Did you know that October is National Fire Prevention month? Now is an excellent time to examine how prepared for a fire you really are. Do you have a home escape plan? Have you changed the batteries in your smoke alarm within the last year? You can get more information about Fire Prevention Month at the NFPA’s website.

Here’s an exerpt from the NFPA about their theme for Fire Prevention Week of 2014. The article has some helpful tips on ensuring your  family is prepared for a fire. 

“Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives:  Test Yours Every Month!”

NFPA, 2014 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) today announced “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Test Yours Every Month!” as the theme for Fire Prevention Week 2014, October 5-11. As the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years, NFPA announced the theme at its 2014 Conference and Expo in Las Vegas.

“Smoke alarms can make a life-saving difference in a fire, but they need to be working,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. “Unfortunately, many home fire deaths result from fires where a smoke alarm is present but does not operate. This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme focuses on motivating people to test their smoke alarms each month to make sure they’re working properly.”

According to NFPA statistics:

  • Having a working smoke alarm in the home cuts the risk of dying in a fire in half.
  • On average each year, three out of five home fire deaths result in fires where there are either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
  • In one-quarter (23 percent) of the home fire deaths, smoke alarms were present but did not sound.

“Nearly 3,000 people continue to die in fires each year, with most of those deaths occurring in homes,” said Carli. “The vast majority of home fire deaths are preventable, and working smoke alarms play a big role in helping reduce those numbers.”

NFPA recommends:

  • Installing smoke alarms inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.
  • Testing all smoke alarms every month by using the test button.
  • Replacing all smoke alarms every 10 years or sooner if they don’t respond properly when tested.

Fire Prevention Week occurs annually in October during the week in which October 9 falls, commemorating the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Each year, NFPA works in coordination with partnering companies, organizations and fire departments to promote Fire Prevention Week and its fire safety messages throughout North America.

For more information on Fire Prevention Week and this year’s campaign theme, “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives:  Test Yours Every Month!”, visit www.fpw.org.

About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
NFPA is a worldwide leader in fire, electrical, building, and life safety. The mission of the international nonprofit organization founded in 1896 is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. NFPA develops more than 300 codes and standards to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other hazards. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed at no cost at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.