It's Fire Prevention Week and to mark the occasion, the Hanover Fire Department is hosting its annual Open House this evening.
At 6:30 this evening the roof top siren on the Hanover Fire Department will sound indicating that it is time for residents to practice their Home Escape Plan.
Once this is complete, Fire Chief Jeff Dentinger invites the public to come out to the annual Fire Department Open House.
Dentinger says the annual Open House will include a number of interactive activities for kids including: target spraying with the fire hose, using a thermal imaging camera to look through smoke, trying on firefighter gear and of course climbing aboard the fire trucks.
The evening also includes a barbeque and a chance to tour the Fire Hall and mingle with the firefighters.
This years Fire Prevention Week theme is Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!
Dentinger reminds students to bring their Home Escape plan with them to the Fire Hall (the sheets were handed out at school), those who do will receive a free McHappy Meal voucher.
He says it is important families practice their Home Escape plan, as planning and practice can make all the difference in the event of a house fire.
This, adds Fire Prevention Officer Rob Hagan is especially important since today's homes burn faster and hotter than ever before.
Hagan says plastics and man-made fibers used in modern home furnishing and new construction practices are contributing factors to the increased burn rate.
A Home Escape plan includes: working smoke alarms on every level of the home, in every bedroom, and near all sleeping areas.
It also includes two ways out of every room along with a clear path to an outside meeting place in the front yard that is a safe distance from the home.
This home escape plan should be practiced twice a year by the entire familyDentinger add this is a great time to check your smoke detectors and change the batteries.