Fire prevention week: Practice an escape plan Published Oct. 15, 2007 By Greg Chesser Warren fire prevention chief F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. -- Fire Prevention Week is here. Warren fire and emergency services, along with thousands of firefighters across the country, will be visiting schools and other sites in the community to teach the basics of fire safety and prevention Sunday to Oct. 13. The events begin with the Warren Fire Department open house Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Bldg. 324. There will be a mini-combat challenge, a puppet show, games, a smoke house maze and fire truck tours. People can eat free hotdogs, chips, drinks and cotton candy. Activities during the week include vehicle displays, booths at the base exchange and commissary, visits to the child development center, youth center and Freedom Elementary School. The nonprofit National Fire Protection Association has been the official sponsor of FPW since 1922. The theme for this year is "Practice Your Escape Plan." It's not enough to have a fire escape plan, said Greg Chesser, fire prevention chief. To escape safely from a home fire, make sure that everyone in the home has practiced the plan as well. According to a recent poll conducted for NFPA, while the majority of Americans have an escape plan in case of a fire, most haven't practiced it. And 75 percent of Americans believe they have about 10 minutes until a fire turns deadly. A fire can spread through a home rapidly. In fact, people may have as little as two minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. It is vital that families develop a basic home fire escape plan so they know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds, Mr. Chesser said. Involve everyone in the household in putting together the plan. Choose an outside meeting place a safe distance from the home where everyone can meet. Practice an escape plan twice a year, making the drill as realistic as possible. As a reminder, test smoke detectors monthly. The NFPA has compiled some useful facts and figures: - Only one in four Americans has devised and practiced a plan to escape from the home during a fire. - One-third of Americans who made an estimate thought they would have at least six minutes before a fire in their home would become life-threatening. - Only 8 percent of people said their first thought on hearing a smoke alarm would be to get out. - Eighteen- to 24-year-olds are the least likely to have even developed an escape plan. - In 2005, U.S. fire departments responded to 381,000 home fires. These fires caused 3,030 deaths, 13,300 injuries and $6.7 billion in direct damage. - On average, every three hours someone in the U.S. dies in a home fire. - Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Frying is the leading type of activity associated with cooking fires. Be a part of the fire safety and prevention effort, Mr. Chesser said. Practice escape plans, and test smoke detectors. Planning could mean the difference between a safe escape and tragedy. For more information call Greg Chesser at 773-5528.