Quint Williams, 4, reacts with his mother Nicole as he is recognized during an open house at Las Vegas Fire Station 3 Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022. The event was a kick-off to celebrate the 100th anniversary of National Fire Prevention Week.
Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022 | 2 a.m.
With the smell of pancakes wafting through the air and the occasional sound of sirens, Las Vegas firefighters and various community members gathered Saturday morning at a Las Vegas Fire and Rescue station to kick off National Fire Prevention Week.
Children who attended the event were decked out in firefighting hats and vests, as they toured fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. Firefighters showed attendees how they would save someone trapped in their car, and the bomb squad detonated a few watermelons to illustrate how they go about their job.
The event precedes a week of activities meant to engage the community on different aspects of fire safety, including this year’s primary message — planning your escape in the event of a fire.
“We try to get into the homes and educate people because that’s where the loss of life occurs,” said Fire Marshal Robert Nolan, who cited the example of delivering pizzas to homes in exchange for installing or checking their smoke alarms.
About 300 people nationwide die due to fire each year, Nolan said, and Las Vegas firefighters would like to help lower that number.
In accordance with the week’s theme of planning one’s escape, a trailer equipped with hot doors, fake smoke and a loud alarm on Saturday allowed people to practice escaping their home in the event of a fire.
Many people make the mistake of not having a rendezvous spot for their family after escaping a fire, knowing two ways out of each room and ignoring or even turning off their smoke alarms, Fire Inspector Justin Donovan said.
“Once you have a fire in your home, it’ll never be the same,” Nolan said. “You will never feel the same way because you will have lost things that are important to you.”
While crime is one factor of fires, Nolan said, there are many others of which people are unaware. For example, bathroom fans gather lint and dust and can cause home fires if left running for too long, he said.
Fire and Rescue Chief Fernando Gray asked the community to help the fire department by keeping their homes safe, having an exit strategy in place and heeding the advice of experts this week.
“It’s not only a way to make sure that our residents are kept safe, but it’s also a way to make sure that our firefighters are kept safe,” Gray said.
Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Chief Fernando Gray holds a proclamation from the City of Las Vegas during an open house at Las Vegas Fire Station 3 Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022. The event was a kick-off to celebrate the 100th anniversary of National Fire Prevention Week.
Las Vegas City Councilman Cedric Crear read the proclamation, noting the long history of National Fire Prevention Week — which began in the early 1900s on the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire — and thanked the fire department for its commitment to the community.
Now 100 years old, National Fire Prevention Week is the longest-running public health observance in the United States.
While he appreciates the support the message of fire safety has received over the last century, Nolan said, he wishes there was no need for it at all.
“We’re always happy to come out and help,” he said. “We respond quickly, rapidly, with all the resources that we need. But what we want to do, really, is prevent you from having to call 911 through proactive education.”
