National Fire Prevention Week

This week is National Fire Prevention week.

“Fire Prevention Week lasts all week through the 15th,” said Knox-Center Township Fire Chief, Kenny Pfost. “We try to educate not only children, but adults as well on fire prevention tips and techniques and how to be safer.”

“October is always a good time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Make sure that you have at least two exit plans. If you live in a two story house, you need to have some sort of escape devise if you should have a fire so you can escape the second floor. You should have something like a collapseable ladder. You need to have a meeting place outside to where everyone can meet up when they’re outside of the house.”

There is one tip that you might not think about if a fire breaks out in your home in the middle of the night.

“One of the big things is when the smoke detector goes off, everybody’s instinct is, when they’re laying in bed is to sit up. You need to stay down, staying laying down, and roll off the bed. If you sit up, that first breath you take could be toxic enough to kill you with the heat and the toxic gases.”

National Fire Prevention Week was established in 1922 and is the longest running public health and safety observance on record.

Pfost will have more fire prevention tips for us throughout the week.