LANSING - Although the Lansing Fire Department is usually called on to extinguish fires, it spent Wednesday morning lighting one - all for good reasons, of course.
In a small brick room at the Lansing Fire Department Training Center, Battalion Chief Larry Martin lit a flare and set it at the base of a decorated Christmas tree as firefighters armed with hoses looked on.
Within seconds, a smoke detector sounded and the tree was barely visible, first lost in smoke, then engulfed in flames.
However, the staged fire wasn’t just for Grinch-like kicks.
“We wanted to get the word out there that before you (put lights on your) tree, make sure your home is adequately equipped with smoke detectors,” said Gary Burkart, vice president of Flagstar Bank, which sponsored the demonstration as part of its Safety First program.
The program gives away thousands of free or discounted smoke alarms to people across the state. In its second year, the program aims to reduce the number of holiday fire fatalities with demonstrations and messages in the media, focusing on Lansing, Detroit, Pontiac and Grand Rapids.
“Our goal is zero fires, zero fatalities during the holiday season,” Burkart said. “It is a goal we believe we can reach, but there is still a long way to go.”
In 1999 there were two fire-related deaths in Lansing and so far this year there have been three. One of them, Daniel N. Chege, was an MSU graduate student.
Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus said a Friday fire in Detroit that killed six children in a public housing complex served as a reminder of the importance of proper safety devices, such as smoke detectors. It’s estimated that one out of three smoke detectors aren’t in working condition, mostly due to dead or missing batteries.
“Fires are the number one cause of accidental death for children under the age of 14, and we can help prevent that,” he said.
Posthumus stressed the importance of watering Christmas trees and making sure lights are kept in good shape and not overloading outlets.
Posthumus and the Lansing Fire Department joined Flagstar in promoting fire safety.
“The benefit we see from (this program) is that with people putting up a fire alarm, it benefits them year-round and we’re glad to see it happen,” Lansing Fire Department Lt. John Dyer said. “One fire death is one too many.”
Besides showing how quickly a tree can burn down to nothing more than black sticks, The demonstration also showed the strength of safety devices.
After the burning tree was soaked with water and the smoke cleared, Lt. John Donovan brought out the smoke detector, which though melted into a shapeless piece of plastic, was still faintly ringing.
“Hopefully long before that’s melted, it’s done its warning job,” Dyer said.
