter Nozzle Practice (where kids get to spray the fire hose and put out a "house fire"); Bike Helmet Fitting & Distribution; Button Making Booth; Arts & Crafts Section; Interactive, Hands-On Hazard House; and much more! Children also will have the opportunity to enter our drawing to win some awesome prizes. There will be drawing every hour and a grand prize drawing at the end of our event. Mark your calendars now and plan on attending this family-oriented event and visit with our Chief, Firefighters, EMT's and Paramedics while you're here!

Fire Prevention Week is actively supported by fire departments across the country. 2008 was the 87th year that fire departments observed FPW, making it one of the longest running public health and safety observances on record. There is growing proof that fire prevention campaigns save lives. We are dedicated to protecting our community; giving people the tools they need in order to protect their homes and families while being safe. We hope our efforts during FPW assist us in teaching people the importance of fire safety before they have to suffer a damaging loss.