National Fire Prevention Week Begins

Annual Public Safety Day in Bloomfield is next Tuesday from 7-9 p.m. as town kicks off fire prevention poster contest

• October 8, 2012

 Email

 Print

 1 Comment

    

 Upload Photos and Videos

"Have two ways out" is the theme of this year'sNational Fire Prevention Week, a campaign for fire safety which got underway Sunday.Created and sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the goal of National Fire Prevention Week is to educate families on what causes home fires, how to prevent them, and what to do in an emergency situation.

NFPA has been the official sponsor of this campaign since 1922, making it the longest running public health and safety observance on record.

"Fire sprinklers play a key role in protecting people and firefighters from the tragedies that fire can cause," said Russell Fleming, president of the National Fire Sprinkler Association, in a press release. "To date, there has never been a multiple loss-of-life in a home that has a properly installed and maintained fire sprinkler system. I urge the public to learn more about how they can prevent and protect themselves and their families from the dangers of fire."

NFSA provides the following fire safety tips for families:

• Make an escape plan
• Install smoke detectors in every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home and check the batteries often
• Install fire sprinklers throughout your house
• Once you’re out, stay out! Do not re-enter a burning building
• Practice your home fire escape plan twice a year

And these tips for kids:

1. Never touch matches, candles or lighters. Make sure you tell an adult immediately if you see matches or a lighter in a room.
2. Don’t cook alone.
3. Remind your parents to turn pot handles toward the center of the stove.
4. Never stick anything in an electric socket.
5. Never hang anything on a lamp, heater, or radiator.
6. Always let an adult know if there is any kind of smoke or fire in your house.
7. If there is a fire, get out fast.
8. Once you are out of the house, call 9-1-1 immediately.
9. In case of fire, develop an escape plan with your parents. Plan for two possible escape routes out of your house. Practice your escape plan with your parents several times a year.
10. Stay low to the floor when escaping a fire, as smoke rises and makes it difficult to see.

For more information on National Fire Prevention Week, which ends Oct. 13, in your area, visitwww.NFPA.org.

Officials with Bloomfield's Fire Prevention Bureau will visit elementary schools this week to discuss fire prevention with students. Students will get a smoke detector and "Sparky the Fire Dog" tee shirt.

All fifth-grade students will participate in the annual town-wide fire prevention poster contest. First-place winners from each school will receive a $25 gift card and the grand-prize winner will get a $100 gift card, courtesy of the Bloomfield FMBA. The town-wide poster winner will have his or her posters printed and distributed to all schools during Fire Prevention Week next year.

The town will also hold its annual Public Safety Day next Tuesday at town hall from 7-9 p.m. with appearances by Sparky the Fire Dog, McGruff the Police Dog, Pluggie the Robotic Fire Hydrant. The Bloomfield Fire Department Safety and the New Jersey Fire Sprinkler demo trailers will be on hand with more information on fire safety.

Related Topics: Bloomfield Fire Department, Fire Prevention, Fire Safety, and National Fire Safety Week

During National Fire Prevention Week, Live Fire Sprinkler Demonstrations Boost Educational Focus for Many Illinois Fire Departments

By Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board

Published: Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012 - 3:55 pm

ORLAND PARK, Ill., Oct. 4, 2012 --/PRNewswire/ -- From October 7-13, fire departments across Illinois and the nation will host open houses and fire safety events as part of their national Fire Prevention Week (FPW) activities.Education and prevention are essential because nine out of every 10 structure fire deaths occur in the home. That's according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association, the official sponsor of FPW. Last year, the U.S. fire service responded to 370,000 home structure fires, which caused 13,910 civilian injuries, 2,520 civilian deaths, and $6.9 billion in direct damage. Unfortunately, Illinois itself is on pace to reach over 100 fire deaths by the end of this year.

Fire departments throughout Illinois work yearlong to prevent fire injuries and deaths by educating the public about all aspects of fire safety, including prevention; the need for workingsmoke alarms and escape planning and practice; and the power of early fire suppression. During this year's FPW activities, many northern Illinois fire departments have plans to highlight the life- and property-saving benefits of residential fire sprinkler systems, which automatically flow water on a fire while it is still small.

This year alone, seven jurisdictions in Illinois added residential fire sprinkler ordinances for one- and two-family homes, bringing the total number of Illinois jurisdictions with ordinances to 79. With a large number of ordinances, education is key in helping homeowners understand how fire sprinklers work in their own homes or their future homes. Fire departments are increasingly using two effective methods to inform the public about home fire dangers and dispel common myths about fire sprinklers. These simulate home fires and the distinct differences between sprinklered and unsprinklered homes.

One method uses the demonstration trailers from the Illinois Fire Inspectors Association and Northern Illinois Fire Inspectors Association, both of which are outfitted with a smoke detector and fire sprinkler. Viewers are able to watch through windows as a fire is set in a trashcan. As smoke builds, the smoke detector signals; and as flames generate heat, the quick-response residential fire sprinkler activates, flowing water and quickly controlling the fire.

An even more dramatic method is the side-by-side fire and sprinkler demonstration. This employs two similarly constructed and furnished rooms that each contain a smoke detector, however, only one of the rooms has a fire sprinkler installed. As fires are set in both rooms and smoke builds, thesmoke detectors will signal. As the fires grow, the heat from the flames in the sprinklered room activates the fire sprinkler. Audiences see first-hand how fast the fires grow and how quickly and effectively the fire sprinkler responds, before much damage can occur. Meanwhile, the fire in the unsprinklered room continues to grow, melting the smoke detector so that it becomes inaudible and quickly reaching flashover, the point at which everything in the room ignites in flames. The comparison is memorable as well as educational.

"There is no better way to see how fire sprinklers work than through a live fire sprinkler demonstration that shows the rapid movement and destruction of fire versus the quick response of fire sprinklers," says Tom Lia, executive director of the nonprofit Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board. Lia is assisting with over 40 side-by-side demonstrations in Illinois this year, which will lead him to over 400 total demonstrations. "For those who understand the value of residential fire sprinklers, these demonstrations give people a whole new perspective and appreciation for the life and property protection that fire sprinklers provide for homes."

For a complete listing of organizations conducting live fire sprinkler demonstrations in northern Illinois during FPW, visit www.firesprinklerassocnewsletters.org/?p=2383. For future demonstrations, visit www.homelifesafety.com/events.html.

For photography of side-by-side demonstrations and fire sprinkler demonstration trailers, visit http://ppacom.com/pr/nifsab-fire-sprinkler-demos.html

About the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB) NIFSAB is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting progressive legislation, raising public awareness, and educating code officials and governmental policy makers by demonstrating the proven performance of fire sprinklers in saving both lives and property. For more info, visitwww.firesprinklerassoc.org.

SOURCE Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/04/4883025/during-national-fire-prevention.html#storylink=cpy