JBER recognizes national fire prevention week

  • Published
  • By Airman Ty-Rico Lea
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Every day, fires occur as a result of negligence or mishaps. That's why fire departments across the nation place an emphasis on fire prevention year-round, with a specific focus this year from Oct. 6 through 12.

During this week, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's 673d Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters travel across the installation providing facts and information on fire safety and offer tips on preventing potentially tragic accidents.

All information on fire safety, such as codes and regulations, can be found the National Fire Prevention Association website.

According to www.NFPA.org, Fire Prevention Week commemorates the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres.

Fire Prevention Week is the longest-running public health and safety observance on record, according to the National Archives and Records Administration's Library Information Center.

"Every fire department I've had the honor of working in during my 17 years of service have always followed suit with NFPA's Fire Prevention themes," said Master Sgt. Todd Barnett, 673d CES, noncommissioned officer in charge of fire prevention. "I would imagine this to be true for Department of Defense Fire Departments. We hope to instill this trend through public awareness, education and training."

The theme for this year is preventing kitchen fires.

"As public educators, we appropriately tailor our fire prevention and safety messages to match the age groups we are presenting to," Barnett said. "Our fire inspectors teach everything ranging from the very basics we've all learned as children like stop, drop and roll to always having a plan of exit if ever trapped in a burning building."

JBER is home to a total of seven Fire Stations. JBER firefighters visit base facilities such as the child development centers and elementary schools like Aurora, Orion, Ursa Major and Mount Spurr.

"Firefighters here at the JBER Fire Station 2 conduct all of the mandatory fire training and certifications for all Department of Defense employees, contractors and military members that require specialized training on JBER," Barnett said. "As an example, all child development center providers require annual training on emergency evacuation procedures and basic fire safety. In addition, our fire inspectors also conduct monthly CDC fire drills to evaluate their proficiency, ensuring the children are always top priority in the event of an emergency."

Ford Brooks, 673d Civil Engineer Group assistant chief of fire prevention, encourages individuals to visit the National Fire Protection Association website to learn about fire prevention and take a quiz, which helps give a better understanding of where and when a fire may occur.

According to www.nfpa.org, the National Fire Protection Association is a national nonprofit organization established in 1896. It's mission is to reduce the burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education.

"It's very important to ensure these young Airmen and Soldiers living in the dorms and barracks, many of whom this is their first time living on their own, understand and follow all the fire protection standards on the installation," Barnett said. "We have several short videos that we show during our presentation that definitely capture their attention and help reinforce our messages."

For more information on fire prevention you can contact the Fire Station 2 office at 552-7939.