Fire Prevention Week Begins October 7; "Practice Your Escape Plan" is the Theme

In an Oct. 4 press release, Pearl Protected, a fire and home invasion safety products company, reminds the nation that Oct. 7 begins Fire Prevention Week. The release states the 2007 theme is "Practice Your Escape Plan," emphasizing residential fire safety.

Most Americans believe they have at least 10 minutes to get out of their homes during a fire, says the release, but "this is a deadly mistake." The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says a person can have as little as two minutes to escape to safety before a home fire turns deadly.

David Duley is the CEO of Pearl Protected. He said that "while many people recognize that home fire safety is important, most underestimate the threat residential fire poses to the average American household. Planning and practicing fire escape options is a matter of life and death for every homeowner."

The NFPA says the majority of Americans have a fire escape plan, but most have never practiced it. Having a home fire escape plan isn't enough; to ensure that everyone escapes safely, it's equally important to make sure everyone in the home has practiced the plan.

Home occupants should also know two ways out of every room, especially on upper levels where it can be more difficult to get to safety in the event of an emergency or fire.

The release quotes former City of Atlanta Fire Chief Winston L. Minor, who says that a good home fire safety plan will cover four critical areas: prevention, detection, suppression and escape. Minor explains that "common fire safety devices like smoke alarms are required by building code in most American homes. However, most cities fail to implement requirements that give the same attention to escape - which is the most critical component of fire safety. Hopefully, more city governments will adopt code changes that mandate a permanent means of escape to ensure that homeowners have a fast, reliable way to get out of their homes in a fire or other home emergency. As a result, precious lives will be saved."

The first city to pass legislation requiring permanent emergency escape ladders in the upstairs bedrooms of all new houses was the City of East Point, an Atlanta suburb. The 2006 ordinance enforces the NFPA's Life Safety Code, which recommends that every room has two means of escape.

Fire Prevention Week has been observed by the NFPA since 1922, making it the longest running public health and safety observance on record. It was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed more than 250 people. At least 100,000 were left homelss, 17,000 structures were destroyed and more than 2,000 acres were burned -- all in just 27 hours.

Sources:

Press release, Escape Dominates Fire Safety Education during Fire Prevention Week; http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/10/prweb558684.htm

NFPA; http://www.nfpa.org/index.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1