Family safety key to fire prevention week

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Victor J. Caputo
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Oct. 7 to 13 is National Fire Prevention Week and here at McConnell people are taking advantage of the time to spread the word on fire safety.

Improper or insufficient planning can be dangerous for families and can also cause damage to properties.

"One home structure [fire] was reported every 85 seconds in 2010," said Eric Garlow, 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron fire inspector. "Fire is unpredictable and moves faster than most people realize. Having a tried and true escape plan with two ways is essential to ensuring your family's safety should fire break out in your home."

An important part of any plan is to ensure all family members, especially children, understand what to do and where to go in the case of a fire.

"Everybody needs to go to one location out of the house so parents know if anyone is missing," said Stephen Hagler, 22nd Air Refueling Wing Ground Safety specialist. "They need to know how to get out of the house too. Is there rope? Do you have a ladder to climb down? Or do you just crawl through the window and meet in the front yard?"

Once a plan is in order, everyday items should be checked for safety. For example, electric cords could be frayed, chimneys could be clogged and space heaters could be faulty, said Hagler. It's also important to ensure smoke alarms work properly.

"It may be twenty minutes into the fire before some alarms go off," said Hagler. "If it's a smoldering fire, a heat sensor wouldn't catch the noxious fumes, which is the part people have to worry about."

In addition to sharing fire safety tips, McConnell and local firefighters are showing several demonstrations and hosting multiple educational displays throughout the week.

More information about local events can be found on the 22nd ARW's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/22ARW.

For general fire tips and information on National Fire Prevention Week, visit www.nfpa.org/categoryList.asp?categoryID=2017&URL=Safety%20Information/Fire%20Prevention%20Week.