LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Saturday at Lansing Fire Department Station 8, kids and people of all ages got a chance to see what it’s like to be a firefighter. It’s just one of the many events the station had for Fire Prevention Week 2023. This year’s theme: “Cooking Safety Starts with You.”

“In homes, the number-one cause of fires is from cooking and the number-one cause of cooking fires is from unattended cooking. So we just like to remind people that if you’re going to cook, be in the same room, be present, be alert,” said Jared Nisch, fire inspector for LFD.

So, what can you do if your stove catches fire?

“If you have a grease fire, we recommend you have a lid nearby and that you slide the lid over the pan, then turn off the burner,” Nisch said. “If you have a fire that’s in the oven, we just recommend you turn the oven off.”

And, of course, if the fire gets out of hand, call 911 and leave it to the professionals. This is just some of the information people were learning at Saturday’s event. But it didn’t stop there–they also had live demonstrations, like how to perform CPR.

“In the middle of the chest, down a little bit, lower palm of your hand, hard and fast, approximately 100 times a minute. Hands-only CPR is the current preferred model; we are not necessarily doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation anymore,” said Ralph Ortiz, Chief of EMS Operations for Lansing Fire Department.

But the event was much more than just safety tips–it was about letting the community meet the men and women of the Lansing Fire Department.

“I’ve been with the Lansing Fire Department for 17 years, and being a part of the community and doing these community events is really, really special to us,” said Nisch. “This is the first one we have done since the COVID-19 thing. So, getting back into this and having people come out and sharing safety tips and how we work and live, it’s a great thing and I’m glad we are doing it again.”