Newspaper Page Text
September, 2007
^Reporter
PAGE 3C
Preventing home fires
How many times have you left
the house in the morning and
wondered, “Did I turn off the
stove?” With our busy lives, the
safety of our homes and fami
lies are sometimes relegated to
the back of our minds - an
afterthought as we hop in the
car to start the day.
Bolingbroke Volunteer Fire
Department wants you to make
sure that the stove burner is
turned off or the damaged elec
trical cord you’ve been meaning
to fix is your top priority during
Fire Prevention Week, October
5-11. The theme of this year’s
campaign, “Prevent Home
Fires,” focuses on preventing
the leading causes of home fires
- cooking, heating and electrical
equipment, and smoking mate
rials.
Most home fires are easily
preventable when we narrow our
focus and take personal steps to
increase our safety. One way to do
this is by proactively combing
through each room in your home to
find signs of danger and fix them.
Bolingbroke Volunteer Fire
Test your
smoke detectors
A smoke detector won’t help you if the batteries
are dead. Don’t forget to change the batteries
twice a year. A good time is when you change your
clocks in the fall and in the spring. If you do not
have batteries or need a smoke detector installed,
please call the Bolingbroke fire department at 478-
994-4678 and one of the volunteers will set up an
installation at no cost. Installing a smoke alarm in
every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area
and on every level of the home is vital to every
home escape plan. Also the life of a smoke detec
tor is about 10 years. If your smoke detectors are
more than 10 years old, it’s time to get new ones.
Department is focused on helping
families put their safety first by per
forming a home hazards inspection
during Fire Prevention Week. Use
the checklist below to see if your
house is safe.
There are also a number of simple
steps that you can put into action to
keep your home safe from fire:
• Cooking: Stay in the kitchen
when you are frying, grilling, or
broiling food. If you leave the
kitchen for even a short period
time, turn off the stove.
• Heating: Keep all things
that can burn, such as paper,
bedding or furniture, at least 3
feet away form heating equip
ment.
• Electrical: Replace cracked
and damaged electrical cords;
use extension cords from tempo
rary wiring only. Consider hav
ing additional circuits or recep
tacles added by a qualified elec
trician.
• Smoking: If you smoke,
smoke outside; wherever you
smoke, use deep, sturdy ash
trays.
As firefighters and fire safety
educators, fire prevention is always
on the minds of Bolingbroke’s volun
teers. Use use the checklist and
home fire prevention tips to put your
safety first during Fire Prevention
Week, and year-round.
My Fire Inspection Checklist
Become an official Safety Inspector!
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Do you have an escape plan?
If a fire broke out in your
home, do you know how
much time you would have
to get out? Unfortunately,
no one knows for sure.
According to the nonprofit
National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA), more
than one out of every four
American households who
made an estimate thought
they would have at least
six minutes before a fire in
their home would become
life-threatening. The time
available is often less.
While most people feel
safe in their homes, the
reality is that home fires
are much more common
than people might think.
In a perfect world, we
would be able to prevent
all home fires. In reality,
we can be vigilant, but
there are no guarantees.
Any emergency can affect
one’s ability to think clear
ly, but during a fire, smoke
and other physical factors
can literally inhibit your
ability to react. Preparing
for the unexpected is diffi
cult. But when it comes to
home fires, minutes, even
seconds, can mean the dif
ference between life and
death. That’s why having
well-practiced fire escape
plan is vital to your fami
lies safety
Here are the basics of
home fire escape planning
to get you and your family
started:
• Install a smoke alarm
on every level of your home
and have one inside each
bedroom and outside of
each sleeping area. For
the best protection, inter
connect alarms so that
when one sounds, they all
sound.
• Test smoke alarms at
least once a month.
• Develop a fire escape
plan that identifies two
ways out of each room and
a family meeting place out
side.
• Make sure your plan
allows for any specific
needs in your household.
If everyone knows what to
do, everyone can get out
quickly.
• Practice using the plan,
at least twice a year. If
everyone knows that every
one else is ready to exit
quickly, no one will lose
precious time trying to
help someone who doesn’t
need help.
• Some children and
adults may not awaken to
the sound of the smoke
alarm. They may need help
to wake up.
This October 5-11 is Fire
Prevention Week. While
this year’s theme is
“Prevent Home Fires,” the
Bolingbroke Volunteer Fire
Department is sponsoring
Fire Prevention and Life
Safety DAy to encourage
families to learn what they
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Proud Sponsor of the 8th Annual Fire Prevention & Life Safety Day!
can do to prevent fires and
escape a fire if needed.
Currently, only 35% of
U.S. households have a
well-practiced plan in place
for escaping home fires.
Make a fire escape plan
and practice it. There is
also an opportunity indi
viduals and communities
to join together to promote
fire safety and be a part of
The Great American Fire
Drill. For more information
visit www.fireprevention-
week.org or
www. sparky, org.
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Owners:
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994-2803
8323 Rivoli Rd. • Bolingbroke, GA
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Home Office, Bloomington,
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Alan Parker
Agent
4909 Forsyth Road,
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Fax 478-475-0504
www.alanparker.net
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE
NEW FIRE STATION!