It my be a coincidence that this week, Oct. 3-9, is Fire Prevention Week and St. John the Baptist Parish opened up a new fire station to be manned 24 hours. You couldn’t ask for better timing. There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday. The station is located on Walnut Street. This station will help provide quicker response time to eastern Laplace.

The station will have two guys there 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I happened to be on duty that day so me and my partner got to sleep there the first night. Everything went fine but at 4:55 a.m. the train passed by and we sure received a loud and shaky wake up alarm that morning. It reminded me of one of my favorite movies, “My Cousin Vinny.” He kept getting woken up early in the morning by trains, roosters and sirens.

I received a copy of the press release from the White House about Fire Prevention Week, and I wanted to share it with you.

During Fire Prevention Week, we reaffirm the importance of fire safety and awareness, and we pay tribute to our firefighters, volunteers and first responders who put themselves in harm’s way to protect out lives, homes and communities every day.

Each of us can take precautions

in our homes to safeguard our loved ones from the hazards of fire.

Smoke alarms are vital detection devices, and properly installing and maintaining them in the home can help keep out families safe. Residential sprinklers systems can give individuals extra time to evacuate a home safely in case of an emergency as well. This year’s theme, “Smoke Alarms: A sound you can live with,” encourages all Americans to test alarms at least once a month and to check their batteries and locations.

Parents and caregivers should also take the time to discuss and practice emergency plans with children in the event of a fire. Additionally, around the home, it is important to ensure electronic appliances, machines and heating units are plugged in and operated properly. With responsible use of fire indoors and outdoors — from safely disposing of matches and cigarettes to increased attention when cooking on grills or building a campfire — we can avoid untold numbers of emergencies, injuries and lives lost to fire and its consequences.

Fire Prevention Week also calls attention to the lifesaving work our firefighters perform in communities across America. These courageous professionals are the first ones on the scene during an emergency, fearlessly charging up smoke-filled staircases as people rush down them. Some have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Our Nation is profoundly grateful for the dedication and timeless efforts of our firefighters and first responders in their selfless service to our communities.

I encourage all Americans to take preventative measures during Fire Prevention Week to protect themselves, their families and their communities from the hazards of fire and to express gratitude to our firefighters and first responders. Together, we can ensure the resilience and safety of our neighborhoods and aid the brave men and women who risk their lives every day to protect us.

Along with that press release I want to mention a few things that the St. John Professional Fire Fighter’s Associations are participating in this month. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we are wearing pink on our shirts this month, along with hosting a fundraiser at Chili’s at the end of the month. We are also going to be at the Andouille Festival Oct. 16 and 17 trying to bring awareness to breast cancer. The final event we are going to participate in is the run/walk for breast cancer on Oct. 23 in City Park. If anyone is interested in walking or running with firefighters please give me a call.

Michael Heath is president of the St. John Professional Firefighters Association.