FALCONER – Fire officials in the Village of Falconer are stressing three skills to help keep residents safe during an emergency such as a house fire.
Falconer Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Officer Katie Delahoy said that since a fire ripped though the village in 2017 and again in early 2018 officials have increased community education about fire safety.
“I think it has drawn us closer together to push us further to keep this community safe,” explained Delahoy. “It’s probably one of the largest fires Falconer has had recently and our chief has worked hard to make sure anything like that never happens again.”
The campaign, dubbed “look, listen, learn”, highlights three steps community members can take to quickly and safely escape a fire.
- Look for places fire could start.
- Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm.
- Learn two ways out of every room.
Delahoy is teaming up with the National Fire Protection association to promote the campaign.
“To me, fire safety is the number one priority,” Delahoy said. “Mayor Rensel joined us two Saturday’s ago and he himself learned what a fire extinguisher was, the steps to use that fire extinguisher, and he see’s how important that is.”
Officials said that the number of house fires have been steadily declining over the past decades, however, the death rate per 1,000 homes had increased by 10 percent since 1980.
Next Sunday, October 7, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Delahoy and other fire officials in Falconer will host an open house to better inform residents about the safety tips.
“A lot of kids come down and learn about the fire safety tips and make sure they are educated on how to get out of the house,” said Delahoy. “At lot of thirteen-year-olds who may be home babysitting brothers and sisters don’t know what to do.”
All members of the public, even people from outside of Falconer’s fire district, are encouraged to attend. Delahoy said sometimes adults don’t know exactly what to do during a fire.