Travis to host fire prevention week

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Christian Conrad
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The 60th Civil Engineer Squadron fire emergency services flight at Travis Air Force Base, California, is scheduled to host Fire Prevention Week activities, Oct. 8-14.

Travis FES is scheduled to support the campaign through various on-base activities held throughout the week aimed at offering a broader understanding of the FES’s role in the Travis mission and of the basics of fire safety.

Fire Prevention Week is a nation-wide campaign that focuses on educating and training the public in the basics of proactive fire safety. Originally proclaimed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1925, Fire Prevention Week has become an annual commemoration of the lives lost as a result of fire-related incidents and also an opportunity to inform the public of the importance of fire prevention, according to the National Fire Protection Agency website.

“This is our one time of the year to promote what we do as a fire department and fire prevention itself,” said Staff Sgt. Scott B. Finan, a 60th CES fire prevention inspector. “Our goal during the entire week is to teach. If a fire were to occur, we want people to know what to do, and if a fire were to possibly occur, we want them to know how to prevent it.”

Base activities during the week include static firetruck displays in front of the Travis Base Exchange, fire safety demonstrations at local elementary schools and fire safety courses at the Travis Mini Mall.

In keeping with this year’s Fire Prevention Week theme of “every second counts, plan two ways out,” the fire safety courses plan to teach proactive fire management by illustrating the do’s and don’ts of exiting a house fire.

“We feel it’s important to instill the principles of fire safety early on in someone’s life so that they can carry at least the basic techniques of fire prevention with them throughout their lives,” said Finan.

Fire Prevention Week comes amid a devastating year for California in terms of wildfires. Both the La Tuna Fire in L.A. County and the Ponderosa Fire in Butte County have burned approximately 11,000 acres combined, over the course of the last month, according to the state of California’s official government website.

Living in the area that Travis Airmen do, it’s incredibly important to understand that being knowledgeable in fire prevention can be the difference between life and death, said Finan.

“Fires spread,” said Finan. “If you cause a fire, there’s an unbelievable amount of harm you can cause to the people around you. At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that we’re one force, one family. We work better when we work together.”

It’s the FES’s goal to instill in those attending the classes the importance of having at least two exit options when confronted with a house fire.

The week culminates with an open house at 10 a.m. Oct. 14 at Fire Station No. 2. The event is scheduled to include food, raffles, a parade, fire extinguisher training and a children’s play area. Children will have the opportunity to learn life-saving skills “such as stop, drop, and roll,” as well as how to safely exit a smoke-filled environment in the fire safety trailer.

For more information on Fire Prevention Week or about base activities, call Travis’ FES at 707-424-3683 or visit www.NFPA.or