Fire Prevention Week was October 4 to 10, and in Pacific Palisades, which borders on the brushfire interface, residents are reminded to take extra caution in every aspect of their lives.
On Friday, October 2, State Farm Agent Trish Bowe met with Captain Paul Egizi at Fire Station 69 (Carey and Sunset). She presented him with 100 toolkits that can be handed out to the community, providing resources for Fire Prevention Week.
Across the country, State Farm Agents are delivering Fire Prevention Week toolkits to more than 2,500 fire departments, including the LAFD. Each toolkit includes brochures, magnets and posters.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen,” focuses on cooking fire safety.
“Home cooking fires represent the leading cause of all fires, with 49 percent happening in the kitchen,” said Bowe, who is also president of the Palisades Rotary Club. She noted that unattended cooking is the leading cause of these fires. “The good news is that the majority of kitchen fires are highly preventable and these great kits will help our fire departments spread the news to always stay focused when you’re in the kitchen and never leave the kitchen unattended.”
Key messages that Bowe hopes will resonate with people are:
- Keep a close eye on what you’re cooking; never leave cooking unattended.
- Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — at least three feet away from your stovetop.
- Be on alert. If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop.
For more information, visit fpw.org. The site has several lessons specific for children, as well as coloring pages (for adults and children) and activity sheets for kids.
State Farm Agent Trish Bowe (far right) met with firefighters at Station 69 and gave them toolkits that could be passed out to residents that emphasize fire safety.