Oct. 7-13 is Fire Prevention Week, and we at the Fermilab Fire Department would like to remind everyone of the importance of fire safety for you, your family and friends.
Studies have shown that every year, regardless of how much fire educators and fire departments educate the public on safety and awareness, the fatality and injury rates are still far too high.
This year’s fire prevention theme is “Look, listen and learn.” Fire can be anywhere.
Follow these few reminders. You and your family will have a much safer home.
- Learn: Learn two ways out of every room. Determine an outside meeting place a safe distance in front of your home where everyone can meet. Make a drawing of your escape route from each bedroom to your safe meeting place. Practice and review your plan.
- Listen: Listen for the sound of the smoke alarms. When the smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside. Stop whatever it is your doing and obey the sound of your smoke alarm and get out.
- Look: Look around your home for fire hazards. Take the necessary steps to fix them. What follows are some of the simplest and most important actions you can take.
- Buy safe heaters and keep them a good distance from anything that might get too hot.
- Don’t plug too many outlets on extension cords or over load the outlets.
- Avoid using candles and plugins with oils for fragrance.
- Beware of hot irons and hot curling irons and always use smart cooking sense.
- Clean the lint from your dryer.
- And as always, test your smoke detectors regularly, and change the batteries to your smoke detectors. Much too often with recent fire fatalities, there were no working smoke detectors in the homes.
On behalf of the Fermilab Fire Department, we wish you a safe home in the upcoming holiday season and always.
F. F. Eliseo Anaya is a member of the Fermilab Fire Department.