5 Ways to Prevent a Fire in Your Home

October is National Fire Safety and Prevention Month. Talk to your family about how to prevent a devastating fire in your own home.

October 7-13 is Fire Prevention Week, which was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 that killed 250 people and left more than 10,000 people homeless. In fact, the entire month of October is dedicated to National Fire Safety and Prevention, which is a perfect opportunity to talk to your family about fire safety. Everyone knows the stop, drop, and roll, but there are many other ways to prevent a fire in your home. Here are five tips recommended by the CDC: Last fall, Milton Fire Prevention Officer Lieutenant Brian Doherty offered suggestions for preventing fires as we approach the holiday season. “It’s heating season, so have a service contractor check your heating system, and check your chimneys,” said Doherty. “Be …

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Milton Makes a Difference

Stopping Fires Before They Start

Milton's Fire Prevention Officer on fire safety

October 9-15 is Fire Prevention Week. Columnist Julie Fay spoke with Lieutenant Brian Doherty, Fire Prevention Officer for the Milton Fire Department, about fire prevention in Milton and saving lives before a fire starts. How long have you been in this position? I started as the Fire Prevention Officer about 18 months ago, and have been a firefighter for more than 30 years. What does the Fire Prevention Officer do? There are a lot of different things that have been done over the years. A huge part is making sure all the public buildings have up-to-date fire alarm systems with smoke detectors, pull stations and heat detectors. All public buildings in Milton are protected, and those systems are tested at least four times a year. I also …

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