Richmond Heights marks 100th national Fire Prevention Week

Oct. 2—The Richmond Heights Fire Department will be celebrating the 100th national Fire Prevention Week with its Fire Won't Wait initiative to teach young citizens the importance of fire safety.

Running Oct. 9-15, Fire Chief Marc Neuman said that its Fire Won't Wait initiative is a series of lessons centered around getting people out of the house in the event of a fire.

"The fire won't wait, so we want people to plan their escape properly," Neuman said. "We reach out to local schools and provide teachings and outreach but due to concerns with COVID we do not have activities on a community level."

Richmond Heights Fire Department and associates from the National Fire Prevention Associations teach the children based on their age groups ranging from first grade up through high school.

"Our firefighters go out to the schools and we make sure they have a fire safety plan and discuss smoke alarms and where they should be placed," Neuman said. "We also want them to have two different exit strategies when exiting a fire and we discuss the importance of an outdoor meeting place.

"Every year is a different way to look at how to prevent fires and stay safe. Last year was all about the importance of smoke detectors and keeping them up to date, this year we are focusing more heavily on planning your exit strategy."

Neuman urges the importance of home fire drills, knowing how to evacuate your own home in the event of a fire and making sure that your loved ones are safe as they exit.

Neuman said that with the younger students they will bring in firefighters in full uniform for children to identify the individual in the event of a fire rescue. This will help the students to not fear firefighters if their intervention is required.

Neuman said that if anyone has any questions regarding the initiative that they should call the Fire Department at 216-383-6235.