Preschoolers get Fire Prevention Week message

KAPAA — In coordination with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Kapaa Fire Station, local State Farm Insurance Agent Darrellyn Lemke donated a Fire Prevention Week tool kit to the All Saints Preschool in Kapaa.

“Helping people manage the risks of everyday life is a fundamental part of our mission,” said Apsara Sorensen, the assistant vice president of Corporate Responsibility at State Farm. “Through our collaboration with NFPA and the local fire departments, we are actively working towards increasing awareness about fire prevention.”

The tool kit includes activities and information for children and adults, providing age-appropriate messages about smoke alarms and other home fire safety and prevention resources.

Lemke said she teamed up with the Kapaa Fire Station and NFPA to promote Fire Prevention Week that runs from Oct. 6-12. This year’s theme is “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you,” which aims to better educate the public about the critical importance of working smoke alarms.

“Smoke alarms alert people in time to escape a home fire, safely, but they have to be working in order to protect people,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA. “This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign highlights simple but critical steps people can take to ensure that the smoke alarms in their homes are installed, tested and maintained properly.”

According to NFPA, working smoke alarms reduce the risk of dying in a fire by 54 percent. The majority of U.S. home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

Lemke joins the NFPA and the Kauai Fire Department in encouraging all residents to actively support this year’s campaign by testing all smoke alarms in the home, making sure they are install in all the needed locations and replacing them when they are 10 years old.