Fire Prevention Month in Tuscaloosa

10/3/2016 (Permalink)

Fall Bonfires in Tuscaloosa

OCTOBER IS NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION MONTH

While many of us celebrate the cool weather, pumpkin spiced everything and the upcoming candy and costumes for Halloween here in Tuscaloosa, many organizations are making an effort to bring to light that October is National Fire Prevention month.  According to FEMA, one in three house fires start in the kitchen.

When I was a kid, my grandmother set her kitchen on fire by accident sitting a burning candle on an eye that was still warm from dinner. Thankfully, all she needed was a kitchen refresh because we caught it in time. A fire in your Tuscaloosa home could happen and it will always be unexpected.

As we are gearing up for the holidays, testing Pinterest recipes and holiday themed goodies, let’s take a few minutes to educate our families on safe practices, make sure our homes are prepared and take the measures to prevent household fires this holiday season.

The American Red Cross has set up a Fire Prevention campaign to educate homes in safety tips to prevent serious injuries and fatal losses. According to their campaign page,

“Each year, the Red Cross responds to nearly 66,000 disasters, the vast majority of which are home fires. So we set a goal to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries in the US by 25% by 2020.

On average:

• 7 people die every day from a home fire


• 36 people suffer injuries as a result of home fires every day


• Over $7 billion in property damage occurs every year”

There are 5 ways you can help this month during the fire prevention campaign:

1. Be prepared at home


2. Educate your business and your classrooms


3. Volunteer with your local American Red Cross Chapter and help other households with smoke alarms installation etc


4. Donate to the cause if you are able


5. Spread the word!!