Fire prevention week in Du Quoin Oct. 6-12

Children age 4 and younger, those least able to make their way to safety without help, account for roughly half of all childhood deaths and injuries suffered in fires.

The Du Quoin Fire Department will spend Oct. 6-12 making sure local children know how to survive a fire. It started Tuesday with Capt. John VanVoorhis making a trip to Bethel Lutheran Church pre-school Tuesday to teach "fire school" to children on the church parking lot.

Kids learned how to "stop, drop and roll" if their clothing catches fire. They learned about the importance of fire drills, buckling up in their car seats and seat belts while riding in a car or truck, and fire safety when it comes to candles and fireworks.

He wanted the children to "learn not to burn." Bethel Pre-School is taught by Natalie Juhl and Nadine Wilson, who appreciated the thoughtful approach VanVoorhis took with children.

Du Quoin firefighters will spend all next week teaching children both in the classroom and at the station about fire safety.

Firefighter Adam Hill adds: Have a home escape plan and practice escaping out of every room in your home. Designate a safe meeting place away from the home if a fire occurs.

Having working smoke detectors in your home is the law in Illinois. Change batteries when you change your clock this fall. Replace detectors every 10 years.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is produced when gas, oil, kerosene, wood or charcoal are burned. Symptoms include headache, nausea, dizziness, confusion and fainting. If you have gas appliances or an attached garage at your home it is a state law that you have a carbon monoxide detector. If you suspect carbon monoxide, get out of your house and get to fresh air.

Always stay in the kitchen and watch what you are cooking. Watch children closely in the kitchen. Turn pot and pan handles inward to prevent spills and burns. If you have a cooking fire, call the fire department first. Slide a pan lid over the flames of a grease or oil fire, if possible, and turn off the heat source. Never try to carry the pan outside. Extinguish other food fires with baking soda, not flour. In the event of an oven fire, keep the oven door closed.