Fire Prevention Month Archives - Central County Fire & Rescue

Fire Prevention Month 2018

October is Fire Prevention Month, and a great opportunity for us all to refresh ourselves on the best ways to practice fire safety in our everyday lives.

Read on for fire prevention tips from CCFR and the National Fire Protection Association.

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 should be a safe distance from the home and where everyone should know to meet.

Learn

Learn two ways out of every room and make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter.

Be aware — fire can happen anywhere. Click here for even more fire safety resources.

Teaching kids about fire safety? Sparky the Fire Dog and his new friend, Simon, are helping teach this year’s Fire Prevention messages — find fun games and activities at www.sparky.org.

Fire Prevention Month 2017

Fire Prevention Month

October is Fire Prevention Month. This year’s theme — “Every second counts: Plan two ways out!” — reinforces why everyone needs to have an escape plan in place.

In a fire, seconds count. Seconds can mean the difference between residents of our community escaping safely from a fire or having their lives end in tragedy.

  • Draw a map of your home, marking two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit.
  • Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.
  • Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.
  • Make sure the number of your home is clearly marked and easy for the fire department to find.
  • Close doors behind you as you leave – this may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
  • Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside a burning building.

For more tips, visit nfpa.org.  http://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Campaigns/Fire-Prevention-Week

Fire Prevention Month 2016

Smoke Detector

Most people know that smoke detectors save lives. Yet only a small percentage of people know how old their smoke alarms are, or how often they need to be replaced.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), “survey data shows that the public has many misconceptions about smoke alarms, which may put them at increased risk in the event of a home fire.”

Properly maintained smoke alarms could save your life and the lives of your loved ones by providing the chance to escape a home fire.

Click here for more information about proper smoke alarm installation and maintenance. If you have problems installing or changing the batteries of the smoke detector, contact CCFR at 636.970.9700 for complimentary assistance.

Fire Prevention Month

Fire Prevention

October is Fire Prevention Month in the Central County Fire & Rescue (CCFR) fire protection district. The annual awareness campaign is in conjunction with the National Fire Protection Agency’s Fire Prevention Week, which is the longest running public health and safety observance on record.

This year, NFPA is putting the focus on smoke alarm safety, encouraging residents to hear the beep when they sleep. Three of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms, according to the organization. In addition, half of these home fire deaths resulted from fires reported at night between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep.

“Simply put, working smoke alarms save lives,” CCFR Fire Chief Russ Mason says. “It sounds like such a small thing, but that little beep gives people the opportunity to escape a fire before it’s too late. We see the impact of these devices every day in our line of work.”

Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of your home, and both inside and outside all sleeping areas. Place them as high as possible on walls or ceilings, away from air vents and windows.

CCFR encourages everyone to take two minutes on the second of every month to check their smoke alarms by pressing the test button in the center of the alarm.

CCFR and the NFPA recommend the following when it comes to smoke alarm safety:

  • Replace batteries every six months, or according to manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Replace alarms every 10 years.
  • Never disable a smoke alarm if it accidentally goes off during cooking or other activities. Wave a towel to clear the air in front of the alarm during false starts, or use a hush button to silence (available on newer models).
  • Do not ignore chirping or remove the battery. Instead, replace the battery immediately to ensure proper functioning.
  • Consider installing a home sprinkler system when building or remodeling a home.

If you cannot reach your smoke alarm, cannot change the batteries, or have other questions about your smoke rm contact CCFR for complimentary assistance at (636) 970-9700.

Throughout the month, CCFR firefighters will present safety lessons to kindergarten through third grade classrooms throughout the fire district. Safety information will also be distributed at community events and through the district’s e-newsletter and website.

Prevention Month

Prevent Kitchen firesIt only takes a second for a kitchen fire to start when someone steps away to answer a phone call, leaves a dishtowel too close to the stove, or overfills a frying pan with oil. These types of accidents result in more than 100,000 home fires every year according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). As part of its Fire Prevention Month, Central County Fire & Rescue (CCFR) is working to prevent these accidents by building awareness about kitchen fire prevention throughout October.

“With all of the open heat sources, it is easy to see why two out of every five home fires start in the kitchen, and why they are the leading cause of home fire-related injuries” says CCFR Chief Russ Mason. “Many people are simply unaware of the real dangers present in their kitchens.”

CCFR and the NFPA recommend following these tips to avoid a kitchen fire:

  • Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, broiling, or boiling food.
  • If you must leave the room, even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.
  • When you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, stay in the home, and use a timer to remind you.
  • If you have young children, use the stove’s back burners whenever possible. Keep children and pets at least three away from the stove.
  • When you cook, wear clothing with tight-fitting sleeves.
  • Keep potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper and plastic bags, towels, and anything else that can burn, away from your stovetop.
  • Clean up food and grease from burners and stovetops.

Throughout the month, CCFR firefighters will present safety lessons to kindergarten through third grade classrooms throughout the fire district. Kitchen fire prevention information will also be distributed at community events and through the District’s enewsletter and website. CCFR’s Fire Prevention Month is in conjunction with NFPA’s Fire Prevention Week, which is the longest running public health and safety observance on record.