FAIRMONT — The Fairmont Fire Department is gearing up for Fire Prevention Week in October. Captain Colby Whitmore stated that the department will be participating in Operation EDITH (Exit Drill In The Home), a program meant to help children and families come up with a solid exit plan in the event of a fire. Whitmore stressed the importance of such a plan and explained the program.

“Our plan is for Sunday October 3 to be our target date for Operation EDITH,” he said. “Really, all it is is that we’re going to be providing a document to everyone in the schools. It lays out what the program is, and it’s a list of questions like “are there ways to escape” or “can you reach the ground” and things like that.

“It’s just telling kids how to create the exit plan, get a meeting place outside the home, and things like that. What we’re going to be doing as a fire department is just doing some PR work.

“We’ll have each neighborhood blocked off in certain sections and we’ll be taking trucks out with the lights and sirens driving through and trying to interact with the kids and the families that are participating.”

Whitmore said that the indicator for families’ participation will be to have their exterior front door light on. Whitmore went on to say that it is more important than ever for families to have have an exit plan.

“The biggest importance right now is with all of the artificial materials used in home products now, and even construction products is that fires double in size every minute. You used to have about three or four minutes once a fire started to realize it and get out of the home.

“That has significantly decreased here in the last number of years, due to things like heavy plastic use. Smoke now is far more toxic than it used to be with natural materials.”

Whitmore said that the goal is to get as many people as possible on board with having an exit plan in place.

“Due to COVID-related things, our open house has been pushed off for a couple of years now. We just want to get back out there and have more interaction with the community, specifically the youth.”

Whitmore said more information also will be available on the department’s Facebook page as time draws closer to October.