October is Fire Prevention Month. The goal of Fire Prevention Month is to raise fire safety awareness and help ensure your home and family is protected. In 1922, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) named the second week of October Fire Prevention Week in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Today, we celebrate Fire Prevention Week and Month by raising fire safety awareness and educating families, students and communities across the United States. During this month, fire departments provide education to their communities, and encourage parents and loved ones to practice fire prevention and whole home safety.
There are over 300,000 house fires each year in the United States, which is why it is so important to have both smoke and carbon monoxide alarms located throughout your home and to replace the batteries on the detectors regularly.
It’s also important to keep a multipurpose (ABC type) fire extinguisher on hand, especially in the kitchen where most home fires start.
Fall is also a good time to have your fireplace and chimney inspected by a certified chimney sweep to make sure it’s drawing properly and that creosote hasn’t built up to dangerous levels, which can cause a chimney fire.
Electrical problems are another major cause of fires in homes. Electrical fires result in over 50,000 house fires a year, causing nearly 500 deaths and over 1,400 injuries.
Shorts in wiring inside walls, on extension cords, in lamps, or from appliances can result in “arc-faults” that can generate temperatures up to 10,000° F. Arc-faults are the main electrical failure that results in fire, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
It’s a great idea to replace existing electrical wall outlets with Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI), which can detect arc-faults and then interrupt the power to help prevent electrical fires in your home.
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