Newsletter

Fire Prevention Week 2011

This year’s fire prevention theme is “Protect Your Family From Fire.” The week focuses on how to protect your family from fire by planning ahead and integrating simple things into your everyday life.

Fires in the home take a great toll on life and property each year. During the five-year-period from 2005-2009, NFPA estimates that U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 373,900 reported home structure fires per year. These fires caused an estimated average of 2,650 civilian deaths, 12,890 civilian injuries, and $7.1 billion in direct property damage per year. Smoking materials remain the leading cause of home fire deaths, while cooking equipment is the leading cause of home structure fires and home fire injuries.

Installing systems such as smoke alarms and residential fire sprinklers, as well as identifying potential hazards, can reduce the risk of home fires and property loss, injury, or death due to fire. Nearly two-thirds of home structure fire deaths occur in homes where there was no smoke alarm, or where smoke alarms were present but failed to operate.

Fire Prevention Week was established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1922 to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire. That tragic event killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, and destroyed approximately 17,400 structures within 2,000 acres according to the National Fire Protection Association.

The Great Chicago Fire changed the way firefighters and public officials thought about fire safety. The Fire Marshals Association of North America back in the early 1900s believed the public should be kept informed of fire safety around the anniversary of this catastrophe. Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls, marking the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire and the importance of fire prevention in the United States and now around the world.

For more information from the National Fire Protection Association on Fire Prevention Week, visit http://www.firepreventionweek.org.

During National Fire Prevention Week, October 9 - 15, 2011 attention is focused on promoting fire safety and prevention, however we should practice fire safety all year long. Many potential fire hazards go undetected because people simply do not take steps to fireproof their home.

Many bedroom fires are caused by misuse or poor maintenance of electrical devices, careless use of candles, smoking in bed, and children playing with matches and lighters. Most potential hazards can be addressed with a little common sense. For example, be sure to keep flammable items like bedding, clothes and curtains at least three feet away from portable heaters or lit candles, and never smoke in bed. Also, items like appliances or electric blankets should not be operated if they have frayed power cords, and electrical outlets should never be overloaded.

Fire Safety Checklist:

• Install and maintain a working smoke alarm outside of every sleep area and remember to change the battery at least once a year. Every occupied home should also have a carbon monoxide detector installed on each level of the home and 1 within 10 - 15 feet of bedrooms.
  
  
• Designate two escape routes from each bedroom and practice them regularly.
  
  
• Teach everyone the "Stop, Drop, and Roll" technique in case clothing catches on fire.
  
  
• Avoid storing old mattresses in the home or garage.
  
  
• Teach kids that matches, lighters and candles are tools, not toys. If you suspect that a child is playing with fire, check under beds and in closets for telltale signs like burned matches. Matches and lighters should be stored in a secure drawer or cabinet.