Fire Prevention Week – October 7-13, 2018
This week is Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 7-13) and now is a good time to learn about fire safety and prevention.
Look, listen and learn….be aware as fire can happen anywhere. Fire Prevention Week is in place to help educate people about ways to reduce the likelihood of having a fire and how to escape safely if they have one. LOOK for places fire could start. LISTEN for the sound of the smoke alarm. And LEARN how to get out when to escape fire.
We recently spoke with a local firefighter who was able to provide some helpful tips of things to be aware of and maintain for fire prevention as well as that escape plan.
First Line of Defense…Smoke Alarms
Installing and maintaining smoke alarms is crucial in helping protect your family and home as well as saving lives. Take these simple steps to ensure they are working properly:
- Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas;
- Test smoke alarms monthly;
- Replace alkaline batteries twice a year; and,
- Replace smoke detectors that are ten years old, as recommended by the U.S. Fire Administration.
Important Fire Safety and Prevention Tips
It is important to practice fire safety starting at a young age and throughout your life. These simple habits can help prevent fires as well as fire-related injuries and deaths:
- Practice home fire drills to know what to do when the smoke alarm does go off.
- Make a home fire escape plan so everyone knows two ways out of the house and the location of an outdoor meeting place.
- Learn basic cooking and burn safety practices; cooking is the number one cause of fires and fire-related injuries.
- Be aware of the potential warning signs and hazards of electrical fires.
- To prevent dryer fires, clean the filter screen and outside vents.
- Never leave burning candles unattended, and make sure nothing flammable is within a foot of a burning candle.
For additional Fire Safety resources, feel free to reach out to your local Fire Department or read more about Fire Prevention week here. Knowledge is power!
Special thanks to Allen Firefighter, Jason Thornton, for the above tips and helping to educate about this important topic.