JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
The Joint Base Langley-Eustis fire departments will be hosting events on both installations during National Fire Prevention Week, Oct 6-12.
In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first National Fire Prevention Day, leading into Fire Prevention Week to be observed the Sunday through Saturday that encompasses Oct. 9.
Dale Hankins, Fort Eustis deputy fire chief, said the theme this year is "Prevent Kitchen Fires."
"Unattended cooking is one of the most common causes of house fires," he explained. "It's also the type of fire that occurs the most on [our installations]. Attending these events could make all the difference in preventing a kitchen fire from happening in your home."
The events will include door-to-door visits in housing areas, hands-on fire extinguisher training, open houses, and Exchange and commissary visits. The Fort Eustis fire department will also be offering free blood pressure checks at the post's Exchange and commissary throughout the week. The Langley Fire Department will have the kitchen fire demonstration trailer at a few of their events, to educate the community on kitchen fires and how to safely extinguish them if they occur.
"It is our opportunity to educate the public," said Christian Jacobs, 633rd Civil Engineer Squadron fire inspector. "[The week] is awareness; it's our opportunity at raising awareness [of fire prevention]."
According to the U.S. Fire Administration:
· On average, an estimated 164,500 cooking fires occur each year in residential buildings.
· Residential building cooking fires occurred mainly in the evening hours from 4 to 9 p.m., peaking from 5 to 8 p.m.
· Confined fires, those fires involving the contents of a cooking vessel without fire extension beyond the vessel, accounted for 94 percent of residential building cooking fires.
· Oil, fat and grease (51 percent) were the leading types of material ignited in non-confined cooking fires in residential buildings.
With fire prevention being a key to stopping house fires, members of the JBLE fire departments believe Fire Prevention Week events will help keep the community informed.
Fort Eustis Events:
· Door-to-door safety campaign: from 4 to 6 p.m. in Fort Eustis' housing Oct. 7-11.
· Hands-on fire extinguisher training: from 9:30 to 11:30a.m. Oct. 8 and 10 at the Fort Eustis Exchange.
· "Freddie the fire truck" visits the Fort Eustis Child development Center (Building 1140): from 9 to 11a.m. Oct. 8 -10.
· Courtesy blood pressure checks at the commissary: from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 9 and 11.
· Fire department open house: from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Oct. 12.
Langley Events:
· Fire department open house: daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 7-11.
· "Sparky" visits Bethel Elementary School: at 10:15 a.m. Oct. 7-9 and from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 7
· "Bob the Fireman," "Sparky" and "Little Sparky" visit the Exchange: from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 8
· "Bob the Fireman," "Sparky" and "Little Sparky" visit the commissary: from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Oct. 9
· "Sparky" and "Little Sparky" visit the CDC: from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 10.
· "Sparky" visits Bethel Youth Center: from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 10.
For more information, call the Langley Fire Department at 764-4275 or the Fort Eustis Fire Department at 878-4281.