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Fire Prevention Week
What’s the best way to protect your family from fire? Be ahead of the game, of course.
With more than 360,000 home fires reported in the United States in 2009, according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), your best defense is a good offense. That’s why Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services is teaming up with NFPA during the October 9-15, to let our community know: “It’s Fire Prevention Week. Protect your Family from Fire!”
This year’s campaign focuses on preventing the leading causes of home fires – cooking, heating and electrical equipment, as well as candles and smoking materials. Additionally, it urges people to protect their homes and families with life-saving technology and planning.
“Each year, approximately 300 people die in fires. Nearly all of these deaths could have been prevented by taking a few simple precautions like having working smoke alarms and a home fire escape plan, keeping things that can burn away from the stove and always turning off space heaters before going to bed,” says Scott Driver, Fire Prevention Coordinator of Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services. “Fire is a dangerous opponent, but by anticipating the hazards, you are much less likely to be one of the nearly 3,000 people injured in fires each year.”
Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services offers the following tips for protecting your home and family from fire:
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Replace or repair damaged or loose electrical cords.
• If you smoke, smoke outside.
• Use deep, wide ashtrays on a sturdy table.
• Blow out all candles when you leave the room or go to bed. Avoid the use of candles in the bedroom and other areas where people may fall asleep.
“While preventing home fires in Cranbrook is always our number one priority, it is not always possible,” Driver continued. “Our residents need to provide the best protection to keep their homes and families safe in the event of a fire. This can be achieved by developing an escape plan which you practice regularly and equipping homes with life-saving technologies like smoke alarms and home fire sprinklers.”
Chris Zettel, City of Cranbrook
