Well the kids have been back to school for over a month, there is a cooler and crisper air and the days are getting shorter so that means it must be fire prevention week! The theme from NFPA this year is “Not every hero wears a cape. PLAN and PRACTICE your ESCAPE! It’s purpose is to recognize the everyday people who motivate their households to develop and practice a home fire escape plan; these seemingly basic behaviors can have life-saving impact. To quote the NFPA: “it focuses on what a home escape plan entails plus the value of practicing it. These messages are more important than ever, particularly because today’s homes burn faster than ever with synthetic fibers used in modern home furnishings & the fact that newer homes tend to be built with more open spaces and unprotected lightweight construction. People tend to underestimate their risk to fire, particularly at home. That over-confidence lends itself to a complacency toward home escape planning and practice. We’ve seen time and again that advance planning can make a potentially life-saving difference.” A home escape plan includes working smoke alarms on every level of the home, in every bedroom, and near all sleeping areas. It also includes two ways out of every room, usually a door and a window, with a clear path to an outside meeting place (like a tree, light pole or mailbox) that’s a safe distance from the home. Home escape plans should be practiced twice a year by all members of the household.
An important message to be sure so plan your escape and be sure to practice it at least twice a year with everybody in the house. It could make a huge difference in the event of a fire. Be fire safe, not just this week, but all throughout the year!
