Team Dover wraps up fire prevention week

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jared Duhon
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The firefighters of the 436th Civil Engineer Squadron held a series of events during the week of Oct. 4 - 10, 2015, aimed at informing Team Dover about common fire prevention tips and to promote fire safety awareness.

The official start of Fire Prevention Week was the Kickoff Bash, which was held at the housing office on October 5, 2015, on Dover AFB, Delaware. The bash provided information to people about the upcoming events during Fire Prevention Week.

"Our goal was to have a successful turnout and positive response from those that attended each event," said Tech. Sgt. Zachary Sielaff, 436th CES fire inspector. "We tripled the attendance at this kickoff bash compared to last year."

Fire prevention week is about informing the public, especially children, about the hazards of fires and ways to mitigate them.

"Educating children on the dangers of fire and how to be safe at a young age is a must," said Staff Sgt. Daniel O'Connor, 436th CES fire inspector. "We were able to educate children about the importance of fire safety and at the same time, let the children have a good time."

During the week a 25-year-old tradition was held, the "Battle of the Badges" softball game. The game was held Oct. 7, 2015, and saw the 436th Security Forces Squadron take on the 436th CES fire department.

"This was a really fun game today and I'm glad we got to come out and play against each other," said Tech. Sgt. Brett Snyder, 436th SFS NCO in charge of standards and evaluations. "We need to continue to build the rapport between the two agencies and make sure we can work together when things go down."

In addition to these events, a Fire Muster was held consisting of seven events that are similar to operations a firefighter may encounter in an emergency situation.

"The purpose of the event was to build teamwork and comradery by bringing different base agencies together to compete in the muster," said Sielaff. "We had nine teams this year which is two more than last year. We also added more events to the muster, and everyone there had a blast."

On Saturday, the Fire Department's Open House and Military Appreciation Day picnic was held as well as the Fire Prevention Week parade. The open house provided an opportunity for a final push of information to stress the importance of fire prevention information and safety tips.

"The Open House and Military Appreciation Day picnic outcome was outstanding," said O'Connor. "It is common to forget about life safety things and it's always good to have Fire Prevention Week as a reminder to stress the dangers of fire and ensure safety is always being utilized."