CAFB Kicks Off Fire Prevention Week

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – This week kicks off National Fire Prevention Week.

The Columbus Air Force Base Fire Department is making sure families know what to do if they face a fiery situation.

It’s not a sight you normally see.

On saturday, the Columbus Air Force Base Fire Department got some extra training when an aircraft was lit on fire.

But it was only an exercise.

“Of course we have one of the biggest air fields in the Air Force, we’re really proud of that but with that comes a great responsibility to make sure we’re prepared to fight fire, cheat death and save lives. So what you saw was part of our training we go through to prepare for that,” said fire inspector, William O’Meara.

The demonstration kicks off a day of family centered activities, geared to educate on fire prevention.

“President Woodrow Wilson established the first National Fire Prevention Week proclamation in 1920 and since then, we’ve had Fire Prevention Week to educate the public on the hazards of fire in the home and in the office,” said O’Meara.

The theme this year is “hear the beep while you sleep,”centered around making sure you have a smoke detector that works right.

Families say the information and education they receive helps them prepare for real life experiences.

” When an incident actually happens, you want to practice for it, be prepared for it because when it actually happens, situation changes, you don’t know exactly how you’ll respond to an emergency,” said resident, Michael Satchell.

Fire Prevention activities will continue through the week.