Public learns about fire prevention, safety at open house

Five-year-old Kellen Arvidson smiled as he aimed the nozzle of a fire extinguisher at a small pocket of flames in front of the Bigfork Fire Hall on Thursday evening.

With a little help from fire chief Wayne Loeffler, Arvidson blasted the fire with a stream of extinguisher fluid at the fire extinguisher demonstration station that was part of the Bigfork Fire Department’s open house. The event was held in conjunction with fire prevention week.

“We’re teaching both kids and adults how to properly use fire extinguishers, which fits in with fire prevention because we want them to understand how to put out a small garbage can or stove fire before it gets out of control,” said Creston fire chief Gary Mahugh, who also runs Mahugh Fire & Safety, LLC.

In addition to the demonstrations, fire department personnel distributed fire safety information, offered community members free smoke detectors and blood pressure checks, and gave tours of the department’s emergency response vehicles and equipment.

“It’s just exposure for us,” Loeffler said. “The main idea is to have the community come in and see what we have to offer.”

At a table displaying information about the local fuel reduction program, Rick Trembath explained the importance of diminishing wildland fire hazards on private property.

“We have a program that offers an assessment for anyone who lives in the woods to give them an understanding of what their risk is,” Trembath said. “It’s a matter of being proactive rather than reactive. We want to educate people in order to prevent home loss.”

According to Trembath, now is the time to take preventative measures, as open burning season runs through Nov. 30.

“We’re trying to promote reducing fuels this time of year,” Trembath said.

Over the summer, Trembath traveled to Arizona, where he watched 60 homes burn to the ground as the result of fast-spreading wildfires.

“They thought they were safe and that it wouldn’t happen to them, but they were wrong,” Trembath said.

Also as part of fire prevention week, fire department personnel visited local schools to educate students and teachers about the importance of fire safety.

Students learned about firefighting equipment and had the opportunity to look at the fire trucks. They also participated in a fire drill under the watchful eye of fire personnel, who threw an extra challenge into the exercise by pulling one child out of the group before school staff members took a head count.

“We just wanted to make sure they were accountable for every single kid out there,” Loeffler said. “And they were — they did a good job.”

For more information on the fire department or fire prevention, call 837-4590.