A spark of prevention: Fire Department gets word out on how to steer clear of fire hazards

  • Published
  • By Will Alexander
  • 452nd Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. --  A1C Josh Bouman must've felt like he was on fire buried inside his "Sparky" costume in 93-degree heat in front of the BX, Oct. 9. Temperatures inside similar costumes have been known to soar as high as 40 degrees above external conditions. 

A1C Bouman expended loads of energy as he waved to drivers, greeted BX patrons and lured whoever he could to an information table set up by the March ARB Fire Department to get the word out about how to prevent fires.

But the heat seemed a small price to pay for A1C Bouman and a team of firefighters who fanned out across the base during Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 5 - 11) to spark interest in basic prevention facts that could literally save lives. 

Fire Prevention Week commemorates the "Great Chicago Fire," Oct. 8 - 9, 1871, where 250 people were killed, 100,000 were left homeless, and 17,000 buildings were destroyed. This year's theme was "Prevent Home Fires." 

In 2006, the nation's fire departments responded to nearly 400,000 home structure fires, 2,560 of which ended in death, according to the National Fire Protection Association. That's seven deaths per day. 

While 80 percent of fires happen in the home, 65 percent of the fire deaths in 2006 happened in homes where there was either no smoke alarm, or the alarm wasn't working. 

"Home cooking and smoking are the biggest hazards," said Harold Sterne, assistant chief of fire prevention, March ARB Fire Department. "Cigarette smoking alone is responsible for 900 deaths per year. Space heaters are another leading cause of death because people are not keeping a clearing around it and so forth. That's why we are out trying to remind people about these things." 

The biggest fire Sterne said he can remember at March was the gym fire in the 1990s where the building had to be destroyed, leading to renovations of the current gym to make up for some of the diminished services. 

The cause was undetermined, but suspicions pointed to welding operations being performed the night of the fire, Sterne said. 

"Some of the biggest fire hazards at March are unattended space heaters and overloaded extension cords," said Sterne. "Some people use the cords permanently when they're not supposed to." 

Sterne said there have been no major on-base fires this year, but the department has had to douse a few electrical fires. 

If a major fire does happen, the department has plenty of assets to fight it: 43 firefighters, three engines, a rescue vehicle, two command vehicles, four crash trucks, and a mutual aid agreement with local fire departments in the event on-base assets become overwhelmed. 

But Sterne said he would be happy if he never had to deploy any of his station's assets. 

"The more diligent you are, the better your chances are to never have anything happen," he said. 

"If you take care of the small things, the small things won't become bigger ones that can come up to hurt you."

FIRE FACTS:

FACT: In 2006, a fire department responded to a fire every 19 seconds in the U.S. 

FACT: In the U.S., home fires killed seven people a day on average in 2006. 

FACT: December and January are the peak months for home structure fires and deaths. 

SOURCE: National Fire Protection Association