Wednesday, 10 October 2007 01:56
"Practice Your Escape" for Fire Prevention Week
This week is Fire Prevention Week and
Californians are reminded to prepare and practice fire escape plans. This year's theme for Fire
Prevention Week, "Practice Your Escape Plan!" Nationally in 2006,
home fires accounted for 80 percent of all fire deaths, 2,600 people
were killed and 12,500 were injured, according to NFPA reports. According to a
NFPA poll, the majority of Americans have a fire plan, but most haven't practiced
their plan. Developing a fire escape plan before a fire strikes is just as
important as practicing it at least twice a year.
CAL FIRE offers these tips to assist families in
their home fire escape planning: • Draw a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of every room. •
Create a family meeting place outside. • Practice alternative escape routes with a realistic
drill: pretend some exits are blocked by fire, lights are out or that some
escape routes are filling with smoke. • Use the back of your hand to test the
door for heat. If you feel any warmth, use another escape route such as a
window. • Crawl low under smoke and don't go back into your home for any
reason. If anyone is left behind, firefighters have the training,
experience and protective equipment to safely rescue them. For more fire escape
planning and fire safety tips visit the CAL FIRE Web site at www.fire.ca.gov.
Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger ordered flags at the State Capitol and all
state buildings to be flown at half staff for all of Fire Prevention week in
honor of fallen firefighters from California.
