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ABINGTON TOWNSHIP FIRE DEPARTMENT EDUCATES THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS DURING FIRE PREVENTION WEEK

ABINGTON – Nearly 3,000 township residents visited Abington Township Fire Department’s five fire companies as part of Fire Prevention Week, which was observed October 3 – 9, 2010.

The ATFD’s all-volunteer companies – Abington, Edge Hill, McKinley, Roslyn and Weldon – invited families to stop by their firehouses throughout the week to collect fire safety information, climb into fire trucks, extinguish grill fires, meet firefighters, and participate in plenty of other activities designed to educate young and old alike about fire prevention.

“Not only is this important for Weldon, but it’s important for the community as well,” said Captain Chris Mc Loone at Weldon Fire Company’s open house on Oct. 7th. “We hand out a tremendous amount of fire safety information. This event has a real
educational feel to it.”

Edge Hill Fire Company Captain Tom McAneney agreed, noting how important it is to teach fire safety to youngsters.

“We try to teach kids how to properly deal with fire so it becomes ingrained,” he said. Capt. Mc Loone estimated that during Weldon’s Fire Prevention Week open house, between 1,000 and 1,200 members of the community were exposed to that valuable fire safety information. In addition to educating families, the event was also an opportunity to recruit possible members.

“Every time we have one of these events, there’s interest,” said Capt. Mc Loone. “Whether they are junior firefighters or active firefighters, we usually get a few people who decide to join us.”

Even those who are too young to join could be possible recruits some day, added Edge Hill Fire Company member Mike Plewinski.

“We have guys in the department who remember coming to these,” he said. In addition to serving educational and recruitment purposes, the open houses are also a way for community members to meet the firefighters who volunteer their time, and to learn how critical their support of local fire companies can be. Capt. Mc Loone noted that Weldon recently purchased a new engine, and had asked the community to contribute toward the cost. The shiny new truck was on display Oct. 7th.

“This gives people an opportunity to see some of the things they have helped us purchase,” said Capt. Mc Loone. “They can see where their money is going and we can say ‘thank you.’”

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 was “Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With!”

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