Fire Safety

skip intro

Fire Safety / Public Education -- Oak Harbor Fire Station

INDEX

Home

About OHFD

Kids' Page

Emergency Preparedness

Fire Safety

FALL SEASON

Back to School As summer draws to a close, its a great time for parents to spend some time thinking and talking to their children about back to school safety. Topics range from travel safety to being home alone to dealing with bullying. It's important to discuss issues with your children and make sure they know how to keep themselves safe while you are not around.

Bus safety: The school bus system is a very safe mode of transportation -- statistically safer than riding in a car. To make sure your kids stay safe while riding the school bus go over these important points:

Have a safe place to wait for your bus, away from traffic and the street.
Stay away from the bus until it comes to a complete stop and the driver signals you to enter.
When being dropped off, exit the bus and walk ten giant steps away from the bus. Keep a safe distance between you and the bus. Also, remember that the bus driver can see you best when you are back away from the bus.
Use the handrail to enter and exit the bus.
Stay away from the bus until the driver gives his/her signal that it's okay to approach.
Be aware of the street traffic around you. Drivers are required to follow certain rules of the road concerning school buses, however, not all do. Protect yourself and watch out!
Read more about school bus safety: http://www.nsc.org/library/facts/schlbus.htm

Walking and/or biking to school can be an excellent sources of exercise and can be a great way to start to day. Walktoschool.org is a website dedicated to promoting safety in walking and biking to school. Check it out and be safe out on the sidewalks!

Halloween this year as you are planning your Halloween costume and activities, remember to review the Halloween ABCs of Safety! You can also play an interactive Halloween safety game.

WINTER SEASON

Holiday Safety Tips Each year fires occurring during the holiday season injure 2,600 individuals and cause over $930 million in damage. According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there are simple life-saving steps you can take to ensure a safe and happy holiday. By following these tips, you can greatly reduce your chances of becoming a holiday fire casualty.

The year-end holiday season -- Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's -- coincide with heating season. That, combined with the use of decorative lights and candles and parties where people drink and smoke, increases the likelihood of a fire. The most important thing you can do to be fire-safe is to plan ahead and pay attention. Visit our Holiday Safety Page for more information about preparing for a safe holiday season.

SPRING/SUMMER SEASON

Photo of firefighters treating an "ill" patient during a mass causality training drill Boating and water safety

Hot Weather Safety

Campfire Safety -- Clark County, WA maintains an informative camping safety website. And, as always, Smokey Bear has some great information about preventing forest fires.
If you'd like to know if there are any wildfires burning in an area you plan on visiting, see the National Interagency Fire Center website.

HOME SAFETY

Plan Your Escape Having working smoke detectors is extremely important; but will you and your family know what to do when the alarm goes off? The United States Fire Administration (a division of FEMA) has produced a flyer on planning quick escape routes from your home: Get Out Safely! (pdf file). Once you have established a plan, practice it regularly so that all family members know what to do in an emergency.

Safe House How Safe is your home? Learn about twelve safety devices that will help you Child Proof Your Home.

Fire Prevention & Public Education at OHFD

The Oak Harbor Fire Department’s fire prevention/public education program encompasses a variety of activities. In 2004 our department had contact with over 4380 citizens. As in years past, the most popular month was October – Fire Prevention Month. This year we teamed up with local businesses to educate the public about fire safety. We also implemented our “School Lunch with a Firefighter” program which provides an opportunity for our local children to meet our firefighters, tour various apparatus and learn about fire safety. We participated in many special events including National Night Out, Island County Fair, Holland Happening, Fourth of July festivities, OH Middle School Carnival, our 75th Anniversary Open House and more.

One of our most popular group programs is a Station 81 tour. During a typical, planned tour, the group is greeted by one (or more) uniformed firefighter and escorted into our classroom to receive an age appropriate presentation about fire safety. A firefighter shares information about calling 9-1-1, smoke detectors, fire alarms, setting up a family fire plan, stop-drop-and-roll and answers questions. The group hears actual fire alarms, are often given an opportunity to use a charged fire hose to shoot “flames” out of our prop-house windows, try on fire-safe bunker gear, given the opportunity to explore fire apparatus and see how firefighters receive and respond to calls. At the end of the tour each child is given fire-education materials to take home and share with their families, such as fire-safety coloring books, brochures and stickers Photo of a preschool child putting on a firefighter's protective clothing during a fire safety station tour

The department also provides the Fire Stopper program for Juvenile Firesetters. An intense program designed to prevent children from setting fires. Parents are often the first to notice a child's interest in flames and fire and the first to want to stop a dangerous preoccupation with fire. If you are concerned about your child's interest in matches, fire and burning, please contact our public education officer, Lt. C. Anderson at (360) 279-4706. Photo of a poster sized thank you card from a preschool class with all of their hand prints on the paper and the words: "A High 5 Thank You"