By JIM MEYER
Staff writer
This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme, “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!” works to better educate the public about the critical importance of developing and practicing a home escape plan.
“It’s like building muscle memory,” Oil City Fire Chief Mark Hicks said about practicing the plan. “That pre-planning is what everyone will draw upon to snap into action and escape as quickly as possible in the event of a fire.”
The Oil City Fire Department is working in conjunction with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years, to reinforce those potentially life-saving messages. Fire Prevention Week started Sunday and continues through Saturday.
In support of Fire Prevention Week, Hicks encouraged all Oil City households to develop a plan together and practice the plan. A home escape plan includes working smoke alarms on every level of the home, in every bedroom, and near all sleeping areas.
Hicks said the biggest problem his department sees is the removal of smoke detectors or their batteries. He recommended that people who need smoke detectors check with their local fire department or the Red Cross to obtain them free of charge, although supplies may be limited.
“We’ve beat smoke detectors pretty well into people’s heads, so if you don’t have them, shame on you,” he said. “The next step then is what happens after that smoke detector goes off.”
A home escape plan also includes two ways out of every room, usually a door and a window, with a clear path to an outside meeting place (like a tree, light pole, or mailbox) that’s a safe distance from the home.
Hicks said that Fire Prevention Week starts in early October because the fall and early winter periods are generally when the most fires occur. This is largely due to heating systems being used for the first time in months as well as overloaded outlets and cooking fires during holidays.
NFPA and the Oil City Fire Department offered these additional tips and recommendations for developing and practicing a home escape plan:
— Draw a map of your home with all members of your household, marking two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit.
— Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.
— Make sure the number of your home is clearly marked and easy for the fire department to find.
— Close doors behind you as you leave. This may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
— Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside a burning building.
More information about Fire Prevention Week can be found at firepreventionweek.org.
