August 24, 2010 – 8:09 am
Months ago the EPFD was contacted by a group called the Pink Fire Trucks. their mission is to support women in their fight against cancer. This group made up of volunteers, drive pink fire trucks across the country as a way to attract attention to a very important cause, fighting cancer. It all started in Phoenix Arizona, the brain child of a firefighter who wanted to make a difference. You can read their story by clicking on this link.
Today from 4 to 9 pm the Pink Trucks will be in Eden Prairie at the Purgatory Creek Park, at the intersection of Technology Drive and Prairie Center Drive. There will be live music, lots of silent auction items and stuff to do for the whole family.
So bring the whole gang and come out to help raise money for a great cause and see the Pink Fire Trucks and their drivers up close. If you can’t make the Eden Prairie location you can visit them today from 9 to 11 at Highway 7 and 101 in the Cub Foods parking lot or from 12 to 3 in Hopkins at Highway 7 and Hopkins Crossroads.
August 20, 2010 – 12:04 pm
I wish our fire department could take credit for this powerful public safety announcement on the dangers posed by putting gasoline on any kind of fire. The production was the result of a collaborative effort by Edina Fire, Fairview Southdale Hospital, Edina High School Thespian students and staff and an Edina resident that allowed the filming to take place at their residence.
The video in the link below speaks for itself. This is a very realistic looking production and not for those sensitive to graphic material.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpKqC0Ix9ck
Below is a picture of a resident’s best friend astride one of our Engines. The dog’s name is Quinn and he looks quite at home in his uniform and on the truck. Getting folks out to meet one another is the mission of Eden Prairie Night to Unite, but our interaction with the public is a priceless benefit for our organization.
So here is Quinn, not a Dalmatian, but an eager representative for the fire service!
Last night was the “Graduation Night” for another group of 180 Third Graders from Eden Prairie’s Safety Camp. I have blogged on Safety Camp before and extolled its many virtues, characteristics that are still true today. What was unique about this year’s graduation is that in this group of 180 kids, was at least one child that is the child of a graduate safety camper from one of the original groups 21 years ago. This new occurrence is proof of two things, first of all the program has legs and has endured. Secondly is that I must be getting a little long in the tooth since I was a counselor at the first Safety Camp 21 years ago.
Way To Go Safety Camp, Way To go to all those folks that make it possible and Way To Go to those parents that are willing to give their kids this great safety experience!
Below is a picture of the “Mob Scene” after the graduation festivities were over with. Safety Camp in action, truly a great sight to see.
Since 2007, when Eden Prairie Fire began a Rental Housing Inspection program, our annual fire loss has dropped to almost nothing in rental housing properties. In that time period there have been literally hundreds of illegal grills and improper cigarette disposal devices removed from decks of vertically stacked units.
The video below shows the incredible power of a propane grill once it gets going. No doubt there was serious damage to this property. Hopefully there weren’t any civilian or firefighter deaths or injuries. These kinds of events can be significantly reduced, but it requires the political will of elected officials and the willingness to apply some financial resources. We are fortunate in Eden Prairie to have both. See what I am talking about by clicking on the link below.
http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/propane-grill-sparks-iowa
The picture below is what happens when a vehicle passes through an intersection and somehow the temporary lines for the signals get pulled down. In this case the wires landed on a truck (right side of this shot) and a car with two people inside (left side of this shot).
No injuries, thank goodness, but the intersection will be managed only by 4 – Way Stop Signs for the next couple of days. The intersection at Pioneer Trial and Flying Cloud Drive is a busy one, and would best be avoided until the signals get replaced later this week.
The preliminary report is out on all the data poured into the database at the State Fire Marshal’s Office. The State Fire Marshal’s Office provides a lot of valuable services, not the least of which is providing analysis for all the numbers that are generated by fire departments across the state.
For instance, did you know, a fire department responds to some sort of emergency somewhere in Minnesota every 2 minutes? There is some sort of fire reported in Minnesota every 34 minutes, a structure fire happens on average once every 1.3 hours, there is an arson fire reported once every 7 hours. Most folks are unaware of the fire problem in Minnesota and around the country. Total dollar loss in 2009 was over $208,000,000.00, and while that is down a little from 2008, almost all of that loss was preventable.Civilian deaths from fires occurred most frequently in that place we consider the most safe, our homes. Sixty-nine percent of fire deaths in Minnesota occurred in peoples homes. I know this is not a pleasant topic, but we must get better at protecting ourselves and our loved ones from a cause of death that is almost 100% preventable. The top three causes of fire continue to be, cooking, smoking and candles/matches. Those top three have been the same for as long as I can remember.
Let’s work to make 2010 the safest year yet and keep that trend going until we get to zero preventable fires and zero fire deaths in Minnesota! Install working smoke detectors in your homes, don’t leave your stove or ovens on unattended, place your discarded smoking materials in an approved ashtray type device and never leave candles burning unattended or allow children to have access to matches. A few simple steps will make a big difference.
Every year for the past 88 years Fire Prevention Week has been observed in October. Fire Prevention Week is thought to be the longest running public health and safety observance in history. Fire Prevention week is held in remembrance of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. This year’s theme is: “Smoke Alarms. A sound you can live with.” In Eden Prairie, the Fire Department’s Annual Fire Prevention Open House will take place on October 9th. We will, however, be busy the entire week of October 4th with a variety of efforts centered around keeping our city a fire safe place to live and work.
Believe it or not, fire deaths and injuries continue to be a national problem. Our efforts year around, and especially during Fire Prevention Week are all about inspiring folks to take actions in their own lives to prevent fires from happening and protecting themselves and their loved ones from the injuries, death and destruction caused by fire. This year’s theme aims to educate the public on how smoke alarms save lives and why they should be installed and maintained in every home. Having a working smoke alarm can cut the chances of a fatal fire in half. The effort this year will focus on how to choose, install and maintain smoke alarms.
In 2008, the most recent year that information is available, home fires killed 2,755 people and injured another 13,160 nationally. Two out of every five home fire deaths were in a home without a smoke detector and another one in five was in a home where the smoke detectors were present but not functioning, according to the National Fire Protection Association. We can do better as a society and need to.
For more information on smoke alarms you can go to www.firepreventionweek.org or just give the Eden Prairie Fire Department a call at 952-949-6200 and ask for a Fire Prevention Specialist.
This year is recruiting year and our process kicked off a few weeks ago with a direct mail piece. Next up was a recruit open house and then this week was a practice physical agility run through. So far we have gotten over 40 applications and a total of more than 70 folks that have expressed interest in becoming paid-on-call firefighters with the Eden Prairie Fire Department. time will tell how many finalists we wind up with, but so far it looks promising.
America’s youth too frequently become the subject of much ridicule from those of us older folks who may have some idealistic views of our own youth. Well I am here to tell you of several younger Eden Prairie residents that went above and beyond. the incident happened this past Saturday night and the story goes something like this: four teen-aged kids were on their way home, just before midnight when they spotted flames coming over the roof of a house on West Staring Lane. The teens quickly went to the home to see if anyone was inside. The homeowner came to the door and was told of the fire on the outside of their home. All 3 occupants and 2 dogs got out safely. The fire burned the exterior fireplace chimney from the garage roof to the roof of the house.
Left unnoticed, this fire could have had a much different, and possibly tragic outcome. These are the kinds of acts I would prefer to focus on when it comes to America’s youth, our collective future. Way to go!
