49th CES teaches fire safety

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Emily A. Kenney
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The annual Fire Prevention Week activities kicked off Oct. 4 here.

Sparky the Fire Dog and members of the 49th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Protection Flight spent the week teaching Holloman members the importance of practicing fire safety every day.

"During Fire Prevention Week, we try to stress the importance of fire safety, not only at school, but at home as well," said Tony Padilla, 49th CES fire inspector. "We spent the week visiting schools, the Child Development Center and various organizations around base. We performed fire drills, educated people on fire extinguisher training and stressed the importance of changing batteries in smoke detectors."

Fire Prevention Week gives everyone an opportunity to brush up on fire safety, but is primarily directed toward children.

"Fire Prevention Week is an outreach to the public, especially the kids, to teach about basic fire safety," said Robert Martinez, a 49th CES lieutenant. "We try to teach fire safety from a young age, that way it can stick with the kids and they can take it with them as they get older."

On Friday, groups from around base competed in a firefighter muster challenge, which included dummy drags, stair climbing and hose pulls.

The challenge is designed for people to face the physical challenges firefighters face on a regular basis.

Fire Prevention Week came to an end with a parade, where Sparky and firefighters from the 49th CES drove through the Soaring Heights community.