Fire Prevention Week is observed in the US during the week of October 9th, commencing on Sunday and ending on Saturday. It was originally created by the Fire Marshals Association of North America to honor the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire. The entire month of October is now recognized as Fire Prevention Month.
There are many ways to promote fire safety in your home:
be vigilant about smoke alarm maintenance and testing
At minimum, your home should have smoke alarms on every level as well as outside of all sleeping areas. The current National Fire Alarm Code requires new builds to have hard-wired alarms with battery back-up on every level, outside of sleeping areas, and inside of each bedroom. The smoke alarms also need to be interconnected so that they all go off if one begins to sound. You should test your smoke alarms monthly and replace batteries yearly if your device isn't hard-wired. The National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommend installing new smoke alarms every ten years because they can become desensitized over time. This is one of the most important safety steps as 3 out of 5 home fire deaths are the result of non-working alarms.
have EASILY ACCESSIBLE fire extinguishers
It's recommended to have a fire extinguisher on every floor of the home including the kitchen and garage. Ensure that everyone in the household knows how to properly use the extinguisher. Assess the situation before attempting to extinguish a fire. If the flames are too uncontrollable or rapidly spreading, it's better to find an exit and call 9-1-1. Use the acronym PASS to remember how to use a fire extinguisher:
- Pull the pin
- Aim low at the base of the fire
- Squeeze the handle slowly
- Sweep the nozzle side to side
create an emergency plan
No matter how many precautions you take, it's impossible to eliminate all fire hazards, which is why it's so important to create an emergency plan for your family. Make sure your children know what smoke alarms sound like and practice escape plans twice per year. Establish two exits from every room in your house and pick an outside meeting spot in case your family needs to escape an emergency. Teach all family members to stop, drop, and roll should they catch on fire and make sure children know how to call 9-1-1.
never leave the kitchen while cooking
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of house fires. Check food regularly when simmering or baking and never leave the kitchen while cooking. Ensure that any item that could catch fire is far away from the stovetop. If you encounter a grease fire, cover the fire with a metal lid and turn off the heat. Don't try to extinguish with water; baking soda or salt is recommended for small fires.
regularly clean dryer vents
Laundry rooms are the culprit of many house fires. Lint is highly flammable and your lint screen should be cleaned in between each use. Make sure to also check the exhaust vents and ducts once a year. The venting material should be flexible metal rather than plastic.
check your doors
Bedroom doors should always be closed at night to prevent the spread of a fire. Another important area to consider are attached garages. We tend to store our most dangerous chemicals in the garage, so it's important to take preventative measures that would slow a fire that starts in the garage from spreading to the home. FEMA recommends using an exterior egress/ingress door with a solid, noncombustible mineral core, known as a fire-rated door. Install weatherstripping on the interior side of the door. This can also help carbon monoxide from entering the home.
Learn more about fire safety on the National Safety Council's website: https://www.nsc.org/home-safety/safety-topics/emergency-preparedness/fire