RELEASE: Gov. Whitmer Urges Families to Practice Safety During Fire Prevention Month in October 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

October 1, 2020 

Contact: Press@michigan.gov  

Gov. Whitmer Urges Families to Practice Safety During Fire Prevention Month in October 

LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer today proclaimed October as Fire Prevention Month in an effort to help spread the message of fire safety, protect Michigan residents, and save lives. 

“It is important for Michigan residents to recognize that fires can impact anyone, and we must all take action to protect ourselves and our families,” said Governor Whitmer. “With these practical and essential preventive measures, people can help avoid fires in their homes and also be better prepared if a fire does occur.” 

Based on fatal fire data collected by MI Prevention – a statewide community risk reduction effort led by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) in collaboration with the State Fire Marshal and Michigan’s fire safety organizations – most of Michigan’s fire deaths happen overnight, with 50% of fire deaths resulting from fires that started in the living room, 17% of fires that started in the kitchen, and 16% of fires that started in bedrooms.  

“It is critical for each of us to practice fire safety in our home with our entire family, including our children,” said Orlene Hawks, Director of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. “Create a fire escape plan and practice it often as a family – it is a simple thing to do and it can save the lives of the people we love.” 

LARA has created several public service announcements to help spread the word in how to best prevent fires: 

• Careless Smoking 
• Safety Message 1 - Smoke Alarms  
• Safety Message 2 - Heaters 
• Safety Message 3 - Christmas Tree 
• Safety Message 4 - Hard of Hearing  
• Prevent In-Home Fires  

“Having working smoke alarms in every bedroom and on every level of your home, including closing your bedroom doors when you are sleeping are the best defenses against fast-moving fires and can cut a family’s risk in half from dying in a home fire,” said State Fire Marshal Kevin Sehlmeyer. 

The Governor along with Director Hawks, Fire Marshal Sehlmeyer, and the members of MI Prevention ask Michiganders to check the smoke alarms of their elderly family members to help identify fire hazards in their home and correct them. It is also important to be cautious while smoking, as 51% of the fire deaths in Michigan since 2017 have involved careless smoking. 

In order to make your home more fire-safe, MI Prevention offers the following tips: 

• Install smoke alarms on every level of the home and inside every sleeping area.   
• Check the alarm by pushing the test button every month. 
• Never smoke in bed; keep lighters and cigarettes away from children. 
• Never leave lit candles unattended; place them in sturdy holders on uncluttered surfaces, keeping them at least one foot away from anything that can burn, including curtains, bedding, furniture, and carpeting. 
• Have fireplaces, chimneys, wood stoves, and coal stoves inspected annually by a professional – and cleaned if necessary. 
• Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended. 
• Use caution when using space heaters; never leave them unattended, keep them at least three feet away from anything that can burn, and place them on a hard-nonflammable surface, like a ceramic tile floor. 
• Replace frayed extension cords; do not overload extension cords. 
• Never overload electrical outlets; plug only one heat-producing appliance into an outlet at a time. 
• Major appliances should not be plugged in using extension cords or plug strips; plug appliances and space heaters directly into the wall electrical outlet. 
• Keep clothes and other items three feet away from gas water heaters. 
• Clean the dryer lint screen after each load – lint is extremely flammable.  
• Have fire extinguishers in the home and know how to use them. 
• Make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are not blocked by furniture or clutter. 
• Sleep with your bedroom door closed with a smoke alarm in your bedroom; this can save lives by reducing toxic smoke levels and slowing down the spread of fire and smoke into bedrooms. 
• If you need to escape out a window, close the door between you and the fire before opening the window to escape as a closed door slows down the spread of fire and smoke as you escape. 

This year’s National Fire Protection Association theme is “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!” It is imperative to never leave cooking unattended and to keep the stove and burners clean and free of grease to avoid the potential for a small kitchen fire that can get out of hand quickly. To learn more about MI Prevention please go to www.michigan.gov/miprevention.  

LARA and its Bureau of Fire Services will also be joining the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in recognizing Fire Prevention week October 4-11, 2020. MI Prevention will provide daily social messaging and educational material available to all 1,114 fire departments and the public to prevent fires and lower fire deaths in accidental dwelling fires during the entire month of October. 

The NFPA has been the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years, making it the longest-running public health and safety observance on record. For more information about preventing fires and staying safe, go to the NFPA official Fire Prevention Week website at www.firepreventionweek.org. 

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