The Sheridan Fire-Rescue Department will be hosting the annual Fire Prevention Week open house on Saturday, October 13, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. This years National Fire Prevention Week theme is “Have 2 Ways Out!” and focuses on the importance of having a fire escape plan for your home.

Events planned for the day include fire truck rides, fire station and equipment tours, a Junior Firefighter Challenge course, a bar-b-que, and a home fire sprinkler demonstration. Fire truck rides, tours, and the challenge course will be conducted all day and the bar-b-que will start around noon.

The home fire sprinkler demonstration will start at 1:30 p.m. Fire crews have constructed two identical buildings that are furnished to resemble a typical living room. One of the buildings is protected with a residential fire sprinkler head, while the other is not. A fire will be ignited in each of the buildings to demonstrate the speed and intensity at which modern home fires burn. Fire crews will be called in to extinguish the unprotected fire after it reaches “flashover”, the point at which everything in the room ignites. The protected room will be quickly and automatically extinguished with a single fire sprinkler.

The home fire sprinkler demonstration is a community effort to educate the public on the effectiveness of residential fire sprinkler systems. The demonstration was made possible by generous contributions from Rapid Fire Protection, Western States Fire Protection, Knecht Home Center, Sheridan Floor to Ceiling, Furniture Finders, Sheridan ReStore, and the International Association of Firefighters Local 276.

For questions or more information on the open house events, please contact Sheridan Fire Marshal Brian Songer at 674-7244.