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ABINGTON TOWNSHIP FIRE DEPARTMENT WELCOMES COMMUNITY MEMBERS’ VISITS DURING
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK, OCT. 5-9

ABINGTON – In recognition of Fire Prevention Week, the five companies that make up the Abington Township Fire Department (ATFD) will be holding open houses from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. throughout the week of Oct. 5th.

The public is invited to visit each or any of the companies during the times mentioned above on the following dates:

Oct. 5: Abington Fire Company, 1920 Horace Ave., Abington
Oct. 6: McKinley Fire Company, 893 Jenkintown Road, Elkins Park
Oct. 7: Roslyn Fire Company, 1128 Bradfield Road, Roslyn
Oct. 8: Weldon Fire Company, 412 N. Easton Road, Glenside
Oct. 9: Edge Hill Fire Company, 2843 Limekiln Pike, North Hills

At the open houses, participants will be able to view each station’s fire apparatus, chat with volunteer firefighters and learn about ways in which they can prevent fires.

“Fire Prevention Week represents an opportunity for us to educate the community about fire safety and prevention, but it is also a time for us to invite residents into our buildings so they can see the various ways in which we serve the township,” said David Schramm, Fire Services Administrator. “We welcome the chance to show community members what it means to be a volunteer firefighter and offer ways for them to get involved.”

Fire Prevention Week is a national campaign that has been observed since 1922 on the Sunday through Saturday period in which Oct. 9th falls. It is held during this time to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed more than 250 people. Each year, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) establishes a different educational theme for Fire Prevention Week.

This year, the theme is “Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned” and focuses on burn prevention and awareness. Each year, roughly 3,000 people die as a result of home fires and burns and more than 200,000 individuals are seen in the nation’s emergency rooms for burn injuries. The NFPA offers the following tips and advice for preventing burns:

Keep hot foods and liquids away from tables and counter edges so they cannot be pulled or knocked over.
Have a 3-foot “kid-free” zone around the stove.
Never hold a child in your arms while preparing hot food or drinking a hot beverage.
Be careful when using things that get hot such as curling irons, oven, irons, lamps, heaters.
Install tamper-resistant receptacles to prevent a child from sticking an object in the outlet.
Never leave a child alone in a room with a lit candle, portable heater, lit fireplace or stove, or where a hot appliance might be in use.
Wear short or close-fitting sleeves when cooking.
Set your hot water temperature no higher than 120 degrees.
Install anti-scald valves on shower heads and faucets.

For more information, visit www.nfpa.org. For more information about the ATFD, call (267) 536-1055 or visit www.AbingtonFD.org.

PHOTO:

Seen here is Abington Township Fire Department’s Safety House, which will be on display
at all open houses during Fire Prevention Week.