FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
OCTOBER 7 - 13, 2018
STATEWIDE (October 3, 2018) - It's time for Fire
Prevention Week. From October 7-13 the Office of the State Fire Marshal is
joining forces with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) United States
Fire Administration (USFA) and fire departments throughout the State to remind
residents to LOOK. LISTEN. LEARN. BE AWARE. FIRE CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE. During this year's fire safety campaign, fire departments will be
spreading the word about, “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere,” works to educate people about three basic but essential steps to take to reduce the likelihood of having a fire––and how to escape safely in the event of one:
LOOK
Look for places fire could start. Take a good look around your home. Identify potential fire hazards and take care of them.
LISTEN
Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm. You could have only minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. Go to your outside meeting place, which must be a safe distance from the homes and everyone should know where to meet.
LEARN
Learn two ways out of every room. Make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter.
"All too often a tragedy occurs
involving a dwelling fire that claims the life of an occupant and/or
occupants," said State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci. "Sadly, in many of these occurrences, a
lack of operating smoke alarms is revealed during the investigation. It is our hope that ‘Fire Prevention Week’
will help us reach folks throughout the State of Maryland before they've
suffered a tragic loss resulting from the effects of fire." In 2017, firefighters in the United States responded to an estimated 1,319,500 fires. An estimated 499,000 of those occurred in structures, and an estimated 820,500 occurred outside of structures or involved vehicles. These fires accounted for an estimated 3,420 deaths, 2,810 of which occurred in structures and 610 in non-structure, vehicle, or outside fires.
Below are some of
the safety tips that firefighters and safety advocates will be
emphasizing:
- Keep anything that can catch fire away from your stove top.
- All heaters need space. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet from heating equipment.
- Make sure everyone in your home knows the smoke alarm sound and what to do if they hear it.
- Find two ways out of every room.
- Make sure doors and windows are not blocked.
- Get outside to your meeting place.
- Make sure you close your bedroom door at night.
Fire Prevention Week is actively
supported by fire departments across the country. Additionally, fire Prevention Week is the
longest running public health and safety observance on record.
The
Office of the State Fire Marshal is an agency of the Department of
State Police dedicated to helping protect citizens from fire and
explosion through a comprehensive program of education,
inspection, investigation and fire protection engineering. For more
information on fire safety call 1-800-525-3124, log onto our website at: Maryland State Fire Marshal and/or our Facebook Page.
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ARSON HOTLINE: 1-800-492-7529