This week, Oct. 9-15, is Fire Prevention Week, according to information supplied by Fort Atkinson Fire Chief Daryl Rausch.
The Fort Atkinson Fire Department encourages all residents to embrace the 2022 Fire Prevention Week’s theme: “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.”
As noted in the release, “The Fort Atkinson Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week.”
This year’s campaign works to deliver education about simple, but important actions anyone can take to keep themselves and those around them safe from home fires, the release noted.
“Today’s homes burn faster than ever. You may have as little as two minutes or less to safely escape a home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Your ability to get out of a home during a fire depends on early warning from smoke alarms and advance planning,” Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA, was quoted as saying in the release.
“It’s important for everyone to plan and practice a home fire escape. Everyone needs to be prepared in advance, so that they know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds. Given that every home is different, every home fire escape plan will also be different. Have a plan for everyone in the home. Children, older adults, and people with disabilities may need assistance to wake up and get out,” Rausch noted in the release.
Home fire escape tips include creating a plan that meets the needs of all family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
As well as making sure:
• Smoke alarms are installed inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of the home. Smoke alarms should be interconnected so when one sounds, they all sound.
- All inhabitants of the home know at least two ways out of every room, if possible. Make sure all doors and windows open easily.
- An outside meeting place that is a safe distance from the home has been established where everyone should meet.
- Inhabitants have practiced the home fire drill at least twice a year with everyone in the household, including guests. Practice at least once during the day and at night.
For more information about the Fort Atkinson Fire Department, call: 920-397-9908.
For more information about Fire Prevention Week and fire prevention in general, visit: fpw.org and sparky.org.
For more information about smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, visit: www.fortatkinsonwi.gov/fire.
Fort Atkinson Fire Department, file photo/Chris Spangler.
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