Making sure your family has a safe escape plan in case of a fire in your home is important to ensure everyone’s safety. Since October is National Fire Prevention Month, Maranda from WOOD TV 8 and WOTV 4 Women visited the Newaygo Fire Department along with her friends from E.S.C.A.P.E Fire Safety to talk about how they are promoting and encouraging fire safety in the community.
These fire safety experts encourage families to make an escape plan and talk about it with your family so everyone is on the same page incase a fire breaks out in your home. They also suggest not only planning the escape plan, but also practicing it so kids will have the muscle memory to react fast in the case of an emergency. They also strongly suggest all families to check smoke and carbon dioxide detectors at least every 6 months to ensure they’re working and up to date.
Maranda thanked her friends from the U.S. Fire Administration and FEMA for awarding her the Certificate of Appreciation for “exemplary service and commitment to our community”. What an honor! Thank you, Maranda for all you do serving our community!
For more information on fire safety, visit escapeinc.org or visit your local fire department.
Plan, practice and pick a place, 3 very important things that can save lives in the event of a fire. This is fire prevention month and today eightWest has Michael McLeieer with E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety and the President of the Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs, Dave Glotzbach in studio with us.
- Plan and Practice your escape
- Pick a meeting place once outside
- Call 911 from a neighbor’s house or your cell phone
- Close the bedroom door when you sleep
Call 844-978-4400 or email [email protected] for free alarms
It’s Fire Prevention Week! Now is the time to PLAN and PRACTICE your ESCAPE from a building fire!
Listen to the interview from October 8th on AM 590 WKZO and FM 106.9
Fifteen to twenty years ago, homes had more ‘natural’ materials in them such as cotton, wool and untreated wood. Because of this, you had 15-20 minutes to escape in the event of a fire. In a typical home fire today, you may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds, because of all of the synthetic materials. Escape planning and practice can help you make the most of the time you have, giving everyone enough time to get out.
According to a National Fire Protection Association survey, 71% of households have a fire escape plan, but only 47% of those have practiced it. This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape.™ provides an opportunity for fire and life safety organizations to share how important it is for everyone to have and practice a home fire escape plan.
Many in the community don’t understand the risks from life-threatening heat and toxic smoke produced in a fire. Therefore, firefighters and other community advocates will be working hard throughout October to teach the community about the dangers of fire and smoke, the importance of having working smoke alarms installed throughout their home and help them create and practice a home escape plan.
Why home escape planning and practice matter
- Home escape planning and practice ensure that everyone knows what to do in a fire and is prepared to escape quickly and safely.
- Today’s homes burn faster than ever. You may have as little as two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds.
- When the smoke alarm sounds in a real fire, it’s too late to start to make a plan.
- Sleep with your bedroom door closed. A closed door can actually be an effective barrier against deadly levels of carbon monoxide, smoke and flames – plus it might buy you more time to escape.
What should be included on an escape plan
- Draw or map out the layout of your home, marking two exits from every room (typically a door and a window) and a path from each exit to the outside.
- Pick a meeting place outside in front of your home where everyone will meet upon exiting (examples include a sidewalk, fence, driveway, or neighbor’s house).
- Mark the location of all smoke alarms in your home. (There should be a least one on every level, in each bedroom, and near all sleeping areas).
- Make sure everyone knows how to call 911 or the local emergency number from a mobile phone or neighbor’s phone once they’re safety outside.
Learning about the dangers of fire will help children and adults understand that having a plan is not enough. It’s essential to practice the escape plan with all members of your household at least twice a year so everyone knows what to do if there is a fire in their home.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety reminds you in a fire, seconds can mean the difference between a safe escape and a tragic injury or death. Fire safety education isn’t just for school children. Teenagers, adults and the elderly are also at risk in fires, making it important for every member of the community to take the time every October during Fire Prevention Week to make sure they understand how to stay safe in case of a fire and steps they can take to prevent a fire from occurring throughout the year.
About Fire Prevention Week
Since 1922, the National Fire Protection Association has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in the United States. During Fire Prevention Week, children, adults and teachers learn how to stay safe in case of a fire. Firefighters provide lifesaving public education in an effort to drastically decrease casualties caused by fires.
Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of October 9th in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and caused devastating damage. This horrific conflagration killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.
For more information about Fire Prevention Week, visit www.firepreventionweek.org.