Free Fire Safety Visits for Families With Translation Needs

Editor's Note: The following announcement comes from ECHO Minnesota.

Over 17% of families in Hopkins speak a language other than English at home, according to the 2010 US Census.  Knowing fire safety and recognizing fire hazards at home is important for ALL families.  The City of Hopkins Fire Department is proactively reaching out to any families that speak a primary language other than English at home, and has teamed up with ECHO Minnesota for a successful outreach effort.  ECHO Minnesota is a nonprofit specializing in creating linguistically and culturally effective educational materials and outreach for immigrants and refugees. 

To communicate fire safety and prevention in different languages, a firefighter from the Hopkins Fire Department will visit non-English speaking homes with a bilingual spokesperson from ECHO Minnesota to conduct a free 30-minute home fire safety visit.  If the family consents to a home fire safety visit, a firefighter will look for any fire and safety hazards and inform the owner or tenants so they can be addressed, and offer suggestions on how to fix any safety hazards, as well as be offering free carbon monoxide alarms, smoke alarms, and surge protectors for the home.  The ECHO Spokesperson will serve as a translator and cultural liaison.  Additionally, the State Fire Marshal Division, Hopkins Fire Department and ECHO partnered to create DVDs that will be handed out to households during these visits that will further educate families on fire prevention and safety.

This is a unique and exciting partnership of community and safety resources, and both ECHO Minnesota and the City of Hopkins Fire Department are looking forward to spreading the message of fire safety and prevention.

If you know anyone in Hopkins, particularly immigrant families and individuals, please encourage them to contact Danushka Wanduragala, ECHO Outreach and Assessment Manager, at 651-789-4326 or wanduragala@echominnesota.org for a free inspection.

About ECHO

ECHO’s mission is to collaborate with diverse communities to deliver programs and services that help people be healthy, contribute, and succeed.  Visit echominnesota.org for more information.

About Hopkins Fire Department

Members of the Hopkins Fire Department, through our commitment to innovation, service, and excellence, will always strive to be leaders in fire and life safety services, and model of a progressive and successful fire department. Please visit http://www.hopkinsmn.com/fire/ for more information.