Safety day set for August 18

NORWAY — For the first time in over 10 years, the Norway Fire Department will host a Community Safety Day. Everyone is encouraged to attend. 

The event will take place August 18 at the Norway Fire Station on Danforth Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., sponsored by Oxford Hills Fire Prevention. 

Various refreshments will be available throughout the day. 

Area fire departments, including Norway, Paris and Oxford, area police departments and possibly State Police and the Oxford County Sheriff's Department will be performing a whole gamut of demonstrations to educate people of all ages how to react in dangerous situations. 

"Basically, it's anything to do with safety in the community," said Norway Fire Chief Dennis Yates. "If somebody from out of state wants to come, that's fine too." 

Demonstrations will include vehicle extrications – rescuing a trapped accident victim from a vehicle; chimney sweeps – how to keep your chimney clean to avoid chimney fires; and other events, like free blood pressure checks administered by PACE ambulance services. 

A LifeFlight helicopter is planned to land in the front parking lot of the Norway Fire Station around 11 a.m., said Yates, so people can get an up-close look at the helicopter, which he refers to as "the bird." 

Norway Fire Department Resource Officer Terry Twitchell said that Sparky the Fire Dog will be around to shake hands and answer any questions people may have about safety. "The kids love that," he said. 

Smokey the Bear will also be on site to shake hands, answer questions and share cake with the community – because on August 9, Smokey turns 65.

Since 1944, Smokey has been a recognized symbol of conservation and protection of America's forests. For generations, he has been educating Americans about their critical role in wildfire prevention through his message – "Only you can prevent wildfires." 

In addition, the event will feature a fire prevention trailer, where attendees can simulate what it's like to be in a burning building. Twitchell said that this will be the biggest event for children. 

He said children will be able to walk or crawl through the "smoke-filled" trailer and learn about the proper way to exit a burning building. 

"There will be someone there to explain the dangers; [when] they [children] wake up in the middle of the night and there is a fire outside their door, before they open the door, what they should do," said Twitchell. 

"They will learn how to feel that door – not with the palm of their hand, but the back of their hand," he said, "and to stay on the floor and crawl. Those types of things." 

If it's not too windy, the fire department will demonstrate, a number of times, how quickly a Christmas tree can catch on fire if it's not properly hydrated. Twitchell said that people should also be checking the cords of their Christmas lights to make sure they are not damaged, as this is also a cause of many fires. 

There will also be a weapons of mass destruction trailer to explain in detail what the Decontamination Strike Team #4 (DST-4) does. The DST-4 is an operations level, state-recognized hazardous materials team based out of Oxford Hills. 

"It should be quite of an eventful day," said Yates. 

"We will have something there for everybody," added Twitchell. 

If all goes well, the plan is to make Community Safety Day an annual event. 

The event is still being planned. For more information, contact the Norway Fire Department at 743-5300.