Fort Leavenworth Fire Department emphasizes prevention

By Katie PetersonOctober 1, 2020

Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services Battalion Chief Dustin Hensley, Fire Capt. Richard Baggett and Fire Inspector Aaron Dennis film a Fire Prevention Week video with the help of Annika Kinder, Fort Leavenworth Public Affairs intern and senior at Park University, at the site of a mock kitchen fire Sept. 25 off Hunt Loop. "Serve up fire safety in the kitchen" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services Battalion Chief Dustin Hensley, Fire Capt. Richard Baggett and Fire Inspector Aaron Dennis film a Fire Prevention Week video with the help of Annika Kinder, Fort Leavenworth Public Affairs intern and senior at Park University, at the site of a mock kitchen fire Sept. 25 off Hunt Loop. "Serve up fire safety in the kitchen" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp (Photo Credit: Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp) VIEW ORIGINAL
Annika Kinder, Fort Leavenworth Public Affairs intern and senior at Park University, films Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services Firefighter Melissa Tull and other firefighters responding to a mock kitchen fire call during the making of a Fire Prevention Week video Sept. 25 off Hunt Loop. "Serve up fire safety in the kitchen" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp
2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Annika Kinder, Fort Leavenworth Public Affairs intern and senior at Park University, films Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services Firefighter Melissa Tull and other firefighters responding to a mock kitchen fire call during the making of a Fire Prevention Week video Sept. 25 off Hunt Loop. "Serve up fire safety in the kitchen" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp (Photo Credit: Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services firefighters Terrance Carr, Dylan Honeycutt, Capt. Richard Baggett and Melissa Tull, joined by Sparky the Fire Dog, portrayed by Fire Inspector Antonio Masisak, respond to a mock kitchen fire call during the making of a Fire Prevention Week video Sept. 25 off Hunt Loop. "Serve up fire safety in the kitchen" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp
3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services firefighters Terrance Carr, Dylan Honeycutt, Capt. Richard Baggett and Melissa Tull, joined by Sparky the Fire Dog, portrayed by Fire Inspector Antonio Masisak, respond to a mock kitchen fire call during the making of a Fire Prevention Week video Sept. 25 off Hunt Loop. "Serve up fire safety in the kitchen" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp (Photo Credit: Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services Battalion Chief Dustin Hensley; Sparky the Fire Dog, portrayed by Fire Inspector Antonio Masisak; and Fire Inspector Aaron Dennis film a Fire Prevention Week video with the help of Annika Kinder, Fort Leavenworth Public Affairs intern and senior at Park University, Sept. 25 at Fire Station No. 2. "Serve up fire safety in the kitchen" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp
4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services Battalion Chief Dustin Hensley; Sparky the Fire Dog, portrayed by Fire Inspector Antonio Masisak; and Fire Inspector Aaron Dennis film a Fire Prevention Week video with the help of Annika Kinder, Fort Leavenworth Public Affairs intern and senior at Park University, Sept. 25 at Fire Station No. 2. "Serve up fire safety in the kitchen" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp (Photo Credit: Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services Battalion Chief Dustin Hensley; Sparky the Fire Dog, portrayed by Fire Inspector Antonio Masisak; and Fire Inspector Aaron Dennis film a Fire Prevention Week video Sept. 25 at Fire Station No. 2. "Serve up fire safety in the kitchen" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp
5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services Battalion Chief Dustin Hensley; Sparky the Fire Dog, portrayed by Fire Inspector Antonio Masisak; and Fire Inspector Aaron Dennis film a Fire Prevention Week video Sept. 25 at Fire Station No. 2. "Serve up fire safety in the kitchen" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp (Photo Credit: Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp) VIEW ORIGINAL
Annika Kinder, Fort Leavenworth Public Affairs intern and senior at Park University, films Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services firefighters responding to a mock kitchen fire call during the making of a Fire Prevention Week video Sept. 25 at Station No. 2. "Serve up fire safety in the kitchen" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp
6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Annika Kinder, Fort Leavenworth Public Affairs intern and senior at Park University, films Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services firefighters responding to a mock kitchen fire call during the making of a Fire Prevention Week video Sept. 25 at Station No. 2. "Serve up fire safety in the kitchen" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week. Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp (Photo Credit: Photo by Prudence Siebert/Fort Leavenworth Lamp) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas (Oct. 1, 2020) -- Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 4-10 and, though COVID-19 prevents Fort Leavenworth Fire and Emergency Services from offering the annual open house or visiting post schools, the firefighters are still finding ways to bring the message of fire safety to the Fort Leavenworth community.

Representatives from the Fire Department will be at the Fort Leavenworth Commissary from 1-3 p.m. Oct. 6 and at the Post Exchange from 9-11 a.m. Oct. 7 to provide information about fire prevention to the Fort Leavenworth community.

In lieu of in-person school visits, a 15-minute fire safety video will be issued to each of the four on-post schools. The video demonstrates the “stop, drop and roll” technique, safety tips while cooking, how firefighters respond to a fire call, the importance of testing smoke alarms, exit drills and more.

In lieu of the annual open house, a parade of three fire trucks following a lead pickup truck with Sparky the Fire Dog will travel through all housing areas on post starting at 9 a.m. Oct. 10. The parade will leave from Fire Station No. 2 and travel through upper and lower Iowa Villages, Ottawa Village, Santa Fe Village, Shawnee Village, old and new Pawnee Villages, Pottawatomi Village, Kickapoo Village, upper Kansa Village, East Cheyenne and Cheyenne Villages, lower Kansa Village, new and old Oregon Villages, Main Post, Infantry Barracks, Main Post again, Normandy Village and Osage Village before returning to the Fire Station.

Since 1925, Fire Prevention Week has been observed the week of Oct. 9, Sunday through Saturday, coinciding with the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, which burned Oct. 8-10, 1871.

“This horrific conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres of land,” said Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention Dean Turner, during the Proclamation ceremony Sept. 30 on Facebook Live. “Because of this fire, it determined the need for a fire prevention program across the nation.”

The theme for 2020 is “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen.”

“The National Fire Protection Association has reported that unattended cooking is the leading cause of fire in the home,” Turner said. “Each year, there are over 172,000 home fires due to cooking. This is estimated at 471 per day.

“We just want to push the message out and make people aware that unattended cooking continues to be the No. 1 cause of home fires,” Turner said.