Letters to the editor: Volunteer, or help firefighters by preparing for fires

According to a 2017 Minnesota Management and Budget report, Minnesota, with 780 fire departments, has the nation’s second-highest percentage — 88 percent — within the fire service that relies on more than 20,000 either paid on call or volunteer firefighters.

Volunteer firefighters answer the call to service, yet it takes time for the volunteers to respond to the fire hall, obtain gear and the response vehicle. Please consider joining a volunteer fire department. The department will assist in obtaining the necessary firefighter and emergency medical responder training to those who answer the call to service. The fire service is a service of service.

Among the fire service professionals, the conversation has transitioned back to the importance of having functioning smoke detectors on each level in the residence. As newer homes are built, the material used in the construction has gotten lighter and cheaper, thus reducing the evacuation time from approximately 12-15 minutes to fewer than 5 minutes. Recommendations are to ensure each level in the residence has functional smoke detectors, including one outside each bedroom, and clear escape routes.

Another recommendation is to install a fire suppression sprinkler system to aid volunteer firefighters in suppressing a residential fire. This past winter there was a major residence fire. The local building code authority had required the residence owner to have a fire suppression sprinkler system installed; this did assist in suppressing the fire.

If serving on an authoritative body that could create the building codes, please consider requiring new building construction to have a fire suppression system.

John Peura, Moose Lake

Peura is a former emergency medical responder for the Kettle River volunteer fire department and a member of the Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education.