Fire safety was the topic of the night Tuesday at a town hall meeting hosted by state Sen. Robert Stewart, City Councilwoman Jannie Thomas and State Fire Marshal Scott Pilgreen at Mount Zion Primitive Baptist Church.
Top takeaways from the event included the Selma Fire Department saying it will check the health of the city’s fire hydrants, while the state fire marshal warned against outdoor burning because of drought conditions.
Thomas, who represents Ward 7, said she wanted to host the meeting about fire safety because of a rash of house fires.
“It is very important to me that our community comes first, and our neighbors – we look out for one another, and care about one another,” Thomas said.
Residents learned about fire safety and prevention methods and got the opportunity to learn more about updates on local safety efforts.
Selma Fire Chief Walter Dailey said the city will be checking the water flow of the city’s hydrants, and they will paint them as well.
The process may cause water to orange “for a day or so,” Dailey said. He added the department will get into the schools more to teach what not to do, like play with matches.
State Fire Marshall Scott Pilgreen warned against any outdoor burning, including trash, because the state is under a drought advisory. He said the advisory is being reassessed this week and will be publicly updated next week.
Jody Hodge, community disaster program manager for the American Red Cross, emphasized the need to conduct fire drills in the home. Selma residents can get fire alarms with 10-year battery life by calling 1-800-Red Cross, he said.
Resident Sunshine Alvarado retold her own experience with a house fire in 2019 and reiterated the importance of fire drilling and developing am at-home escape plan in the event of a fire emergency.
Selma Mayor Johnny Moss III and Dallas County Sheriff Mike Granthum also addressed the crowd.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.