National Fire Prevention Week 2019
Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape! ™
The San Rafael Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) to promote this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!” The campaign works to educate everyone about the small but important actions one can take to keep themselves and those around them safe.
In 2017, U.S. fire departments responded to 357,000 home structure fires. These fires caused 2,630 fire deaths and 10,600 fire injuries. On average, seven people died in a fire in a home per day during 2012 to 2016.
“These numbers show that home fires continue to pose a significant threat to safety,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. “In a typical home fire, you may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Escape planning and practice can help reduce the time to get everyone out.”
While NFPA and the San Rafael Fire Department are focusing on home fires, these messages apply to virtually any location.
“Situational awareness is a skill people need to use wherever they go,” said Fire Chief Chris Gray. “No matter where you are, look for available exits. If the alarm system sounds, take it seriously and exit the building immediately.”
As part of the Fire Prevention Week activities, the flags at all Fire Stations will be lowered to half-staff on Sunday, October 6th, in accordance to Public Law 107-51 in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.
For more information about escape planning, click on the attached link. https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/Public-Education/Resources/Safety-tip-sheets/EscapePlanningTips.pdf