Somers Fire Department Plans Open House Saturday

To mark the end of Fire Prevention Week (Sunday, October 8 through Saturday, October 14), the Somers Fire Department will hold an open house at its station located at 400 Main Street in Somers on Saturday, October 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will feature a car seat clinic, a fire prevention trailer for children, free smoke and CO detectors (provided by Rocky's Ace Hardware), and tours of the Department’s apparatus and equipment. Throughout the month of October, the Somers Fire Department will also be visiting schools and classrooms in town to talk with students about fire prevention.

The Somers Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) — the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week (FPW) for more than 100 years — to promote this year’s FPW campaign, “Cooking safety starts with YOU. Pay attention to fire preventionTM.” The campaign works to educate everyone about simple but important actions they can take when cooking to keep themselves and those around them safe.

According to NFPA, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires and deaths.

“Year after year, cooking remains the leading cause of home fires by far, accounting for half (49 percent) of all U.S. home fires,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of outreach and advocacy at NFPA. “These numbers tell us that there is still much work to do when it comes to better educating the public about ways to stay safe when cooking.”

“We encourage all residents to embrace the 2023 Fire Prevention Week theme, ‘Cooking safety start with YOU,’” said Somers Fire Department Chief John Roache. “A cooking fire can grow quickly. I have seen many homes damaged and people injured by fires that could easily have been prevented.”

The Somers Fire Department offers these key safety tips to help reduce the risk of a cooking fire.

1. Watch what you heat. Always keep a close eye on what you are cooking. Set a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
2. Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Always keep a lid nearby when cooking. If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner.
3. Have a “kid- and pet-free zone” of at least three feet (one meter) around the stove or grill and anywhere else hot food or drink is prepared or carried.

About Somers Fire Department
Established in 1937, the Somers Fire Department (SFD) proudly protects more than 10,000 people living in the 28.5 square mile area that makes up the Town of Somers, Connecticut. The Department’s mission is to develop, organize, and manage effective Fire and Emergency Medical Services that minimize the impact of emergencies on life and property within the Town of Somers. In addition, the Department provides mutual aid support to those surrounding communities that, in time of need, may request assistance.

As a combination department, SFD relies on both paid staff and volunteers, all of whom are professionally trained, selfless, dedicated, and work together to provide round-the-clock response services – firefighting as well as four levels of emergency medical care – to the Town of Somers. The SFD can always use more help and is currently accepting volunteer membership applications.

The SFD operates out of a single firehouse, stationed at 400 Main Street, and has 10 pieces of apparatus, including three ambulances, two tankers, two pumpers, and three service vehicles. Anyone interested in learning more about the SFD should call (860) 749-7626, stop by the firehouse at 400 Main Street, or follow the SFD on Facebook and Instagram.