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Fire Prevention Week highlights Cooking Safety with Team Shaw

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Steven Cardo
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  

The Shaw AFB Fire Department teamed up with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to promote Fire Prevention Week (FPW), a campaign reminding base residents ‘Cooking safety starts with you. Pay attention to fire prevention,’ through various educational seminars and events on base Oct. 8-14, 2023.

This year's campaign worked to educate the Team Shaw community about important actions they can take when cooking to keep them and their families safe from fire hazards.

“Shaw AFB’s Fire Department encourages all residents to embrace the 2023 Fire Prevention Week theme, ‘Cooking safety starts with you,’” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Golden Berry, 20th Civil Engineer Squadron assistant chief of fire prevention. “A cooking fire can grow quickly. I have seen many homes damaged and people injured by fires that could easily have been prevented.”

U.S. Air Force Col. Kristoffer Smith, 20th Fighter Wing commander, signed the FPW proclamation Sept. 29, 2023, kicking off the program which included Shaw Fire Department visits to various development centers on base and a fire station open house to help educate service members and their families.

Cooking continues to be the leading cause of fire-related damage and injuries in U.S. households and Shaw AFB and the NFPA are dedicated to informing the public and providing key safety tips to help reduce the risk of cooking fires.

“Year after year, cooking remains the leading cause of home fires by far, accounting for 49 percent of all U.S. home fires,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA vice president of outreach and advocacy. “These numbers tell us that there is still much work to do when it comes to better educating the public about ways to stay safe when cooking. Shaw AFB Fire Department offers these key safety tips to help reduce the risk of cooking fires.”

Contact the Shaw AFB Fire Department at 803-895-4600 to learn more about FPW programs and activities. For more information about Fire Prevention Week and cooking safety, visit www.fpw.org and visitsparky.org.