Annabeth Tolla, 4, of Rockwood (left), and Abigail Dunn, 10, of Howell, enjoy cotton candy during the Oct. 10 River Fire Department open house.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
RIVERVIEW – Shiny rigs were on display, a bouncy house awaited young guests and cotton candy was being spun Oct. 10 as the Riverview Fire Department welcomed guests to an open house.
Fire Chief Ron Lammers said part of the purpose of the open house was to educate people about fire safety and fire prevention.
“Have a plan in your home, check smoke detectors, and make sure you have the proper amount of smoke detectors,” he said.
Olivia Tolla of Rockwood said she hopes her 4-year-old daughter, Annabeth, learns about fire safety and enjoys playing with other children.
“She loves bouncy houses,” she said, adding that Annabeth’s grandmother is a firefighter.
Fire Safety coordinator Amy Dunn said she hope the children attending the open house learn how to stay safe, not play with fire and what to do if they do come across an emergency.
She said “stop, drop and roll” is a key point she hopes children remember, as well as how and when to call 911 and what to do if a smoke alarm goes off.
“Test your smoke alarms, and practice fire safety,” Dunn said. “They have hush buttons on the new smoke detectors, that you can silence them for a short amount of time, and then if it still senses that the atmosphere is not good, it will go off again.”
She urges residents to keep the batteries in their smoke detectors, even if they are occasionally triggered by cooking incidents.
“It does save your life,” Dunn said.
She said prior to the pandemic, the Fire Department hosted Scout groups at the station, and they often visit school classrooms to teach fire safety.
“This year, of course, we can’t go into the schools, which is why we decided to host an open house during Fire Prevention Week,” Dunn said. “We can hopefully get the word out and the kids can have fun.”
In January, she said a fire safety program will be offered to adults at the city’s senior centers.