Is your home fire safe? That’s a question the Honolulu Fire Department wants every resident to ask.

Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 4-10, and HFD is hosting a kickoff event Saturday at the Honolulu Zoo to get the word out.

“One of the most important things we’ve done is creating a new fire-safety plan,” said Fire Chief Manuel P. Neves, summing up a departmentwide initiative to “move the needle” on fire prevention, preparedness and emergency response in Honolulu. Encouraging every household to install a smoke alarm in every bedroom is a top priority, Neves said. This advice is backed by the National Fire Prevention Association (nfpa.org). National research has shown that half of all fatal home fires happen at night, when most people are asleep. For that reason, a smoke alarm in every bedroom is key to every household’s fire-safety plan.

When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday
Info: honolulu.gov/hfd.html
Cost: Free; zoo admission required, $6-$14, free for children younger than 3.

EDUCATING KIDS is also a big part of the strategy.

To that end, HFD is making a bold change — to its mascot.

Sparky, a firefly who was very similar to the NFPA’s mascot, is retiring after 30 years.

Honolulu’s new mascot reaches back into Hawaiian history: an English mastiff, the bulldog breed favored by King Kamehameha III, who founded Hawaii’s first fire service. The bulldog is ready for action and attired in HFD “turnouts” (the firefighter’s uniform). The incoming mascot is so new that it has yet to be named — though the choices have been narrowed down to three: Akamai, Kinai (meaning “extinguish” in Hawaiian) and Poki (the name of Kamehameha I’s favorite pet).

Honolulu’s youth may help decide the name via online voting as part of a survey that will also help HFD measure kids’ fire-safety awareness. The Fire Fighter’s Safety Guide, a booklet for kids that will be handed out at Saturday’s event, includes directions for joining the online survey.

Firefighters are also delivering copies to students at Oahu schools. Along with information about preventing fires, the booklet includes an image of the new mascot.

WHILE THE fire department has upgraded technology and new equipment — some of which will be on display at the HFD’s event at the zoo Saturday — keeping fires from starting and keeping people safe remains the highest goal, Neves said.

By reaching out to children and families this weekend, the fire department hopes to do that.

Attractions include a Fire Safety Keiki House, where children can learn easy fire-safety lessons. This is where demos of “stop, drop and roll,” and home emergency escape plans take place. Families are also invited to play games and peruse interactive displays. Fire trucks and firefighters will also be on hand from the HFD and the Federal Fire Department.