2010 Fire Prevention Week

2010 Fire Prevention Week: "Several weeks ago, two of my cousin’s sons were working in a house when there was a gas explosion. Both young men, along with another co-worker, were severely burned, and they are all still in the hospital fighting for their
lives. As you can imagine, they will have a very long and very difficult journey ahead of them. The members of their families have all been impacted, as well, and they too will face struggles in trying to help these young men overcome this tragedy. Although their story may not be typical of most home fires, it demonstrates the potential destructiveness and dangers of any type of fire.


October 3rd through the 9th is Fire Prevention Week. The theme
of the 2010 Fire Prevention Week is about the importance of smoke alarms and encourages everyone to take the steps necessary to update and maintain their home smoke alarm protection.


According to the National Fire Protection Association:

• Each year, nearly 3,000 people die in U.S. home fires.
• In 2003-2006, roughly two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from home fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
  
  - No smoke alarms were present in 40% of the home fire deaths.
  
  - In 23% of the home fire deaths, smoke alarms were present but did not sound.
• In more than half of the reported home fires in which the smoke alarms were present, but did not operate even though the fire was large enough, batteries were missing or disconnected. Nuisance alarms were the leading reason for disconnected alarms.
• In fires considered large enough to activate a smoke alarm, hard-wired alarms operated 91% of the time; battery-powered smoke alarms operated 75% of the time.
• Interconnected smoke alarms on all floors increase

To educate yourself more on fire safety and fire prevention, you may find these resources useful:


FEMA's Fire Hazards


Fire Safety on Answers.USA.Gov


FireSafety.gov


Saftey Tips: Winter Fires


U.S. Fire Administration's Website


October 2nd and 3rd is National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. It’s the national tribute to the firefighters who have died in the line of duty over the previous year. Thousands attend the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland. If you are in the area, you may want to check it out.
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