Burns talks about fire safety at Kiwanis meeting

ALBANY — Deputy Albany Fire Department Chief Sebon Burns spoke about fire safety during his recent appearance with the Albany Kiwanis Club.

Burns offered many suggestions for club members in attendance, including having a fire drill with one’s family and arranging for all family members to meet in a specific place if they have to evacuate the house. He told club members of a mother who said her “baby” was inside a burning house. The officers looked for the baby first, delaying their attention to the fire.

The “baby” was 23 years old and standing in the backyard.

Burns asked club members, “Where is the fire extinguisher in your home? Do you know how to operate it?”

He noted that if the extinguisher is under the sink in the kitchen — wrong answer. It should be located closest to the door family members would most likely leave the house by in case of fire.

Also, Burns pointed out, anyone living in a two-story home should have an escape ladder upstairs.

These great suggestions and others offered by the assistant fire chief during his informative discussion had a lot of Albany Kiwanis Club members think twice about fire safety in their homes.