Fire Prevention Week planned Oct. 10-14

  • Published
  • By Todd Maki
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- The Fire Department here is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week Oct. 10 through 14.

The 2022 theme is “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape,” and highlights the importance of having a pre-planned escape in the event of a fire at home.

“Creating an escape plan for your family along with practicing that plan is integral to the safety practices you can apply in your home,” said Hanscom Fire Lt. Casey Videtto. “Having a fire escape plan can save lives.”

Fire officials encourage individuals to keep the escape plan simple and post it in a common area in the home.

“You'll be happier when you have a plan in place,” said Videtto. “It's better to be prepared and not need it, than need it and not be prepared.”

He also encourages families to have a rally point once outside to take accountability of family members before calling 911.

Here are a few tips for a fire escape plan:

Create a fire escape plan together showing all floors and identifying rooms.

Hold escape drills often and use the smoke alarm sound to initiate.

Pick different times of day or night to conduct escape drills.

Select a meeting place location that is at least 50 to 75 feet away from your home.

Make sure your meeting place is accessible in winter months, clear of snow and ice.

Try to choose an easily recognizable landmark such as a tree or street sign.

Use a stopwatch to time escape drills to see how long it takes to reach your meeting point.

Hanscom officials will hold fire prevention events and visit Hanscom youth programs throughout this year’s Fire Prevention Week.

For more information about Fire Prevention Week, contact the Hanscom Fire Department at 781-225-5600.

For more general information, visit https://www.nfpa.org/fpw.