The Fire Department of Montgomery Township (FDMT) conducted employee fire safety training and a life safety fire inspection at J.L. Freed Honda on May 24.
The training and inspection were part of the services that the fire department offers to residents and businesses. The employee fire safety training teaches employees how to properly use a fire extinguisher, when to use a fire extinguisher, common fire code violations, and common safety hazards and ways to mitigate them. They also offer lessons on home safety.
“There was a buzz of excitement around the dealership when this was going on,” Matthew Beatty, Director of Fixed Operations for J.L. Freed Honda, said. “Most of the time when we do training, we sit them down and somebody runs through a boring PowerPoint, but when they could actually get out there and put down a fire with a fire extinguisher, [the training] was very well received, more so than we thought it would be.”
The department received an $80,000 FEMA grant last August, which is used for smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and home safety checklists.
“On Sundays throughout the summer, we're targeting various neighborhoods in Montgomery Township, and we’ll offer to install smoke detectors — whether battery operated or hardwired — and carbon monoxide detectors. We'll also replace smoke detectors or we'll add [more],” said Bill Wiegman, chief of FDMT.
They will also conduct home safety fire checks with interested residents.
“It's all about building relationships,” Wiegman said. “Anytime we have the opportunity to build a relationship with a business owner or community resident — we obviously know they're going to call us on their worst day — we want to be there and have a relationship with them before that happens. If we can get out and mitigate [risks] and educate, that's what we're trying to do.”
