The Levittown Volunteer Fire Department will host its annual Fire Prevention Open House on Friday, Oct. 10. The event will be held at the Gardiners Ave. Fire Headquarters from 6 to 9 p.m.
October is designated as the National Fire Prevention Month. Every year, during the month of October the Levittown Fire Department Fire Prevention Committee visits all the schools in the fire district teaching and re-enforcing fire safety. In the United States every year, fires in homes are the cause of the largest loss of life and serious injuries. World wide, the United
States is at the top of the list for the most lives lost. This, even when all the fire departments across the country strive to get the fire safety message out, often giving out free smoke detectors.
Levittown Fire Chief Donald Epple would like to advise all residents of the importance of having a working smoke detector. This year’s national theme is “Working Smoke Detectors Save Lives-Test Yours Every Month” Smoke detectors are your first line of defense.
A built-in power supply lasts for 10 years. The fire department will be displaying some of the newest smoke and carbon monoxide detectors available to home and business owners.
The Levittown Fire Department also advises homeowners to have a arranged escape plan. One of the easiest acronyms to remember with an escape plan is E.D.I.T.H. (Exit Drills In The Home). Consider: are your windows large enough for an adult to escape from? Are they easily opened? Do you know if your present smoke detectors will awaken your family? Really, the only way to know this is to hold a late night fire drill to see if your detector wakes your family. Tests have shown some children do not respond to the alarm.
As of 2010, New York State Law requires all homes to have a carbon monoxide detector on every sleeping level in a home, as well as a smoke detector. If your home is more than five years old, it is no long accurate and should be replaced to eliminate false activations. Check the date of manufacture on the unit.
Levittown’s fire prevention program is one of a few aggressive programs out there that target children to educate them to be fire safe with the hope they will grow up to be fire safe adults. Firefighters count on the children to bring home the fire safety lessons learned in school and pass it on to their family. The open house will have some free giveaways, a free raffle, fire equipment displays, fire truck rides, a chance to practice a fire escape from the Fire Safety Smoke House, hands-on use of a fire extinguisher and a chance to interact with the robot, Freddie The Fire Truck. A live fire demonstration and a vehicle extrication demo will also take place. The Levittown Community Council along with both community libraries will be on hand. Free ice cream samples will be available, compliments of the Levittown Community Council.
