Staff Reports
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, also the State Fire Marshal, is promoting National Fire Prevention Week starting Sunday.
This year’s theme is “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep: Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm.”
Atwater sponsored a resolution at the last Cabinet meeting designating Oct. 4-10 as Fire Prevention Week in Florida.
“More than 54,000 fires broke out in the state of Florida last year, leading to 139 civilian deaths and three firefighter fatalities,” Atwater said in a statement. “We’ve all heard or seen these tragic stories, and each one is a heartbreaking reminder of the importance of fire prevention education.”
More information is available at the National Fire Prevention Association’s website here.
Atwater is asking Floridians to “locate the smoke alarms in your home, test them, and replace their batteries if necessary. By doing so, you can reduce your risk of dying in a fire by half.”
He adds, “run through your family’s exit plan and talk with your children about the importance of fire safety. Not only will your efforts help keep your own family safe, they will help protect the firefighters and first responders who risk their lives every day to protect our loved ones and property.”
An interactive quiz on how prepared you are to deal with a fire can be taken here. Some other facts on fires from the NFPA include:
- Half of home fire deaths result from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep.
- One quarter of home fire deaths were caused by fires that started in the bedroom.
- Three out of five home fire deaths in 2007-2011 were caused by fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
- Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in reported home fires in half.
- In fires considered large enough to activate the smoke alarm, hardwired alarms operated 93% of the time, while battery powered alarms operated only 79% of the time.
- When smoke alarms fail to operate, it is usually because batteries are missing, disconnected, or dead.
