This week WPFD firefighters will visit area schools to educate our communities children about fire safety and preparedness.  Our topic for this years national Fire Prevention Week will discuss “It’s Fire Prevention Week! Protect Your Family From Fire!”.  Firefighters, dressed in our safety gear, will be visiting schools with working fire department vehicles to provide educational presentations, hand out safety materials, safety coloring books, and more. We hope to start the valuable conversations that educate the public about smoke alarm recommendations and motivate everyone to install smoke alarms in their homes in key locations, check them regularly/tested properly, and change batteries yearly (or every 6 months) to always have a working smoke detector.

Helpful hints to always remember!

Smoke alarms and home fire escape planning:

• If there is a fire in your home, there will be smoke.
• A smoke alarm will let you know there is a fire.
• A smoke alarm makes a loud noise – beep, beep, beep.
• When the smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside.
• Go to your family outside meeting place.

When you go home today, be a smoke alarm detective:

• Ask a grown-up to show you where the smoke alarms are in your home.
• Ask a grown-up to test the smoke alarms to make sure they are working.

Be a home fire escape planner:

• Make a map of your home (PDF, 632 KB). Mark a door and a window that can be used to get out of every room.
• Choose a meeting place outside in front of your home. This is where everyone can meet once they’ve escaped. Draw a picture of your outside meeting place on your escape plan.
• Write the emergency telephone number for the fire department on your escape plan.
• Have a grown-up sound the smoke alarm and practice your escape plan with everyone living in your home.
• Keep your escape plan on the refrigerator and remind grown-ups to have your family practice the plan twice a year or whenever anyone in your home celebrates a birthday.

“Reproduced from NFPA’s Fire Prevention Week Web site, www.firepreventionweek.com (c)2010