Fire Prevention Week

2023 Fire Prevention Week

In 2023, the theme for National Fire Prevention Week is “Cooking Safety Starts with YOU. Pay Attention to Fire Prevention.”

Each year, the Flower Mound Fire Department recognizes Fire Prevention Week with an education campaign, our annual Open House, a poster contest, and more. Additionally, our S.A.F.E. Team visits each elementary school in Flower Mound to provide important fire safety messages while also having some fun.

Home Cooking Fires

Cooking is such a routine activity for many of us that it's easy to forget that it can easily start a fire. From 2017 to 2021, cooking was the leading cause of reported home fires and home fire injuries, as well as the second leading cause of home fire deaths. You can avoid a cooking fire at your home by following these tips:

Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don't use the oven or stovetop.
Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling, or broiling food.
If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly. Use a timer to reminder yourself that you are cooking.
Keep anything that can catch fire - oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains - away from your stovetop.
Keep a lid nearby when cooking to smother a small grease fire. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turning off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.

If you have a cooking fire:

Get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
Call 911 or the local emergency number after you leave.
If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear way out.
In the case of an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.

Importance of Fire Prevention

In a fire, seconds can mean the difference between a safe escape and a tragedy. Fire safety education isn’t just for school children. Teenagers, adults, and seniors are also at risk of fires, making it important for every member of the community to take some time during Fire Prevention Week to make sure they understand how to stay safe in case of a fire. While Fire Prevention Week is a great time to brush up on your fire safety knowledge, we want to encourage the community to be aware of the risks year-round.

Home Fire Safety

According to the NFPA, the first step in home fire safety is working smoke alarms. These devices save lives and cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half. Every home should have working smoke alarms in every room where someone sleeps and on every level of the home. Make sure to test your smoke alarms at least once a month, change the batteries at least once a year, and replace the whole unit every 10 years.

Other items on NFPA's Home Fire Safety checklist include working carbon monoxide detectors, operating all large appliances in the home safely and in the manner they were intended, and creating a home escape plan. For more information on these and other fire safety topics, see the NFPA's safety tip sheets.

Fire Prevention Week Poster Contest

Dates:
The contest will run from October 2, 2023 – October 27, 2023.

Participation:
Student participation: Grades 1-5 School Participation: Schools can participate to win the “Fire Safe School” designation, as well as a visit from our Fire Department.

Poster Guidelines:

Poster must be original and may be on any fire safety/fire prevention theme. Consider this year’s FPW theme: Cooking Safety Starts with YOU.
Only individual work by students will be accepted. One entry per student.
Posters must conform to the following description
- 8.5” x 11” in size (standard printer paper size)
- Any art medium, including paint, crayons or markers, cutouts, chalk, pencils, or pen and ink may be used.
- Posters that have been burned or contain live matches will not be accepted.
Once submitted, the poster will become the property of the Flower Mound Fire Department.
The following information MUST be included on the poster (write on the back of the poster or affix with glue/staple): - First and Last Name - Name of School - Grade Level - Teacher’s name
Posters should be submitted to your child’s teacher or school office. Posters may also be mailed to Fire Administration or dropped off at your nearest Flower Mound Fire Station.
Posters will be collected from the front office on Friday, October 27th after 9:00 AM. Posters can also be mailed or dropped off at the Central Fire Station – 3911 S. Broadway Ave (next to the post office). Posters must be received by October 30th, 2023 if mailed or dropped off.

Judging:
Posters will be judged by the FMFD S.A.F.E team members between October 30 – November 8th. Winners will be notified on November 9th and announced publicly on November 10th. Judging will be based on fire safety messages, creativity, and overall artwork. Each grade level will have a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner.

Prizes:

2nd and 3rd Place Winners:
- Poster on display at one of our Town facilities
- Certificate of achievement from the Fire Chief
- Fire Department goody bag

1st Place:
- Poster on display at one of our Town Facilities
- Acknowledgement at a Town Council meeting
- Firefighter for a Day – station tour, obstacle course, water hose, etc.
- Ribbon/Certificate for school.

School Level Award:
One school will win the “Flower Mound Fire Safe School” award. Schools will be evaluated on Poster Contest participation (amount of student entries), Fire Safety messaging and engagement for students and their families, and the number of completed Classroom Self-Inspections.

Schools will win Firefighter for a Day – Crews will come out to the school for a truck tour, mini obstacle course, ride on the ladder, and hose spraying. This would be a great teacher workday activity, that can be done during a break in meetings. The school will also win a certificate and ribbon and will be honored with the winners of the poster contest at a Town Council Meeting.

Classroom Self-Inspections Classroom self-inspections can be completed by teachers – the inspections should take approximately 10-15 minutes. To access the self-inspection form, visit our website. The self-inspection is a web-based form. Information submitted on the form is confidential and will not be publicly shared.

Educator Resources:

Visit the Educator Resources page on our website to access educator resources for teaching about fire science and fire safety in the classroom. Lesson plans/activities are available for Pre-School – 5th Grade.

Chief's Award

Tabitha T. from Founders Classical Academy is this year’s first-place winner. She will now get a pizza delivery from the Fire Chief, and a window decal of her poster will be displayed on the chief’s vehicle for one year. Congratulations, Tabitha!

Station Awards

Firefighters at some of our fire stations also chose a winner for the Station Award category. Each winner will get pizza delivered by a fire truck, and a window decal of their poster will be displayed on a fire truck for one year.