Saturday morning, the engine bay in Fire Station 3 was host to the annual community breakfast on Saturday, Oct. 11, at the end of National Fire Prevention Week and the fire department’s boot drive and T-shirt sales, allowing the MFD to raise money for local nonprofit cancer organizations.

Firefighter Kennedy Alexander, event organizer, was thankful for the large all-volunteer staff from CERT, MFD, fire explorers and EMT programs who cooked, served, and bussed tables. The young men in the programs were eager and engaged with the public. The fire prevention team was unable to be there to entertain the kids this year, and they were missed. The team spent the week going to the schools with their fire safety skits.

They had a great turnout from the public, and there was lots of socializing. Most city officials came to enjoy the pancakes and give support.

Fire Captain Spenser Lewis told the Progress that lithium battery safety was the year’s theme because fires starting from improperly charged batteries are an increasing concern. He reported in Mesquite this year five garage fires were started from improper battery charging. Lewis also said, “There is a lot of aftermarket stuff that does not have the safety cutoff or breakers. People should take care and buy UL-certified stuff.” He particularly mentioned the danger of power strips without the UL rating.

Sandy Cooper, president of CERT, said, “This is just great; everyone getting together with community spirit. Everyone shows up and supports both CERT and cancer programs. This is CERT’s only fundraiser; our donations are used to purchase equipment for our volunteers.”