West Valley Fire Officials, Fear Factory Team Up For National Fire Prevention Week

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – Fire officials are taking a kid-friendly approach to fire safety and prevention this monty by teaming up with a local haunted attraction.

The West Valley City Fire Department and Fear Factory have partnered for National Fire Prevention Week. They want to spread the message that “Fire prevention doesn’t have to be scary.”

As temperatures drop, the number of house calls for fires go up. Many of those fires are related to space heaters.

Officials want to remind residents to keep items that burn easily — like clothes and blankest — away from space heaters, and never leave them on overnight or unattended.

Authorities are also urging households to come up with a fire plan that includes at least two escape routes from each room, like a door and a window. That escape route should also include a spot for the family to meet up safely. Remember: never return to a fire.

“Cooking fires (are) probably the most that we go on,” said WVCFD Fire Marshal Jeff Fox. “A lot of times it’s just unattended items they are cooking on the stove. They either leave them on or forget or go somewhere, and then we end up having a kitchen fire. So it’s important they stay in the kitchen and make sure they’re being safe.”

Flames can spread quickly, sometimes leaving people as little as two minutes to get out, so residents should prepare themselves with working smoke detectors throughout the home — and remember to change the battery when the alarm starts to beep.