Last Weeks Program
by: Brekka Kramer
Fire Chief, CJ Craven has been with the department for 27 years and is enjoying his time as fire chief.
The fire department has been a part of the City of Minot since the 1900's. Currently Minot has three fire stations that are open 24/7. On duty at one time a minimum of 12 firefighters are on with a maximum of 15 firefighters. They are organized in battalions of three. Some of the responsibilities of the department include response to accidents, fires, partner responses with Community Ambulance and most recently have added a dive team to the department.
A focus of Fire Chief CJ Craven is education. This starts with youth in the community with a program that reaches a children in grades K-3. The children are asked to draw their escape route with their family and practice this. The drawing are submitted to the department and each year a few winners are selected and the prize is a ride to school in a fire truck!
The department also pro-actively visits the buildings in the community so that a quick response card can be drawn. This allows not only for the department to know the layout of the building, but also to know where important items are like the gas valves. Knowledge is powerful when minutes count.
This time of year there are many risks with the alternate heat sources, fireplaces and extension cords....so take time to make sure your home and family are safe. Remember ALL homes should have a carbon monoxide detector and smoke detector.
Hopefully everyone can answer yes to these three questions:
1) Are you ready for a disaster?
2) Do you have a smoke detector?
3) Do you have a carbon monoxide detector?
