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Prevention
week educates youths...
Troy
Spannuth, Brunswick deputy fire marshal, knows what he is
doing if he enters a burning building. What he can't
figure out, though, is why other people take the risk.
"Statistics
show that if there is a fire in the house, people will get
out, but they often forget something and go back inside.
That's when we have a good number of fatalities. You will
find the people right there by the door, inside the house,
and it's unfortunate," Spannuth said.
Just
recently, city firefighters responded to a call where a
cooking fire had filled a house with smoke. The woman who
lived there went back in the smoke-filled home to retrieve
something. Fortunately, she made it out without any
problems. She was one of the lucky ones, Spannuth said.
"A
lot of these people get what we call the 'Superman
Syndrome,' where they think that they can't be hurt. I
tell people that their stuff is replaceable, but they
aren't."
To
raise awareness that entering a burning building, no
matter how small the fire may appear, is never a good
idea, the theme for this year's National Fire Prevention
Week is, "When Fire Strikes: Get Out! Stay Out!"
National
Fire Prevention Week kicked off Sunday and continues
through Saturday, though the Brunswick Fire Department
will be holding fire prevention events for schoolchildren
throughout October.
More
than 1,000 kindergartners are expected to tour the
downtown fire station throughout the month, while
firefighters will be taking their message of fire safety
into first- and second-grade classes at several schools.
The
Glynn County Fire Department is concentrating its fire
prevention week efforts at Colonial Mall, where it is
using a vacant storefront to put out an assortment of
firefighter memorabilia.
In
addition to the vintage fire truck and firefighter
memorabilia, county firefighters are honoring firefighters
who have died with a memorial wall.
"The
memorial wall is for the members of our department, both
paid and volunteers, who have died. We have pictures and
names from recent years, going back to the 1950's,"
said Capt. Franklin Wallace.
"It's
still a work in progress, since we are trying to track
down more photos and things. We just wanted to have a way
to acknowledge them."
Face
painting will also be available at the firefighter's
storefront throughout the week.
Saturday
afternoon, Glynn County volunteer firefighters will
conduct a number of fire safety demonstrations, including
a rapid dress competition and water supply demonstration.
Firefighters
will be on hand to answer questions about fire safety all
week.
When
kindergartners tour the Brunswick fire station, they
always get an up-close look at firefighters in their
turnout gear.
"We
like to show them the gear and let them see one of us with
it on, so that they aren't afraid and don't run away from
us if we have to come into their homes during a
fire," Spannuth said.
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