If there’s one thing that can be said of the Sheboygan Fire Department’s efforts during Fire Prevention Week, it would speak to the lasting tradition established for its awareness program. Vouching from personal experience, I can attest to the lasting impression left some 60 years ago as a drop of gasoline was ignited with a loud “POP” within a container by Sheboygan Fire Department personnel, to the amazement of the assembled classes of St. Paul Lutheran School in 1964. Besides a respectable explosion, instructions on developing an escape plan and staying low-to-the-ground were taught to all.
The Lobby of Citizens’ Bank in the early 1960s with the SFD’s Bob Grasse and Fred Feldbush. Photo Courtesy of the SFD
Such illustrations continue to this day during Fire Prevention Week in Sheboygan, an observance that now dates back more than 100 years. But things have changed even in a half-century, and in 2023 the department received $1,500 from Georgia-Pacific Corrugated LLC (Koch Industries) to use towards a modern 911 dialing simulator. With the demise of the corded house phone, the new simulator gives a relatable lesson to tech-savvy youngsters of the 21st century. Elements of the past are still just as relatable, though, and the well-known “Survive Alive” house still makes its tour to the schools.
Current School Students Watch a Fire Prevention Program from the Sheboygan Fire Department. Photo Courtesy of the SFD
Awareness being the key message, the SFD is voicing this year’s theme of “Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work for You.” According to the National Fire Protection Association, the risk of dying in a home by fire is reduced by 54 percent by maintaining working smoke alarms. Current standards recommend a smoke alarm in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area such as a hallway, and on each level, including the basement of the home. Test the alarms once each month, and count on replacing them after 10 years as a matter of best-practices.
A 911 Dialing Demo is Given at the Sheboygan Fire Department’s Survive Alive House. Photo Courtesy of the SFD
More information is available from Sheboyganfire.com or fpw.org.
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