Helping prevent wildfires can save property, resources and lives. A message Texas A&M Forest Service plans to share through Smokey Bear’s 70th Birthday Bash.
Traditionally Smokey’s birthday is celebrated on Aug. 9 but in observance of Fire Prevention month, TFS joined forces with both the Bryan and College Station Fire Departments to help residents understand the importance of fire prevention through a crosstown Smokey Bear event.
While this year’s National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) campaign is “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Test Yours Every Month,” deals mostly with structural fires and TFS works with wildland fires, combining the two causes will help people stay safe, inside and out of their homes.
“Having smoke alarms throughout your home is very important,” Marc McFeron Bryan Fire Department fire marshal said. “Fire prevention week, helps bring needed awareness to fire safety. In addition to smoke alarms, have an exit plan and practice it; we also suggest families have a fire extinguisher—used to put out small fires. This could help prevent the many house fires we see in Texas, that are often caused by kitchen fires.”
NFPA recommends the following smoke alarm safety tips:
- Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.
- Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. This way, when one sounds, they all do.
- Test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button.
- Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they don’t respond properly.
- Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm and understands what to do when they hear it.
“October is Fire Prevention month, so hosting this twin city event made a lot of sense,” Jan Amen, Texas A&M Forest Service fire prevention specialist said. “Smokey Bear just turned 70, so this event serves several purposes: we get to celebrate his birthday, tie in his popular message of wildfire prevention and teach families the importance of helping to prevent all fires.”
TFS offers these tips to help prevent wildfires:
- Never burn leaves on a windy day.
- Monitor local burn bans by contacting your county judge’s office.
- When barbecuing, never leave a grill unattended.
- Clear away grass, leaves and other debris within a 10-foot perimeter of any burn pile, campfire or barbecue grill.
- Keep water nearby when doing anything outdoors that creates a spark.
- If you see a fire, call 911.
Smokey’s 70th Birthday Bash provides an opportunity for kids to come out and have fun, but also learn valuable lessons on how to stay safe in the event of a wildfire.
“This will be a fun and educational time for the whole family,” Amen said. “There’s a fire safety house, different types of firefighting equipment and a kid’s fun zone.”
The kid’s fun zone will include firefighting gear to try on, relay races, piñatas, a geocaching scavenger hunt, home emergency kit game, a Smokey birthday card station and plenty more.
The free event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. behind the Arts Pavilion at the Wolf Pen Creek festival site, 1015 Colgate Drive, College Station, Texas.
To learn more about Smokey’s 70th Birthday Bash and to RSVP visit TFS’ Facebook event page.
You can also listen to Smokey’s PSA for more information on the event.
Visit NFPA’s Fire Prevention Week webpage to learn more about how smoke alarms make a life-saving difference.