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Mayor Ray Knowis issued a proclamation regarding citywide Fire Prevention Week in October’s first monthly meeting.

The theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Cooking safety starts with you. Pay attention to Fire Prevention.”

Knowis read the proclamation before allowing Fire Chief Kenneth Pearson to speak.

“Whereas, the Tullahoma Fire Department and City of Tullahoma is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all those living in and visiting our community; and Whereas, fire is a serious public safety concern both locally and nationally, and homes are the locations where people are at greatest risk from fire; and Whereas, home fires killed more than 2,800 people in the United States in 2021, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and fire departments in the United States responded to 338,000 home fires; and Whereas, cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the United States and fire departments responded to more than 166,400 annual between 2016 and 2020; and Whereas, two of every five home fires start in the kitchen with 31% of these fires resulting from unattended cooking; and Whereas, more than half of reported non-fatal home cooking fire injuries occurred when the victims tried to fight the fire themselves; and Whereas, children under five face a higher risk of non-fire burns associated with cooking than being burned in a cooking fire; and Whereas, Tullahoma’s residents should turn pot handles toward the back of the stove; always keep a lid nearby when cooking; keep a three-foot kid-free zone around the stove, oven, and other things that could get hot; watch what they heat; and set a timer to remind them that they are cooking; And Whereas, residents who have planned and practiced a home fire escape plan are more prepared and will therefore be more likely to survive a fire; and Whereas, working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in reported home fires almost in half; and Whereas, residents that are responsive to public education measures are better able to take personal steps to increase their safety from fire, especially in their homes; and Whereas, the 2023 Fire Prevention Week theme, “Cooking safety starts with YOU. Pay attention to Fire Prevention,” effectively serves to remind our citizens to stay alert and use caution when cooking to reduce the risk of kitchen fires. Therefore, I Ray Knowis, Mayor of the City of Tullahoma do hereby proclaim October 8-14, 2023, as Fire Prevention Week throughout this state, and I urge all citizens of Tullahoma to check their kitchens for fire hazards and use safe cooking practices during Fire Prevention Week 2023 and to support the many public safety activities and efforts of Tullahoma’s Fire Department.”

Then Pearson thanked BoMA, and spoke on behalf of the department regarding Fire Prevention awareness.

“Every year, we have our fire safety week in October, but really we want to be safe year round,” he said. “We want a safe environment for our citizens, for our firefighters and for our business owners. We appreciate everybody. We started going to schools in September, and will be visiting through November.”

He said they visit the elementary schools to discuss fire safety, and visit the middle schools and high school to not only emphasize fire safety, but also discuss potential future careers for students in firefighting.

“Thank you, Chief,” said Knowis. “We appreciate what you do.”