Image shows a universal exit sign on an office ceiling with flames reaching up in the lower right corner.

Fire Prevention Week highlights simple measures to keep your home safe

As part of Fire Prevention Week, observed Oct. 6-12, the National Fire Protection Association designated this week in remembrance of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

The fire scorched more than 2,000 acres of dense urban area and burned more than 17,400 buildings. The human toll of the fire left more than 250 people dead and another 100,000 homeless.

Fortunately, fire safety has made great strides since then and even more so since the 1970s. A downward trend in fire-related deaths is shown in the table below provided by the National Safety Council.

A downward trend in fire-related deaths is shown in a table provided by the National Safety Council.
Graph courtesy of the National Safety Council.

The National Fire Protection Association or NFPA estimates that in the United States:

  • A fire department responds to a fire every 21 seconds.
  • One home structure fire is reported every 88 seconds.
  • A home fire-related injury occurs every 53 minutes.
  • One home fire-related death occurs every 3 hours and 14 minutes.

You can help protect your home and loved ones through proactive planning and preparing to respond if a fire takes place.

Reduce your risk

This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is: “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!”

According to the NFPA, smoke alarms reduce the risk of dying in a home fire by 54 percent. Roughly three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

“Smoke alarms serve as the first line of defense in a home fire, but they need to be working in order to protect people,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of outreach and advocacy at NFPA. “This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign helps better educate the public about simple but critical steps they can take to make sure their homes have smoke alarms in all the needed locations and that they’re working properly.”

NFPA offers these key smoke alarm safety tips and guidelines:

  • Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area like a hallway, and on each level including the basement of the home.
  • Make sure smoke alarms meet the needs of all family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
  • Test smoke alarms at least once a month by pushing the test button.
  • Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.

    Graphic from the National Fire Protection Association shows a cartoon dog in a fire fighter's helmet and coat pressing the test button on a smoke alarm. The graphic says "Smoke alarms, make them work for you!"
    Graphic courtesy of the National Fire Protection Association.

We also need to be ready at home or work if a fire occurs. Consider the following strategies.

Be ready at home: The NFPA suggests having a group meeting with everyone in the house to draw up a floorplan. From each room, identify two exits with a clear path outside. Conduct a fire escape drill twice a year, once at night and again during the day with everyone using their pre-established escape routes.

If you have children, show them how to get out of the house safely without your assistance. Highlight the importance of closing all doors while exiting to slow the spread of fire, smoke and heat. Also discuss the importance of never going back inside a burning house.

Be ready at work: Wherever you work, stay aware of your surroundings. WAPA Headquarters and other WAPA-maintained buildings have Facility Occupant Emergency Plans that include primary and secondary fire evacuation maps and other helpful information. If this resource is not available, determine two paths of escape from your workspace and mentally establish what you will do and where you will go if you hear an alarm or smell smoke. Contact WAPA’s Office of Security and Emergency Management if you have questions, and talk with your supervisor and coworkers to help raise awareness.

For more information visit the NFPA website.

Sources: National Fire Protection Association, National Safety Council, and WAPA Office of Security and Emergency Management.

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Last modified on October 10th, 2024