A Year of Blogging: October 9, 2011

October 9 is 'Fire Prevention Day'. Remember yesterday I told you about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871? The fire was so devastating it created Fire Prevention efforts across the country. The first Fire Prevention Day was held in 1911. In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson declared the first 'Fire Prevention Week'. I remember fire prevention weeks in elementary school. There were coloring contests. We had safety drills. We were taught the importance of knowing how to get out of our homes, and encouraged to have drills at home. The local fire department came with the trucks. The firemen, who were all volunteer, stood in front of us in their turnout gear. The idea was to let us know even though they looked scary in the gear, that they were there to help us. The firemen were people we knew in town: from church, from the post office, some of them were even mothers and fathers of our classmates. We got to tour the inside of the trucks. In the end, we were each given a red plastic fireman's hat to wear. Fire has always been something I've been terrified of. Long before my friend was killed in a house fire when we were in 7th grade, I heard the stories of Mom talking about The Disaster in town. The firemen never scared me. Living in an area where all the fire departments are volunteer, you know the firemen. Many close family friends have been firemen. My dad wasn't a fireman, because he worked so much he didn't have the time to devote to it. But we always supported the fire department. The first Sunday of each month (except in summer, if I remember correctly) the fire department hosted a pancake breakfast. We went each month after church. If the fire department had a fundraiser, we supported them. On big holiday weekends, such as Labor Day and Memorial Day, many fire departments would do the 'fill the boot' fundraiser. They stood along Route 22 (a state road that runs North-South from Canada to NYC and right through the valley where I grew up) with empty fire boots, asking for donations. My parents always donated, even if it wasn't our town but another town. Mom and Dad believed you never know when you will need the fire department, especially since they both traveled out of town for work. It is something they passed on to my sister and I. Grandpa Primeau used to be a fireman. So did Grandpa Wager. Grandpa and Grandma Wager helped found the ambulance in Berlin. Dad now serves on the fire commissioners, and Mom is the secretary to the commissioners. The Commissioners are the ones who tend to the business part of the fire department: things like buying new equipment. Dad is no longer physically able to be a firefighter (although for a few years both he and Mom were on the ambulance), but he is able to help by being a commissioner. Not everyone is able to be a firefighter. But you can do your part by making sure your family is ready. Know how to get out of the house from the second story. Know how you would get out if your main entrance is blocked. Have a meeting place for everyone once they are outside. And perhaps most importantly- remember your pets! You can buy stickers to put on your door which tell firefighters you have pets inside. You can even buy breed specific stickers such as 'save my beagle'. Be prepared and hopefully, you will never need to put your plans into action.