Children learning about fire safety

Kids in Spokane Valley have been getting fire safety training this month courtesy of the Spokane Valley Fire Department. Department personnel have visited every second-grader in the district and brought the department’s fire safety house to half the third-graders, said assistant fire marshal Bill Clifford.

“We visit all the schools and go through that program,” he said. “We hope the kids paid attention.”

One of the fires the department responded to was a perfect example of what firefighters teach children not to do. A burning candle apparently ignited a lace curtain in a home in the 17700 block of East Indiana just after 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 25. The residents were able to escape unharmed. The fire was limited to a bedroom and bathroom, but the rest of the house sustained major smoke damage, Clifford said.

Leaving burning candles unattended is a frequent cause of house fires. “That’s one of the things we talk about in the fire safety trailer,” Clifford said. “You can burn your house down.”

Another major cause of house fires is food being left unattended on the stove. On Oct. 25 as an engine was returning to its station at 5:30 p.m., crews spotted smoke coming from the windows of a house in the 400 block of North University Road. A resident had left food on the stove, which caught fire. “If people are cooking in the kitchen they need to stay in the kitchen or set a timer so they remember to return to the stove,” said Clifford.

There were a total of 213 calls between Oct. 21 and 27. Crews responded to an engine compartment fire, a brush fire that turned was a legal recreational fire, a natural gas leak and 18 car accidents that sent five people to the hospital with minor injuries. There were 166 EMS calls during the week.