Fire Prevention Week, October 9-15, 2011; Protect Your Family from Fire

  • Published
  • By MSgt Todd Moomaw
  • 132 Fighter Wing
Des Moines, Iowa --  Fires can strike anywhere - in buildings, automobiles, and the outdoors - but fires that affect our homes are often the most tragic and the most preventable. Over 75% percent of all fire fatalities occur in home fires.
This year's National Fire Prevention Week theme is, Protect Your Family from Fire. You can protect your family by, Installing smoke alarms on every level of your home, Testing smoke alarms once a month, Changing smoke alarm batteries at least once a year, and Making and practicing a home fire escape plan. Fires can occur in a variety of ways and in any room of your home. Having a smoke alarm is the first key step towards your family's safety. A smoke alarm stands guard around the clock and, when it first senses smoke, it sounds a shrill alarm. This often allows a family the precious but limited time it takes to escape. Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms are considered to be one of the best and least expensive means of providing an early warning of a potentially deadly fire and could reduce the risk of dying from a fire in your home by almost half.
Fire facts; Smoking is the leading cause of most residential fires. Bedrooms (55%) are the leading location where civilian fire fatalities in residences. 51% of civilian fire fatalities occur between the hours of 10:00 pm and 6:00 am.
Fire Protection is one of many career fields in the Air National Guard. This specialty protects people, property, and the environment from fires and disasters. Airmen provide services including; fire prevention, fire fighting, rescue, and hazardous material responses.
Locally-based facilities across America means reduced cost to the taxpayer and increased regional support. The Air National Guard strengthens communities with fire fighting capabilities.