October has been proclaimed Fire Prevention Month in DeKalb County. County Mayor Stribling was jioned by Fire Chief Donny Green and Lieutenant Brian Williams of the DeKalb County Fire Department for the signing of the proclamation on Sept. 25.

The department will be focusing on educating DeKalb County citizens concerning the installation, testing, and maintenance of smoke alarms and developing and practicing home fire escape plans.

Lt. Williams, the department's fire prevention officer, said that the DeKalb County Fire Department will gladly make arrangements to make presentations to any group that would like to learn more about fire prevention and safety. He emphasized that fire prevention and safety should not be limited to just a week or month during the year. These issues should be addressed every day of the year. He said the DeKalb County Fire Department uses the month of October to place special emphasis on these issues because October is typically the start of the residential fire season. Approximately 80% of DeKalb County’s accidental home fires are the direct result of home heating appliances such as wood stoves, wall heaters, and space heaters.

The DeKalb County Fire Department will be visiting DeKalb County schools, senior citizen’s events, churches, and other interested groups to promote fire prevention and safety during the month of October. During these visits, members of the Department will be delivering presentations and handing out educational materials that focus on fire prevention and safety. Groups that would like to arrange a presentation on fire prevention and safety can contact Lieutenant Williams at 615-330-4066. The Department encourages everyone to visit the DeKalb County Fire Department’s web site at : www.dekalbfire.com to learn more about the Department and fire prevention and safety measures.