B.V.I. Monday, September 28 – Acting Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Mr. William Penn issued a statement today in preparation for Fire Safety Awareness Week 2009, encouraging residents to recognise the importance of taking the necessary fire safety precautions to reduce the number of preventable fires in the Territory.
This year fire safety week will be celebrated under the theme Awareness and Prevention, Be Fire SMART.
“SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Bound,” Mr. Penn expressed during his statement.
“The acronym SMART is very important to this year’s activities because it illustrates what should be done, in any given situation to help individuals and their families become more aware of the dangers and risks posed by fires,” Mr. Penn announced.
According to Mr. Penn, when applied to any given situation, thinking SMART can help reduce vulnerability to fires or it can help to assist in finding the most efficient and effective answer to the problem faced.
The Fire and Rescue Service is investing in the mental development of the children this year through various programmes and activities like the cadet programme and pre-arranged lectures with schools.
“We have included children in this initiative, because we realize that our success depends on their ability to learn the fire prevention details. We believe that if we condition their young minds from now, in the future, we would have a safety conscious community,” the Acting Deputy Chief noted.
As part of the week of activities there will be a luncheon, motorcade, fire safety lectures, training sessions, open house activities, sporting events and a healthy living fun walk.
The community is encouraged to come out and support the activities as fire prevention is everyone’s business. For more information on Fire Safety Awareness Week 2009 and how you can become involved in some of the activities, contact the Fire & Rescue Department at 494-3473.
The mission of the Fire and Rescue Service is to protect life and property from the effects of fire and all other man-made and natural accidents and disasters.
British Virgin Islands News