JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
Imagine waking up late one night to the screeching sound of a smoke alarm. Your brain struggles to make the transition between dream and reality until the smell of smoke sends a rush of adrenaline through your body.
You jump out of bed, gather your family and use your planned escape route to exit the house. You head for the front door, but intense heat and smoke block your path? What do you do?
"This year's Fire prevention week theme,
'Have 2 Ways Out,' focuses on the importance of fire escape planning and practice," said Senior Master Sgt. David Wilson, 11th Civil Engineer Squadron Chief of Fire Emergency Services.
Education and situational awareness are the best ways to prevent fires, but having a practiced escape plan with more than one exit strategy is critical to survival in the event a house fire occurs, Wilson said.
Nearly one third of American households estimate they have at least six minutes before a fire in their home becomes life-threatening. The unfortunate truth is that a home can become fully involved with fire much faster, making a solid escape plan all the more important, According to the National Fire Protection Agency.
The NFPA offers the following tips for making a family fire escape plan:
- Make a map of your home. Mark a door or window that can be used to get out of every room.
- Choose a meeting place outside in front of your home. This is where everyone can meet once they have escaped.
- Draw a diagram of your escape route with two exits out of the structure and route to the meeting place.
- Sound the smoke alarm and practice your escape drill with everyone living in your home.
- Keep your escape plan on the refrigerator and practice the drill every time you change your smoke alarm's batteries.
Team Andrews firefighters and Sparky the Fire Dog will visit the child development centers and the Andrews Youth Center during Fire Prevention Week, which runs from Oct. 7-13, talking to children about fire prevention and handing out literature.
Sparky will visit the Andrews Base Exchange and Home Traditions stores Oct. 11 from 1-2 p.m. and will make appearances at the Firefighter Challenge at Fire Station 2, Oct. 12 from 8-11 a.m.; and the Liberty Park Fall Festival Oct. 13, which is scheduled to occur from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
"We average around 1,000 calls annually and have had several fires on the base this year including dumpster, car and structure fires," Wilson said. "Our goal is zero fire loss, and we try to achieve this through an aggressive fire prevention program."
The NFPA website,
www.nfpa.org, has more resources for escape planning, fire safety tips and a
Fire Prevention Week quiz.
Visit their website for more information, or call the Andrews Fire Prevention office at 301-981-6977.
Some information in this story was reproduced from NFPA's Fire Prevention Week website, www.firepreventionweek.org. ©2012 NFPA.