City of Plantation Podcast

Episode 24 - Fire Prevention Month, Safety Tips, and a Contest

August 20, 2020 City of Plantation Episode 24
City of Plantation Podcast
Episode 24 - Fire Prevention Month, Safety Tips, and a Contest
Show Notes Transcript

Thank you for listening to the City of Plantation Podcast. In this episode, we discuss the upcoming Fire Prevention Month, fire safety tips, and our annual Marti Terziu Art and Literature contest. This year's theme is "Kitchen Fires." We are pleased to have our Public Education Coordinator, Kaitlin Murphins, on the show with us as well. This Podcast is aimed at keeping the residents of Plantation informed of events and important information happening throughout our city. Please subscribe to this podcast, as we will be producing new episodes weekly.

Guest: Kaitlin Murphins
Hosts: Cary Blanchard and Ezra Lubow
Production: Ezra Lubow
Music: Oakwood Station c/o Epidemic Sounds
Art: The City of Plantation

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the city of plantations podcast. I am Carrie Blanchard, battalion chief of public affairs for the plantation fire department. Thank you for tuning in our podcast is designed to keep you up to date on all the latest happenings and activities in about and around the city of plantation. On our episodes. We talk directly with the leaders decision makers and the movers and shakers who make plantation the great city that it is.

Speaker 2:

Welcome back to another episode of the city of plantations podcast. As fire prevention month approaches, we would like to send out our messages in the hopes that our residents will take home and follow some safety practices. So today we have with us in the studio, Caitlin, Mervyn's our public education coordinator. Thanks for coming in Caitlyn. Thanks for having me again. So Caitlyn, tell us about the importance of fire prevent.

Speaker 1:

The importance of fire prevention is to make, um, our community and the whole United States aware about fires, fires in your homes and other places to people to be prepared for what to do in case that happens

Speaker 2:

In case there's a fire. Right? Okay. Let's get into that. Let's take a deep dive into what that actually means. Like what does preparation entail?

Speaker 1:

Um, home safety plans, uh, having a meeting place when there's a fire, knowing how to call nine one, one to give your address and what the emergency is like, stop, drop, and roll. So many things I could go on.

Speaker 2:

Well, let's I want to do a deeper dive. So you mentioned something interesting that I've been doing in my house for a little bit, and that is, um, having a plan for escape and a meeting place. Can you get more in depth than that? What exactly are we talking?

Speaker 1:

So meaning place, what I like to do when I go to the schools and our community, I like to have them draw out their house, have at least two ways out of your house, because if he can't go out one way, you need to have that backup plan. So if your plan a doesn't work, you need that plan B. So that way you can get out of your home safely, um, learning how to crawl. We crawl under the smoke cause heat rises. So under the smoke, there's a little pocket of clean air where you can able to see and able to get out. And once you're out, you stay out. You never go back in for the toys. You never go back in for your pests. You never go back in. You stay out once you're out, you stay out. I think also not to interrupt, but the meeting pace is also a very important part of this because once you're out, you kind of have to know where to go because everybody is going to be chasing each other. And if mom doesn't see the sun, she's going to try and go back in. Because while the messages don't go back in our instincts, tell us we're going to have to protect our kids. So definitely the meeting places, once you're out, that's very important. Part of it. It's very important. You're meeting place can be your next door neighbor. It could be the mailbox. It could be, you know, a tree, huge tree anywhere where you're safe away from danger and knowing everybody is out right

Speaker 2:

Now. Is this something that that should be practiced?

Speaker 1:

GP practice? I would do it once a month. The schools, well, they're not in session right now. They do fire drills once a month with their students, they line up, they walk out, they go to their meeting place. Once everything is clear, they walk back in. And the number one thing is too is not to panic. I know it's hard to say that, but don't panic, right? I think that doing it once a month also builds muscle memory. You know, we're in a moment cause it's easy to do it. Now. Everything is calm and in an ideal atmosphere. But if you build muscle memory, the day that there is panic, that there is fire, that there is smoke or something wrong, then you just, your brain kicks into gear and you automatically do it. So I think that's why the more you practice it even once a month, the better off you are, right? Even if they cannot get out saying in the room, closing the door, I'm very big about sleeping with doors closed. Um, when you sleep with your door closed, it actually is a barrier between you and the fire. Most people pass away of smoke, inhalation, not being burned by the fire. And also if you wake up and there is a fire, you need to feel the door and how you would feel the door is by using the back of your hand. And you would slowly go up the door all the way up as far as he could reach and all the way down to feel. If the door is hot, obviously you're not going to go through it. If the doors cold or cooler, you know, then yes, go through it. And that's when your escape plan comes in. Do I, can I go out my plan a, if I can't get my plan a, then I can go out my plan B.

Speaker 2:

Right? Right. And I think that's a very important point you make, because not only does the doors to bedrooms being closed, protect the individuals in the bedrooms from fire, if there's fire, but it also reduces the spread of the fire. And you know, like in commercial structures, I mean, we all know that there's firebreaks, fire doors, some automatically close there's various different systems, but ultimately if we can stop the spread of the fire, it's easier to extinguish, uh, if it doesn't extinguish itself. So yeah, that's a very good point.

Speaker 1:

So Kaylin, can you tell us about the NSPA and there the NFP, which is for people that might not know as a national fire protection association and their push for annually teaching, mostly kids, but anybody really? What can you tell us about them? Since 1922? The NFP has sponsored the public observation of fire prevention week in 1925, president Calvin Coolidge, proclaimed fire prevention week and national observation, making it the longest running public health observation in our country during fire prevention week, it teaches adults, children, teachers, all about fire safety and staying safe from fire and providing firefighters, lifesaving public education in effort to dramatically decrease casualties caused by fires. I know that annually, we, the city push this and FPA topic to our schools. And this is what we teach every year, which at the end of a few years, it's kind of becomes a whole entire fire prevention plan for our children. We do teach the children because at the end of the day, while adults are not always compliant and I'm speaking for myself, our children mostly are. And our parents, the parents want to be a good role model for their kids, even though they probably wouldn't do it themselves. Once the kids bring it up, they kind of feel compelled to do it. So that's good. This is what saves lives. Ultimately this year happens to be on kitchen fires, which is I think a perfect topic for this year because of everything that's going on in the world with COVID-19. A lot of us are staying home and not going out and cooking at home. So this year's topic from the[inaudible] serving up fire safety and the kitchen, which I think is great. Believe it or not. According to the NFTA cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States, almost half, about 40, about 44% are reported. Home fires started in the kitchen and 66% of home cooking fires start with the ignition of food. Our other cooking materials. Wow. Thanksgiving believer not is the leading day for fires involving cooking.

Speaker 2:

I actually know why that is. And it's, it's gotta be frying turkeys. Oh yes. Frying Turkey.

Speaker 1:

But you do that outside. I would think in the kitchen would be people forgetting their stuff in the oven, or,

Speaker 2:

But I think that a lot of people try to do it inside, which is why there's been so many PSA days, especially from the NFTA about how to safely for our turkeys and doing it outside.

Speaker 1:

A lot of people too, with the turkeys, they don't saw there still, some are still frozen and they drop it in that fryer and the white water oil, not a good man. Tell us what we can do. How can we prevent these? Or what can we, what we can do to prevent these is never leaving, cooking food on a tenant, stay in the kitchen while you're frying grilling our boiling. If we have to leave even for a short time, turn off the stove. If you are simmering, baking, roasting, you know, check regularly to make sure that the food is cooking properly, use a timer to remind you that you are cooking. You have to be alert when cooking, you won't be alert if you're sleepy or have taken medicine or consumed alcohol to, cause that does make you drowsy. Always keep an oven, Mitt and a pan lid nearby. When you're cooking. If a small griefs fire starts slide the lid over the pan to decrease the flames, turn off the burner and leave the pan there until it completely cools. Right? A lot of people, especially adults. When I talk to adults about fire safety, I get to hear the wet rag, the baking soda. They want to put water, they want to put water. And I said, the lid is the best thing because what it does when she put that lid on Smothers is smelters to fire and there's no oxygen, right? Having a kid free zone. And you want to keep your kids at least three feet away from the oven. You know, kids boiling water that that's fragile on a child's skin. It's not good at all. And just keeping your cooking area. Clutter-free, you know, you don't want anything close to the stove that can burn, you know, wooden spoon, plastic spoons, towels, your phone. You know, I almost burned my phone once

Speaker 2:

Storage containers, I've burnt a couple of rubber maids.

Speaker 1:

I will say, I accidentally put my plastic measuring cup on my burner and I forgot. And I was like, what is that smell? What's that smell? And I burned my measuring cup. Yeah, it happens. And it happens quickly. It does. And I am going to say something like you talked about all the things and the perils that, you know, things that you do. Another thing that we're a lot of us are guilty of is phones you're Oh, you're on the phone. You're on Facebook and you're scrolling and you're, whatever it is, surfing, whatever it is. And you get distracted and everything happens in an instant. Yeah. Believe it or not. Mine was cause my mom FaceTimed me and I walked away for a second to give the phone to my four year old, to talk to grandma. And I'm like, you know, and I'm a fighter

Speaker 2:

We should add to our messaging. No texting while cooking. Yes. That'd be good. Talk,

Speaker 1:

Always be aware. You always have to be aware. Yeah. I know that the city of plantation fire department talking about fire department specifically now has an annual contest. Yes we do. I know that everything is different this year because of COVID. So we kind of had to evolve with it. So we're also doing our literature contest differently. We have normally in the past gone to the schools, but this year, because kids are home and we kind of want to include all residents of plantation. We've revamped it. Tell us about the guidelines so that if at any artists, any writers, any poets out there that want to submit something, they can do it. Yeah. Even, um, anything like if they want to do a video, we have a video submissions that we can do. The 20, 20 Marty Shouzou fire prevention, art and literature contests reinforces fire, prevent our fire prevention message from the NMPA this year seam is serve, serve, serving up fire safety and the kitchen. The age group that we are aiming for is Caesarea three and four through fifth grade. And they will be each graded separately by the category. And the three categories are categories are hand drawn, art literature, computer generated, art, photography, and video sharing. Good. All right. So hand-drawn art includes what, uh, watercolors, uh, anything, any painting, an oil in any medium painting oils drawings, and like, it's that specifically hand-drawn art. But we do you, you are allowed to use other mediums in it, correct? Yes. You, we want to make sure if anybody is participating in this to make sure that it doesn't smear because we do get a lot of submissions. So by the time we get them, they've been touched several times. So you want to make sure that it doesn't smear dry, maybe putting in like in an envelope so that it touches us so we can see it is all right. Literature, what? Essays, poems, short stories. Right. But they're all original compositions and they're limited to one page, correct? One page, that's it? Yep. Okay. And when you can do handwritten typed or electronic ride on a jump drive and then computer generated art, photography, and video, if it's collage, it has to be two dimensional, but any flash drive, just be aware that it might, you might not get it back. So you want to send the copy, not necessarily the original work, right? Because

Speaker 2:

We can't guarantee you get your flash drive back.

Speaker 1:

Right. Okay. And what's the biggest thing that we want everybody to because saying what we would like you to know is one submission per child in any one category. So if you have two kids, they can put in an entry, but not together, right? It has to be separate entries. And we also want, we don't want one in one child to turn in a hand, drawn art, us essay, and a digital, you, they can only submit one thing. If they want to do the drawing. They're only allowed to do drawing one entry, one per child, one category. Right? Perfect. What's the deadline until wonder they have to turn it in. I have until September 30th, at 4:00 PM, they can drop it off at our headquarters, which is at five, five, zero Northwest 65th Avenue, plantation, Florida three, three, three, one seven. And if they have any questions, they can go onto our city website to WWE dot, plantation.org and go to the fire section. And it will be all listed there with the guidelines and the rules. Now, if they have questions, they're more than welcome to call us. And our phone number is(954) 797-2150. He can either speak to myself, Caitlyn or,

Speaker 2:

And those hours are Monday through Friday, eight o'clock till 4:30 PM. So ladies, what is the process? Once we've received all the submissions, then what happens?

Speaker 1:

Then we grade them. We grade them. We, you know, we judge them. We have in the past, used the friends of the library to score our literature and the plantation are Guild to score the art stuff. Problem is that I'm not sure what's going to happen this year because of, because of COVID, but it will be independent. It will be, you know, a panel of people, right? It will be a panel of people. It will not be us. You know, fire department members you'll be independent people. And with that comes awards, we do plan on doing awards in each category.

Speaker 2:

And what are those, how does that work?

Speaker 1:

It's it's going to be a virtual award ceremony. We are anticipating giving a trophy that can be picked up following CDC guidelines, the social distancing and everything. But we want to recognize there are children, first of all, for learning the message, which is the most important part participating, but also the children that Excel,

Speaker 2:

Right. And the creativity behind it. I mean the thought process behind creating some form of art or, or a written essay or something of that nature. So that's awesome.

Speaker 1:

I'll say my favorite are poems. I love seeing the kids produce these poems and how well they're written and the feeling and express themselves. And it's like, it hits your soul real good. Like that first cup of coffee in the morning. It warms your heart.

Speaker 2:

I love it. All right. Well, that was pretty awesome. Is there anything else that, uh, you know, any other message we need to get out there or,

Speaker 1:

Well, with fire prevention months coming up, since we used to be able to go into the schools and daycares and all that, we are providing virtual fire safety talks and within our community, um, setting up via zoom. So if any of the teachers or schools would like to, they could more than welcome to contact us so we can still spread the message and show that firefighters are friends not to be scared of them. Okay. Very good. Yeah. And if you want any other information, as far as the best information is probably from the NFBA and their website is an fpa.org. It's a wonderful resource and they have a lot of information on there. So if anybody wants to reach out, that's where we should go.

Speaker 2:

Well, Carrie, Kaitlyn, thank you so much. And to all of our residents out there, please get your children motivated. This is a very important topic to keep all of us safe as a community and as family. So, uh, get involved in and we look forward to seeing your submissions have a great day,

Speaker 1:

Stay safe, everyone. Thank you. You've been listening to the city of plantation podcast. We strive to bring you accurate and timely information. Please continue to tune in to our podcast episodes and also catch up with us on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and next door. If you have questions, send them to ask cityHall@plantation.org and we will answer your questions directly. Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast and stay safe, everyone.