Fire Safety Month | RTF Fire Protection

October is Fire Safety Awareness Month

To commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the National Fire Protection Association named the second week of October, Fire Prevention Week. Since then efforts have grown, and the entire month of October is dedicated to raising fire safety awareness.

One of the scariest things about fires is that they can happen to anyone and they can happen without warning. And the only way to protect yourself, your family or your employees is by taking all necessary precautions before a fire ever starts.

Start the Conversation About Fire Safety

Fire Safety Awareness Month is the perfect opportunity to set aside a little time to talk about fire safety. It’s not a conversation you have regularly or even have time to do regularly, and so dedicating one day a year to really talking with your family or your employees about fire safety is important.

Just some of the important topics to cover this month include:

1. Testing all fire alarms
2. Upgrading all expired units (most have a 10 year lifespan)
3. Changing smoke alarm batteries
4. How to use a fire extinguisher in the event of an emergency
5. Developing and practicing an escape route

In an office, you should sit teams down and review your emergency action plan, nominate leaders to be in charge during an emergency and walk through evacuation routes. This is also a good time to have a practice fire drill within your building and even ask your local fire department to assist as needed.

In the home, you should also establish a family emergency action plan, discuss all possible escape routes and emphasize the importance of staying calm in the event of an emergency. If you have small children, you might even want to walk through a mock fire drill to help them visualize the plan and feel more confident about their safety.

Did you know…

• Less than half of all homeowners have an escape plan
• 3 out of every 5 home fire deaths happen where smoke alarms were not working properly
• The #1 cause of house fires is unattended cooking

Ultimately, protecting your employees and protecting your family doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s about taking time out of your busy schedule to make prevention and safety a priority. Use Fire Safety Awareness Month as your chance to fireproof your home and your office building.

Need help? Contact RTF Fire Protection for a free no-obligation survey of your business.