Fire Prevention Week is the perfect time to talk about fire safety with our families and also to ensure our home and children are prepared in the case of an emergency.
Did you know that roughly half of home fire deaths result from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when most people are asleep? Smoke alarms save lives, but not if you can't hear them! That’s the important message behind the Fire Prevention Week campaign: “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm!”
If there is a fire in your home, smoke spreads fast and you need smoke alarms to give everyone time to get out. In fact, having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half! The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is reminding everyone this year about the importance of having working smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement.
Other important steps to take include:
- Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. This way, when one sounds, they all do.
- Test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button.
- Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they don’t respond properly.
- Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm and understands what to do when they hear it.
- If the smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside. Go to your outside meeting place.
- Call the fire department after you are safely outside the home.
For more information, please read:
TIPS TO REDUCE THE CHANCES OF A FIRE IN YOUR HOME
10 NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION ASSOCIATION FIRE SAFETY TIPS FOR FAMILIES
