It’s almost one of our favorite weeks of the year at Beacon Hose — Fire Prevention Week, when we get to share important fire prevention and safety tips with our community.

We’ll celebrate Oct. 7 with our annual visits to local schools and the return of our open house, but as we all know, Fire Prevention Day is every day.

Fire Prevention Open House

Make sure to join us Tuesday, Oct. 7 from 6-9 p.m. for the return of Beacon Hose’s Fire Prevention Week Open House! We’ll have live demonstrations, hands-on opportunities, open tours of our apparatus and equipment, recruitment for new members, refreshments, and lots of important fire prevention and safety tips!

In addition, our fire police will be hosting their annual non-perishable food drive! Please consider bringing non-perishable food items when you visit our open house and all donations will benefit our fellow residents.

Charge into Fire Safety

This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is “Charge Into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home.” Every year, most of us have more and more products powered by lithium-ion batteries. They’re convenient, but they can be dangerous. Here are some fire prevention tips about lithium-ion batteries.

Buy only listed products. When buying a product that uses a lithium-ion battery look for a safety certification mark such as UL, ETL, or CSA. This means it meets important safety standards.

Charge devices safely. Always use the cords that came with the product to charge. Follow the instructions from the manufacturer. Buy new chargers from the manufacturer or one that the manufacturer has approved. Charge your device on a hard surface. Don’t overcharge your device. Unplug it or remove the battery when it’s fully charged. 

Recycle batteries responsibly. Don’t throw lithium-ion batteries in the trash or regular recycling bins because they could start a fire. Recycle your device or battery at a safe battery recycling location. Visit call2recycle.org to find a recycling spot near you.

Fire Escape Plans and Smoke Alarms

We want to make sure that all of our residents have developed fire escape plans in their own homes. Everyone who lives in your home should know two ways out of every room, practice them to simulate conditions of a smoky house at nighttime, and have a safe meeting place outside and away from your home so that we know everyone made it out safely.

We also want to make sure our residents have installed smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of their homes, including the basement. Larger homes may need more alarms.

Here are a few key bits of information that you might not know about the importance of smoke detectors and escape plans.

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