The White Falcon - 01.10.1993, Blaðsíða 2

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Fire Prevention Week
By Huraldur Stefansson
NAS Keflavik Fire Chief
On October 9,1871, the infamous Chicago
fire killed 250 persons and destroyed 17,430
buildings, at a cost of $168 million.
In commemoration of the date, Fire Pre-
vention Week is always the Sunday through
Saturday period which includes October 9.
The observance originated in 1911, when the
Fire Marshals Association of North America
established Fire Prevention Day. Later in
1922, President Warren G. Harding pro-
claimed the establishment of Fire Prevention
Week. Since then, the message of fire safety
has been brought to the public not only during
Fire Prevention Week but also throughout
the whole year.
NAS Keflavfk’s Fire Department has
planned several activities for the commemo-
ration: Large fire prevention posters will be
distributed throughout the base on Monday.
Approximately 100 fire prevention lectures/
demonstrations will be conducted during the
week. (Poster stands and display racks will
be installed in places of public assembly.)
Operation EDITH (Exit Drill in the Home)
will be introduced to all elementary school
students, and Family Escape Plan material
for the home will be distributed. The Fire
Department will reward students who turn in
completed exit/escape plans. EDITH will be
conducted Wed. at 5:30 p.m. Fire engines
will sound sirens throughout the housing
areas. All families are urged to participate.
Facts About Fire
□ Approximately 5,500 people die in fires
in the U. S. annually, including about 100
firefighters. Another 30,000 civilians are in-
jured.
□ The U. S. fire deaths rate, per million
people, are almost twice the average com-
pared to other industrialized nations.
□ Each year, fire kills more Americans than
all the major natural emergencies combined,
including floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and
earthquakes.
□ Fire is the third leading cause of acciden-
tal death in the home. At least 75 percent of
all fire deaths occur in residential area.
□ Cooking is the leading cause of apart-
ment fires and the second most frequent cause
of single family residential fires. These fires
often result from unattended cooking and
human error, rather than from mechanical
failure of stoves or ovens.
El Careless smoking is the leading cause of
residential fire deaths. Smoke detectors and
smoldering resistant bedding and upholstered
furniture are significant fire deterrents.
□ Children under age of five are at serious
risk of being killed in a fire — more than
double the average population.
El About 25 percent of fires that kill young
children are started by children playing with
matches.
Another house cal
It was a beautiful Thursday morning. T'
base housing residents were exiting the!
building when they heard a smoke detector
go off. As they ran up to the third floor to
investigate, they smelled smoke in the corri-
dor.
The man knocked on the apartment door to
find out if anybody was home. His wife went
to call the Fire Department. A few minutes
later, Fire Department personnel arrived and
forced their way into the locked apartment,
but no one was found in the smoke filled
room. The cause of the fire: A curling iron,
which was plugged into an electrical outlet
and wrapped inside a towel, overheated and
set the towel on fire.
The fire men unplugged the curling iron
and extinguished the fire with water. Once
again, the Fire Department had to respond to
a fire caused by carelessness... a fire that
could have taken a life or caused severe
damage.
The Fire Department encourages housing
residents to be careful while using electrical
appliances such as curling/clothes irons,
coffee pots, etc. They should always bo
unplugged when not in use. Otherwise,
can expect our enemy “Fire” to pay us a vis]
and the luck may not always be with us for
our protection.

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October rains bring foretaste of Old Man Winter
October marks the arrival of winter as temperatures
become cooler and the probability of snow increases.
An average of 5.2 inches of precipitation makes Octo-
ber the wettest month of the year. Measurable rainfall
occurs on an average 21 days of the month, while
snowfall occurs only twice.
Hours of darkness exceed those of daylight. On the
first of October there are 11 hours and 21 minutes of
daylight compared to only eight hours and nine minutes
on the 31 St. (Provided by the Nival Oceanography Command Facility)
Average temp:
Average max. temp:
Average min. temp:
Extreme max. temp:
Extreme min. temp:
Dominant wind direction:
Average wind speed:
Extreme max. wind gust:
Average precipitation:
Max. 24-hour rainfall:
Max. monthly rainfall:
Average monthly snowfall:
Max. monthly snowfall.
41F/5C
44F/7C
37F/3C
57F/14C
18F/-8C
North-northeast
14 knots (16 MPH)
68 knots (78 MPH)
5.2 inches
1.7 inches
9 inches
2 inches
12 inches
TheWhite Falcon
Commander, Iceland Defense Force
RADM Michael D. Haskins
Public Affairs Officer
LT Joseph L. Quimby
Deputy Public Affairs Officer
Fridthdr Kr. Eydal
Draftsman
DM2 Danielle J. Kim
Editor
J02 Carlos Bongioanni
Journalists
J03 (SW) Andreas Walter
The White Falcon is printed by the NAS Keflavik
Prim Plant. Photo processing is provided by Beet Im-
aging Command Detachment Keflavik.
The While Falcon is an authorized, gov-
ernment-funded weekly publication of thelce-
land Defense Force. Contents of The White
Falcon are not necessarily the official views
of or endorsed by, the U. S. Government, the
Department of Defense or the Iceland Defense
Force. Everything advertised in this publica-
tion shall be made available without regard to
race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status,
physical handicap, or any other non-merit
factor. The While Falcon is located in Bldg.
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The White Falcon