LAURINBURG — Sunday starts National Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme is “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen.”

According to the city of Laurinburg Fire Chief Jordan McQueen, the theme is fitting, as the department has seen a rise in kitchen fires recently.

“Just this week we have run several calls which turned out to be kitchen fires that resulted from unattended cooking,” said McQueen. “It is important for residents to remember to never leave their kitchen unattended while cooking — fires can occur quickly, but can be stopped by using proper fire safety precautions.

McQueen also stated that it is important to keep items such as oven mitts close by to prevent burns.

“It is also always a good idea to have a home fire extinguisher handy,” said McQueen. “Those can usually be found at stores like Lowe’s. The NFPA website is also a good source of fire safety tips.”

According to McQueen, residents should check the batteries in smoke alarms to ensure they are still working. With the time change approaching, he said it is a good idea to remember to check or change the batteries in the alarms when turning clocks back on Nov. 1.

“Alarms can save lives,” said McQueen. “They can allow enough time for residents to escape a house fire when they are placed and checked properly.

Typically, the Laurinburg Fire Department would host its annual fire safety presentation, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event has been canceled. Past events were always geared toward fire safety for preschoolers and kindergartners with music, puppet shows and skits.

“We were hoping to be able to put out a video with safety tips and advice,” said McQueen, “but with everything going on and everything being different it has been difficult to make it happen.”

According to McQueen, the department may try to have a few live sessions on its Facebook page. For information, residents can check the Laurinburg Fire Department’s Facebook Page.

“I would like to work something out,” said McQueen. “Fire Prevention Week is usually a big deal for us.”

Even if the main event is canceled, daycares and schools can still contact the department to schedule a time for firefighters to bring the fire trucks and equipment out to show the children and tell them about fire safety.

“We are still not opening the station for tours but we can bring some of the station to them,” said McQueen. “We urge day care providers or schools to call and set up an appointment before the calendar fills up.

“If they are unable to schedule a visit during fire prevention week, they can still call and schedule a visit for another time,” added McQueen. “After all, October is National Fire Prevention Month. We also do not isolate our visits to October, residents should feel free to contact us about visiting their establishment or event.”

To contact the Laurinburg Fire Department to schedule a fire safety demonstration, residents can call the station at 910-276-1811 between the hours of 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

“If for some reason we do not answer, please be sure to leave your name and a phone number for us to call you back and schedule the visit,” said McQueen. “It would also be a good idea to leave the name of your day care or school and the date you are hoping for us to visit.”

McQueen would also like to let residents know the department is still performing car seat checks, but by appointment only at this time.

JJ Melton can be contacted at [email protected].