This year the Huron Fire Department is unable to teach within the schools due to COVID-19; however, they would still like the relay the importance of fire safety.
“We’ve always gone and educated our students on having fire escape plans, having two ways out, having a home exit drill,” explained Ron Hines Chief of Huron Fire Department. “They have fire drills at school but we really emphasize the importance of having drills at home so that they have meeting spots for the family members to make sure we have everybody out of the house and they are safe.
“We’re actually not going to the schools this year because of the virus. We had planned on National Night Out on Tuesday, but they have cancelled that now too,” Hines added.
It was highlighted that when teaching about fire safety, it is important that everyone must get out of the building and not to return inside for any reason.
“They need to get out and stay out of the building,” noted Hines. “We talk to them about 911, the emergency number that gets fire, police and ambulance,” he added. “It’s our emergency number that will get everybody going.”
When dialing 911, it was also brought to attention that at times phones may disconnect, so it is important to give an address right away.
“We emphasize to dial 911 to at least give an address so if they get disconnected that way we send someone to check on them,” Hines said. “So once law enforcement gets there on scene, if they need an ambulance or a firetruck they will relay that information.”
Fire Prevention Week is an important week of education for second-graders at the Huron School District as well as Holy Trinity, James Valley and the Colony schools.
“The children seem to enjoy it; we have got our public education house that we take to the schools, which is a mobile classroom we set up for the children to go in. We have a video that we show, but we can’t social distance in that house,” noted Hines.
“Practice a fire escape plan, have an exit plan, have two ways out of the house, a meeting spot that is a permanent, make sure everybody is out, and call 911,” explained Hines.
The entire process of safely handling a situation at home where a fire may occur should be followed from beginning to end, with extra emphasis on having two ways out of the house and, of course, practicing the drills.
“For our Ag communities, it is getting dry out in the country with harvest. Have a little extra water on hand, some preventative maintenance. We had a couple combine fires this past week; it has been dry out there and it’s going to get dryer,” Hines noted. “We had extreme fire danger on Monday, Sept. 28. The moisture is going out the ground and out of the plants and making everything more flammable.”
The Huron Fire Department may be reached at 353-8520 or by dialing 911 in emergencies.
