The McPherson Fire Department is coming forward with new ideas to promote fire safety and make it more accessible for everyone. On Saturday, November 12th, the department hosted the “Heat of the Moment” event from 10 a.m to 12 p.m. The event aimed to highlight the dangers of unsafe home equipment with fire demonstrations and displays. They showed worst-case scenarios involving turkey fryers and pan fires and emphasized the difference a home sprinkler can make. Jim Deal, the fire chief, came forward at the November 14th City Commission meeting to present the department’s goals moving forward from here.

  “I think we really drove home the point that you need a working smoke detector,” Deal said. “At the bare minimum, citizens need a working smoke detector in their house.”

  While the department is working to make ‘Heat of the Moment’ an annual event, the work isn’t stopping there. Steps are being made to get crucial products in the public eye and accessible to as many people as possible.

  Deal discussed the Five C’s, the core values that the McPherson department strives follows: Courage, Competence, Commitment, Collaboration, and Commitment.

  “We’d like to get these products out to the elderly,” Deal said, referring to vent-hood extinguishers. They can conveniently attach to the top of old stoves, and when they detect a grease fire drop a powder extinguisher to stop the fire from getting out of hand.

  The volunteers are putting all they can to “hopefully try to make Mac as safe as possible,” according to Deal.

  The McPherson firefighters are not the only ones contributing to this safety crusade. Fire Marshal Doug Jorgensen has released tips for Thanksgiving cooking, saying “We encourage all Kansans to take common sense precautions to prevent a fire tragedy on their holiday.”

  The McPherson Fire Department posts its upcoming schedule and more preventive measures on their Facebook page, which anyone can connect to.

  “We were given a chance to drive all these points home- critical points,” said Deal, and the McPherson team doesn’t seem to be taking this chance lightly.