GRAND TRAVERSE FIRE DEPT FIRE
PREVENTION BUREAU
897 PARSONS RD TRAVERSE CITY, MI 49686
PHONE (231) 922-2077 FAX (231) 922-4918
Greetings to you all, This is Jim Carroll, your Fire Prevention Education Officer for Grand Traverse Fire Department. I would like to take a minute to write about fire safety issues facing the senior population today. I read the recent article in the Senior Corner about fire safety in the home. It is a very good article and covers all the aspects of fire safety as it pertains to the elderly.
Please consider that mother nature has a way of forcing us to adapt to situations differently as we mature. For instance, I remember as a little boy climbing the sledding hill that I played on for hours. I was wet from head to toe and never got cold. I revisited that same hill two years ago with my daughter, Heather, and couldn’t believe the chore it was to climb that hill just once. I am slower than I used to be. I am heavier than I used to be. And, judging by the bruises I had after my daughter slid into me, my reflexes are not like they used to be.
We can learn all we need to know about safety in our lives. We need to learn to apply that knowledge , partner our current physical skills with the safety plans by adapting those plans to fit our physical abilities. I know I can’t use more than one stove top burner without burning the food. I used to be able to.
Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have any questions about the fire service or fire safety and prevention. I would be happy to talk with you. Thank you.
Jim Carroll
Fire Prevention Education Officer
Grand Traverse Fire Department
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