Command event highlights fire safety at home, work

Command event highlights fire safety at home, work

By Ben Hutto, PSNS & IMF Public Affairs

Puget Sound Naval shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility teamed with the Navy Region Northwest Fire Prevention Office, Oct. 9, to host a fire safety event outside Building 435 in observance of National Fire Prevention Week.

National Fire Prevention Week is a commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire of 1911. A Presidential Proclamation for the observance was made in 1925, by then-President Calvin Coolidge. Since that time, the Fire Marshals Association of North America (the event's creator) and the National Fire Protection Association have continued to sponsor the observance as a way to keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention.

"This is a great way for us to work with our partners to promote fire safety and share knowledge for people to use at work and home," said Mike Taylor, engineering technician, Code 900F.21, Building/Facilities Management. "This observance is the longest running safety advocacy observance in the U.S. It's good to be a part of it."

This year's event featured a fire truck display and fire-fighting demonstrations so command employees could see what goes into fighting fires. In addition, NRNW fire fighters offered fire extinguisher training to help employees understand the best way to extinguish fires both at home and at work.

Hot dogs and pizza were provided to employees through Employee Food Services and vendors passed out information to the workforce to help them identify and eliminate potential fire hazards.

"I came out to see the show, but it was good to see how everything works together," said Kapva Borja, painter, Shop 71, Painters. "I'm glad I got out today."