10/8/2018
Jim Evancho
In our continued partnership with the Jacksonville Fire Department during Fire Prevention week we will be writing articles regarding fire safety and prevention.
Many people take safety for granted and often overlook the risk of fires within their homes. Simple things such as changing the batteries in smoke detectors often go overlooked, where the reality is, a smoke detector battery should be replaced every 6 months and not when it begins to “chirp” the low battery warning. The worst time to find out a battery has died in a smoke detector is during a fire.
Another often overlooked item is having a plan in place prior to a fire happening. As children we became accustomed to fire drills at school and even on school buses, but we rarely practiced them at home. Every person that lives in a house or apartment should have a pre-planned escape route and designated location to meet, if a fire were to happen. This is for adults and children alike as fires affect everyone. According to the National Fire Protection Association an average of 7 people are killed in residential fires each day. Fire is not discriminatory nor does it look for age specific people, it is a natural event that can kill everyone in its path. Having a good fire escape plan is only the first step towards surviving a house fire, the second step is to actually practice/drill so it becomes second nature during a time of crisis.
So remember to “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware – fire can happen anywhere.”
“Only working smoke alarms give you the early notification of fire and the time you and your family need to safely escape. Many fatal fires occur at night when everyone is asleep, so early warning is crucial to survival.” – Fire Marshal Lee Batey, Jacksonville Fire Dept.
