Did you know…?
- U.S. fire departments respond to an average of one home fire every 86 seconds.
- Between 2011 and 2015, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 358,500 home structure fires per year. These fires caused 12,300 civilian injuries, 2,510 civilian deaths, and $6.7 billion in direct damage.
- On average, seven people per day die in U.S. home fires.
October 7-13 is Fire Prevention Week, which is a great opportunity to educate people about fire safety. This year’s campaign is called “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere,” and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) aims to educate the public about three basic steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of fires and how to escape safely in the event of one.
The NFPA advises that you follow these steps:
Look: An important step to preventing fires is looking for places fire could start. Do this by taking a good look around your home. Identify potential fire hazards and fix them so that they are no longer hazards. In addition, make sure your smoke alarms all have working batteries, and test them regularly to ensure that they are functioning properly.
Listen: Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm and act quickly. Time is of the essence during a fire—you may have only minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. Go to your family’s outside meeting place, which should be a safe distance from the home and where everyone should know to meet. (If you don’t already have a meeting place, talk with your family and agree on one.)
Learn: Being prepared ahead of time could save your life. Learn two ways out of every room and make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter.
For more information
The National Fire Protection Association offers helpful tip sheets on a variety of topics, such as escape planning, smoke alarms at home, heating safety, cooking safety, and many more!
Source: National Fire Protection Association
