Fire Department plans prevention week activities

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  • By 66th Civil Engineering Fire Department
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Consider this scenario: It is 2 a.m. You and your family are fast asleep when you awaken to the smoke alarm sounding and the smell of smoke. What do you do?

If you and your family do not have a plan in place, it could jeopardize your safety or even prove deadly.

In a typical home fire, you may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds. That is why home escape planning is so critical in a fire situation. It ensures that everyone in the household knows how to use that small window of escape time wisely.

“Developing and practicing a home escape plan is like building muscle memory,” said Mark Webb, assistant chief of Fire Prevention at Hanscom. “That pre-planning is what everyone will draw upon to snap into action and escape as quickly as possible in the event of a fire.”

This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme, “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!” works to better educate the public about the critical importance of developing a home escape plan and practicing it. The 2017 Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 8 through 14.

Base fire officials will hold fire prevention events and visit base schools throughout Fire Prevention Week. A fire prevention-themed event will also take place at the Base Exchange Oct. 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Hanscom Fire Department is working with the National Fire Protection Association, the official sponsor of the Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years, to reinforce potentially life-saving messages.

“Home escape planning is one of the most basic but fundamental elements of home fire safety, and can truly make the difference between life and death in a fire situation,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of Outreach and Advocacy.

In support of Fire Prevention Week, Fire Inspector Bob Kenyon encourages the entire Hanscom community to develop a home escape plan and practice it with the entire household. A home escape plan includes working smoke alarms on every level of the home, in every bedroom and near all sleeping areas. It also includes two ways out of every room, usually a door and a window, with a clear path to an outside meeting place, like a tree, light pole or mailbox, that is a safe distance from the home.

NFPA and the Hanscom Fire Department offer these additional tips and recommendations for developing and practicing a home escape plan:

- Draw a map of your home with all members of your household, marking two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit.

- Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.

- Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.

- Make sure the number of your home is clearly marked and easy for the fire department to find.

- Close doors behind you as you leave- this may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.

- Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside a burning building.

For more information about Fire Prevention Week activities at Hanscom, contact the Fire Department at 781-225-3330.

To learn more about this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out” and home escape planning, visit www.firepreventionweek.org.