Theodore Dawes

FIRE RESCUE

Chief’s Tailboard Talk for November 2022

Greetings to the Theodore Dawes Community,

I hope everyone has had great October, it was certainly a busy one here at the TDFR, responding to about 400 calls for service and many other events. We were honored to be requested and to participate in several school and church Fall Festivals, trunk or treats, and a few neighborhood association picnics. October not only brings a focus on Fire Prevention and Safety but also a change in the weather and folks like to get outside. The department held its Second Annual Family Fun Day and we hope everyone that came out to the event had a good time and took home some safety information and knowledge about your fire department that you were unaware of. We had opportunities to be out to
meet and greet at several of our local area businesses and continue to spread the Fire Prevention and Safety message. It is our sincere hope that everyone has tested and/or installed smoke detectors and made sure you have a fresh battery in yours.

As we move into the month of November, the 2022 Holiday season is upon us, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, but don’t let your guard down, Hurricane season is not officially over until November 30th. Our weather continues to change, and your department still has many events on our schedule for Show-N-Tells and to spreading the fire safety message; it’s a year-round endeavor. As the weather continues to change and temperatures drop, please be careful with your heating requirements. Have those HVAC systems inspected and cleaned if necessary before you fire them up. The department has already responded to a small fire in a HVAC system in recent weeks that could have been much worse than it was. Also, be cautious with the use of space heaters, be extremely aware of their placement, avoid locating them too close to drapes and loose bedding. Please do not use extension cords with your space heaters but if you absolutely must, make sure you use one that is properly rated for the electrical load. Never cover your extension cords with rugs or sit heavy furnishing on them. The heat created within the cord can ignite the materials covering it. We all know space heaters are a quick and convenient method for heating a small space, but we must remember how easy the misplacement of device can create havoc. The Mobile Fire Department just recently reported a fire fatality, and a space heater was determined to be the cause. Be aware and be safe; don’t allow a brief lack of attention to details ruin your holiday season.

The Annual Pecan Festival kicks off the first weekend of November and we all will do something for the last time in our lives, we will Fall Back on November 6th , so don’t forget to roll those clocks back one last time. We look forward to serving our community into November and the holiday season and we wish you all a very safe and blessed Thanksgiving.

Franklin Byrd, Fire Chief