Pizza, a bouncy house, and a grease fire were some of the highlights of Dartmouth Fire District No. 3’s open house, held on October 6 to celebrate National Fire Prevention Week.

The goal of the event was to invite the community to get to know the firefighters and have fun while learning about fire safety, said Captain Corey Pimental.

Lieutenant Antone Dias demonstrated what a grease fire looks like, and how to stop it.

Many people’s first instinct when faced with a fire is to pour water on it, but as Lt. Dias explained, that makes a grease fire worse. Because water and oil don’t mix, and the fire is so hot, the water will immediately turn to steam.

Instead, those fighting a grease fire should immediately turn off the burner and cover the fire with a tightly fitting lid or a cookie sheet to deprive the fire of oxygen. It’s important to keep the fire covered for at least fifteen minutes to make sure the fire is fully out. Removing the cover too early could reignite the fire.

Cooking fires are much more common in November and December, Dias said, because more people are cooking during the holiday season.

As the weather gets colder, wood stoves and chimneys should be cleaned and inspected to ensure safety. People should extinguish candles before going to bed or leaving the house.

If starting a car to warm it up, the car should be moved outside the garage to prevent the buildup of carbon monoxide.

Smoke detectors should be tested once a month, and batteries should be replaced twice each year.

Dias also recommends keeping a fire extinguisher in the home, stored in a location each family member is aware of and can easily access.