Fire Prevention Week!

10/2/2019 (Permalink)

Fire Prevention Week, brought to us by the National Fire Protection Association, is observed Sunday, October 6 through Saturday, October 12 of 2019.

The NFPA has sponsored this national and public observance week since 1922. With a goal of increasing awareness and education people young and old about fire safety, NFPA hopes causalities caused by fire will drastically decrease. 

This year, the theme is “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!”, and it aims to inform about the importance of escape planning and practicing it at least twice a year. The NFPA wants to encourage people to take small, but very important steps to ensure they and others will stay safe from fire.

It may be surprising to hear, but the average time it takes for a fire to consume an entire home is five minutes. Often times, there will only be one or two minutes for your escape. If you don’t have an escape plan, much disarray and chaos will result. A lack of an escape plan also puts you, your family, and even pets in a vulnerable position.

A video on the NFPA website highlights a few steps you can easily take to create your home fire escape plan. The steps are listed below and can also be found on the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khyHziYGFZg&feature=youtu.be).

1. Draw a map of your home
2. Mark two exits from each room, typically a door and a window. Mark a path from each exit to the outside.
3. Include the location of all smoke alarms in your home
4. Choose a meeting place outside of your home where everyone will meet up once they have exited
5. Add 911 or any other emergency number to your plan
6. Call 911 once you’re outside. Use a neighbor’s phone or a cellphone if you have one on you

Check out NFPA’s website where you can gain valuable and even life-saving information. The website will equip you with free apps, videos, printables, and much more! There’s something for everyone of any age to check out on their page. https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Preparedness/Fire-Prevention-Week/Resources

We at SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney and SERVPRO of Silver Spring North want you to stay safe! We know the damage a fire can do and find it very important that you create your own, home fire escape plan. We encourage you to take charge in preventing fires!