October is Fire Prevention Month! The goal of Fire Prevention Month is to raise awareness about fire safety and help ensure everyone’s home and family is prepared in the event of an emergency.
Did you know that in 1922, the National Fire Protection Association named the second week of October Fire Prevention Week in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871? Today, we celebrate Fire Prevention Week and Month by raising fire safety awareness and educating families, students and communities across the United States. During this month, fire departments educate their communities, and encourage parents and loved ones to practice fire safety and whole home safety. The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 2019 campaign for Fire Prevention Month is “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape, Plan and Practice Your Escape.” This message is an important message for every home owner and business to plan and practice.
Our local Fire District is urging families to improve their home’s safety by checking their alarms, testing the alarms regularly and adding reliable protection when replacing expired alarms. They want to remind us that home emergency can happen at any time and they want all of us to be prepared.
Fire Prevention Month is the perfect time talk with your whole family about fire safety – include testing alarms, changing the batteries or upgrading to 10-year sealed battery alarm for hassle-free protection and escape planning.
Here are some revealing facts that we should all be aware of. Three of every five deaths resulted from fires in homes with no working smoke alarms. Less than 50 percent of homeowners have an escape plan. Carbon monoxide (CO) is the number-one cause of accidental deaths. It is estimated that 60 percent of homeowners do not test their smoke and CO alarms monthly. Sadly, it is estimated that only 43 percent of homeowners have an escape plan.
Having functioning alarms installed throughout your home is the first line of defense for fire prevention. They work around the clock to give your family an early alert in the event of an emergency, allowing you time to safely escape. Smoke and CO alarms should be placed on every level of the home, including the basement, as well as inside and outside each bedroom.
