Riverside firefighters Sunday will display their gear, offer tips on how to escape a household blaze and provide a host of demonstrations to inaugurate National Fire Prevention Week.
A Public Safety Expo is planned beginning at 1 p.m. in the middle of the intersection of Mission Inn Avenue and Lime Street, just outside Riverside Fire Station No. 1.
According to organizers, there will be a vehicle extrication demo, a truck ladder deployment to simulate a high-rise rescue, rappelling from the firehouse, CPR training, a “kids fire safety trailer” and tours of the Fire Museum, where an early 20th century fire engine is on display.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is “Not Every Hero Wears A Cape–Plan And Practice Your Escape,” emphasizing the importance of rehearsing what to do in the event of a property or wildfire.
“Today’s home fires burn faster; in a typical home fire, you may only have one or two minutes to escape from the time the smoke alarm sounds,” Riverside fire Chief Michael Moore said. “So planning your two ways out in of each room in advance and practicing can increase the chances of everyone getting out safely.”
According to National Fire Protection Association statistics, in 2017, structure fires caused 2,630 deaths and 10,600 injuries throughout the nation.
More information is available at www.fpw.org.
The expo is slated to conclude about 4 p.m.