(KIWA Staff Photo - AI Enhanced)Northwest Iowa — This is Fire Prevention Week. We talked with Sheldon Fire Chief Brad Hindt about the theme for the week, “Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging Is a Superpower.”
Part two of that interview now. We asked Hindt if he had any suggestions for charging larger items like e-bikes and e-scooters.
In a related fire-prevention vein, Hindt reminds people to check their smoke alarms. Experts remind you to replace the batteries in battery-operated detectors at least once a year, before the alarm advises you to change it with its intermittent beeping. They also advise you to test the alarms regularly. They say you should keep track of when you buy a new alarm, and if the alarm is older than ten years, replace the whole alarm, not just the battery.
Orange City Chief Gives Some Fire Safety Tips
Speaking of fire prevention, we talked to Orange City Fire Chief Dan Roghair recently, and he has some advice from a couple of recent calls in their area. He says people shouldn’t store anything in the drawer under their ovens except pans completely made of metal. He says he’s seen fires start because of flammable items being stored under the oven. Roghair says his department also responded to a tractor fire recently, but the farmer had put out the fire with a couple of fire extinguishers before they arrived. Roghair reminds farmers to have at least one fire extinguisher in every tractor or combine so you can get a head start putting out any fires before the fire department gets there. Experts advise calling 911 first, but then grab your extinguisher and do what you can to put out the fire, because every little bit helps, and in some cases you can put out the fire before it gets too far.
Sheldon Chief Says Timing Of Agricultural Facility Fires Was Coincidence
We also asked Sheldon Chief Brad Hindt about the three recent fires in Sheldon’s industrial area. People were wondering if there was any connection among the fire calls. Hindt says he doubts there was any connection.
Hindt says he was thankful for all the help.
Hindt says everyone worked well together.
