Fire Prevention Week 2010
October 3 - 9
June 1, 2010 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced the theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week: Smoke Alarms: A sound you can live with. Fire Prevention Week will be held from October 3-9, 2010. Each year in October since 1922, the NFPA has sponsored the fire prevention campaign to emphasize the importance of fire safety to inspire individuals to take action to prevent fires and avoid the deaths, injuries, and destruction they cause.
In 2008, home fires killed 2,755 people and injured 13,160. Two of every five home fire deaths were in a home with no smoke alarms and another one in five was in a home where the smoke alarms were not working.
This year’s theme aims to educate the public on how smoke alarms save lives and why they should be installed and maintained in every home. Having working smoke alarms can cut the chances of dying in a fire in half. The theme will focus on how to choose, install, and maintain smoke alarms.
NFPA has taken the lead in public fire safety outreach by serving as the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for 88 years. The annual public awareness and safety commemoration, which is proclaimed by the President of the United States each year, is observed by fire departments in the U.S. and Canada to mark the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. According to the National Archives and Records Administration’s Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record.
Please visit the newly launched Fire Prevention Week website www.firepreventionweek.org for safety tips, statistical information, and more. The materials are available for use by fire departments, teachers, families and anyone interested in learning or teaching about fire safety.
NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. Visit NFPA’s Web site at www.nfpa.org.
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Contact: Lorraine Carli, Public Affairs Office, +1 617 984-7275
- Do not wear loose fitting clothing when cooking, as they are easy targets to catch on fire.
- Always turn pan handles in to prevent food spills.
- Make sure that you keep pot holders and towels away from the stove.
- Replace any old or frayed electrical cords on your appliances.
- Never leave your cooking unattended.
- If a fire should occur on the stove, slide a pan lid over the flames and then turn off the heat.
- If a fire should occur in the oven, keep the oven door closed and turn off the heat to smother the fire.
- Always keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Make sure it is kept in an accessible place away from the stove and oven.
- If the fire does not go out quickly, use your escape plan and call the fire department immediately.
- Make sure your chimney is inspected and cleaned once a year.
- Dispose of ashes only when they have fully cooled.
- Don’t use an oven to heat your home.
- Install carbon monoxide detectors outside each sleeping area.
- When using space heaters, make sure that there is nothing within 3 feet of it that could burn.
- Always make sure that portable heaters are turned off before going to bed or leaving the house.
- Keep lamps, light fixtures, and light bulbs away from anything that can burn, such as bedding, curtains, and clothing.
- Replace cracked and damaged electrical cords.
- Use extension cords for temporary wiring only.
- Homes with young children should have tamper-resistant electrical receptacles.
- Call a qualified electrician or landlord if you have recurring problems with blowing fuses or tripping of circuit breakers, discolored or warm wall outlets, flickering lights, or a burning or rubbery smell coming from an appliance.
- Never leave a lit cigarette or cigar unattended. They can easily fall off whatever you placed them on and start a fire.
- Don’t smoke in bed. You might fall asleep with the lit product in hand.
- Always use an ashtray. Never put your ashes into a waste basket.
- Always make sure that all smoking products are completely extinguished when disposing of them or before going to bed. Pour a cup of water on them to be sure.
- Never leave matches or lighters within reach of children.
- Always use child-resistant lighters.
- View tips from the campaign.
- Download the Smoking and Home Fires poster.
- Learn how you can spread the campaign in your community.
Contact Information:
Iron Ridge Fire Dept. & First Responders
110 W. Pleasant St. P.O.Box 118
Iron Ridge, WI 53035
Telephone (920) 387-2080 - Fax (920) 387-5770
Emergency: Call 911
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