Fire Prevention Week: LOOK. LISTEN. LEARN.

Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 7-13. The goal of this yearís message is to educate people about three basic but important things everyone can do to prevent fires, or to safely escape a fire if one does start.National Fire Protection Association statistics show that the number of U.S. home fires has been steadily declining over the past few decades. However, the death rate per 1,000 home fires reported to fire departments was 10 percent higher in 2016 than in 1980.

1. ìLOOKî around homes for potential fire hazards and take care of them. Here are some quick and easy things to start with:
   • Remove clutter from cooking areas. Keep anything that can burn (towels, oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, loose papers/mail, etc.) away from stovetops.
   • Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating equipment, including furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves and portable space heaters.
   • Check electrical cords to make sure they are not running across doorways or under carpets.
   • Keep cigarettes, lighters, matches and other smoking materials in a locked cabinet that is up high out of sight and out of the reach of children.
2. ìLISTENî for the sound of the smoke alarm. Properly working home smoke alarms are the first line of defense in a fire and can reduce the risk of dying in a fire by half. Make sure alarms are functioning and everyone in the home knows what the smoke alarm sounds like by pressing the test button once a month. (Be sure to notify the alarm company first if it is a monitored system.)
   • Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of the home, in each bedroom and near all sleeping areas.
   • Test smoke alarms monthly.
   • Replace smoke alarms more than 10 years old. (Check the manufacturerís date on the back of the alarm.)
3. ìLEARNî two ways out of every room. Develop a home escape plan with all family members that includes all of the following:
   • Two ways out of every room, usually a door and a window
   • A path from each exit to the outside
   • An outside meeting place at a safe distance in front of the home where everyone will meet
   Make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter. Practice the escape plan with everyone in the family twice a year.

For complete information on home fire safety, go to: https://www.nfpa.org/fpw and https://www.ready.gov/home-fires