LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
The Langley Fire Department will provide information on fire safety during Fire Prevention Week , which is scheduled for Oct. 7 to 13.
Most people are familiar with the phrase "
Stop, Drop and Roll!" and simply following those three words if on fire, can save lives. The fire department said the same is true about this year's theme
"Practice Your Escape Plan!"
In addition to having a home fire escape plan, people must know how to execute the plan, according to the National Fire Protection Agency Web site.
"Practice the escape plan with the family," said Mr. Richard Pettyjohn, assistant chief of fire prevention. Unless you practice it at nighttime, you'll never know who will sleep through the smoke alarm."
For those who don't have a fire escape plan, the NFPA provides steps to create plans, which can be tailored to each household:
Make it a family event
Involve everyone living in the house, including children.
Draw a floor plan of your home
Ensure to mark two ways out of each room and locations of smoke detectors.
Make sure everyone understands the plan
Have a meeting place a safe distance away from the house and make sure everyone knows where it is
If there are family members that will not be able to get out without assistance, be sure to delegate an able person to assist the member during the drills and during an emergency.
Be sure to have an alternant person in case the primary person is not at home.
Once out of the house, do not go back inside for any reason.
Langley has experienced nine residential fires this fiscal year, Mr. Pettyjohn said.
"All homeowners and renters should ensure that smoke alarms are installed and are operating properly," said Mr. Pettyjohn. "Smoke alarms are an inexpensive and effective way of detecting fires before they get out of control."
People aren't the only ones who need to escape in the event of a fire;
pets also need to be part of the plan.
"If all things are equal, it is a wise idea to fireproof your home in order to protect your pets and other animals from injury," according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Texas.
Here are a few suggestions of fireproofing the house to protect the pets, courtesy of SPCA Texas:
Never leave candles burning unattended
Make sure appliances are unplugged if not being used, some animals like to chew on the cords which can start a fire or harm the animal
Place a sticker on doors to notify the fire and police departments that pets live in the house in the event that no one is home during a fire
Besides helping people, the fire department recently purchased two sets of pet oxygen
masks - one for the Langley Fire Department and one for the Bethel Fire Department.
The masks work the same was the ones designed for humans, said Master Sgt. Troy Thompson, deputy fire chief. There are three different size masks in each set; one for large dogs, one for small dogs and one for cats.
Nation Fire Prevention Week has been observed since 1925, making it the longest running public health and safety observance on record, according to NFPA's Web site. It was created to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, which took place Oct. 8 to 10, 1871.
Click
here to download a Home Fire Escape Plan provided by Sparky and the NFPA.
Take a quiz on escape planning know-how.