Fire Prevention Week: Misawa firefighters serve up kitchen safety

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class China M. Shock
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  Team Misawa members participated in the annual Fire Prevention Week Oct. 4 to 10 at Misawa Air Base, Japan. The 35th Civil Engineer Squadron fire and emergency services hosted several activities involving engaging participation from both military and civilian personnel.

Throughout the week, 35th CES firefighters taught children, adults and teachers more about fire safety; the week included a fire muster, night live fire burn demonstration, a base parade and an open house.

“Fire Prevention Week was established in the United States to raise awareness to the general populous, often we find that fires are started in a manner that could have been easily avoided,” said Master Sgt. Travis Keale, the 35th CES assistant chief of fire prevention.

Annually, the National Fire Protection Association creates a unique campaign slogan to help educate the community on safety concepts while commemorating the Great Chicago Fire, which occurred Oct. 8, 1871, a disaster that killed 250 people and burned more than 17,400 buildings.

The 2020 Fire Prevention Week theme, “Serve up kitchen fire safety” effectively serves to remind us that we need to take personal steps to increase our safety from fire especially with holidays quickly approaching.

“We want to stress that when you are in the kitchen, safety is imperative,” Keale said. “Do not leave cooking unattended and ensure that your fire extinguisher is serviceable and accessible.”

“This week allows us to educate the entire base on ways to be fire-safe,” said Staff Sgt. Emillian Kuznetsov, the 35th CES fire prevention NCO in charge. “For me, personally, I enjoy teaching the children on ways to prevent incidents from happening. We want the attendees to walk away with new information while remembering this year’s slogan.”

For more information about fire safety, contact the fire department at 226- 3218.