St. Charles Fire Department hosts community open house Sept. 6

The St. Charles Fire Department will host an open house for the community in September in honor of Fire Prevention Week.

The open house will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on Sept. 6 at Fire Station 1, located at 112 N. Riverside Ave.

The theme of this year’s event is “Charge into Fire Safety,” which addresses how to use and dispose of lithium-ion batteries safely to prevent fire hazards.

The open house will feature live fire demonstrations, rescue operations, combat challenges for kids and more.

All are welcome to attend, meet firefighters, learn about the department’s programs and hear valuable fire safety tips.

There will be activities for children and refreshments will be served.

The Fire Department offered the following tips for safe usage of lithium-ion batteries:

• Buy certified products, marked with safety certifications like UL, ETL or CSA.
• Charge devices safely by using only the charger and cord provided by the manufacturer or approved vendors. Charge devices on hard surfaces, avoid overcharging, and unplug when fully charged.
• Recycle batteries responsibly at certified recycling locations. Never throw lithium-ion batteries in the trash or regular recycling bins, as they can cause fires. Safe recycling locations can be found at call2recycle.org.

In addition to the open house, the fire department will conduct school visits during Fire Prevention Week to share fire safety education with students throughout the community.