The Eaton’s Neck Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®)—the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years—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 they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe.
NFPA statistics show that 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 you make the most of the time you have, giving everyone enough time to get out.
While NFPA and the Eaton’s Neck Fire Department are focusing on home fires, these messages apply to virtually any location.
The Eaton’s Neck Fire Department is hosting an open house on Saturday, October 12 from 10 a.m. to noon in support of this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!” In addition to learning about fire safety, you can shoot a fire hose, learn hands-only CPR, meet firefighters and emergency medical technicians, tour the fire engines and ambulances, and enter a free raffle for a carbon monoxide (CO) detector.