EFFORT UNDERWAY TO HELP PEOPLE STAY SAFE IN CASE OF A FIRE. KCRA 3’S MELANIE WINGO JOINING US NOW LIVE IN SACRAMENTO, WHERE BLANKETS ARE BEING HANDED OUT. SO, MELANIE, THESE THESE AREN’T JUST ANY OLD BLANKETS, THOUGH, RIGHT? YEAH. THAT’S CORRECT. WE’RE AT FRIENDSHIP PARK AT THE LOAVES AND FISHES LOCATION HERE IN SACRAMENTO. AND I WANT TO SHOW YOU THIS. IT’S AN EMPTY BOX, WHICH IS A VERY GOOD SIGN BECAUSE EARLIER THIS MORNING, THIS BOX WAS FILLED WITH THESE FIRE BLANKETS. AGAIN, THESE AREN’T ORDINARY BLANKETS. AND TO TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IT IS JOE PIKE WITH THE FIREFIGHTERS BURN INSTITUTE. NOW, JOE, THANKS FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. YOU PARTNERED UP WITH UC DAVIS BURN CENTER TO HAND OUT BLANKETS TO FOLKS WHO ARE UNHOUSED AND WHO RECEIVE SERVICES THROUGH LOAVES AND FISHES. YEAH, IT’S PART OF OUR MISSION FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS BURN INSTITUTE, AS WELL AS UC DAVIS BURN UNIT TO PREVENT BURN INJURIES. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS POPULATION IS PROTECTED. THEY’RE THEY’RE TRYING TO HEAT THEMSELVES UP, YOU KNOW, WITH WITH FIRES. AND THIS IS A WAY TO PROTECT THEM. IF A FIRE GETS OUT OF CONTROL. YEAH. HOW DOES IT WORK? POP IT OUT. IT’S MADE OUT OF FIBERGLASS. YOU PUT IT OVER ANY TYPE OF FIRE THAT’S BURNING. WHAT? YOU CAN WRAP A PERSON UP IN IT. IF THEY’RE ON FIRE. TO HELP PUT THE FIRE OUT. GETS THE FIRE PUT OUT AND PROTECT THE INDIVIDUAL. AND THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT WOULDN’T NECESSARILY BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD PROVIDE WARMTH TO SOMEBODY, BUT HELPS THEM AS THEY’RE GETTING WARM FROM A FIRE THAT MAY BE AT AN ENCAMPMENT. RIGHT. IT PUTS A BARRIER. IT’S FIRE RESISTANT. SO IT PUTS A BARRIER BETWEEN THEM AND A FIRE. WHETHER OR NOT THEY ACTUALLY CATCH ON FIRE OR TO PROTECT AND COVER THEM UP FROM THE FIRE. AND WHEN DID YOU ALL AT THE FIREFIGHTERS BURN INSTITUTE AND THE FOLKS FROM UC DAVIS HEALTH REALIZED THAT THIS WAS A CRITICAL NEED AMONG OUR AREA’S UNHOUSED? WELL, THEY’VE SEEN THE POPULATION WITHIN THEIR BURN UNIT INCREASE QUITE A BIT WITH OUR HOMELESS POPULATION. AND SO THAT’S WHERE THIS KIND OF CONCEPT CAME OUT WAS, IF WE CAN GET THESE OUT TO THEM AND PREVENT THAT INJURY FROM HAPPENING, THEN THEN WE’RE PROTECTING OUR POPULATION IN SACRAMENTO. AND I KNOW THAT YOU HANDED OUT 150 OF THESE THIS MORNING. SO WE’RE SEEING A LOT OF OUR FRIENDS HERE AT FRIENDSHIP PARK WALKING AROUND. THEY’VE GOT THEIR BLANKETS, WHICH IS GREAT. AND I THINK THEY’RE GRATEFUL FOR THE FACT THAT THIS CAN BE USED AS A SAFETY TOOL. ABSOLUTELY. THEY CAN HAVE IT IN, IN THEIR AREA IF THAT FIRE HAPPENS, THEY’RE ABLE TO PUT IT OUT. IF SOMETHING GETS OUT OF CONTROL, THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO PUT IT OUT RATHER THAN THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER. IT’S ANOTHER TOOL THAT THEY CAN USE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, JOE. AND THANKS TO ALL OF THOSE WHO STOPPED BY AND LET US BORROW THEIR BLANKETS TO SHOW OFF HERE FOR THE CAMERA. AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, IF IF YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU’D LIKE TO HELP OUT WITH SOME OF THE UNHOUSED POPULATION IN SACRAMENTO, AND YOU WANT TO HELP MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ONE OF THESE FIRE SAFE BLANKETS, IT’S REALLY EASY TO DO. YOU CAN MAKE A DONATION. AND WHAT WE’LL DO LATER THIS MORNING IS PUT THE LINK TO WHERE YOU CAN BUY ONE OF THESE FOR FIREFIGHTERS BURN INSTITUTE ON OUR WEBSITE KCRA.COM. AGAIN THAT WILL BE POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE A LITTLE BIT LATER. BUT FOR NOW, A SUCCESS STORY IN AS EVIDENCED HERE BY AN EMPTY BIN THAT USED