The City of Southlake Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week, October 9-15, 2022.

This year’s campaign, “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape”, works to educate and promote developing a home escape plan and practicing it regularly.

“The clock is ticking if there’s a fire in your home — both for us to effectively extinguish it and rescue anybody that’s inside, but for the occupants of that home to escape safely,” said Southlake Fire Chief Michael Starr. “We can’t stress enough having working smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, planning an escape route out of every bedroom and every room in your home, and having a place to meet outside that everyone knows.”

According to a survey conducted by the NFPA, only one of every three American households have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan.

While 71% of Americans have an escape plan in case of a fire, only 47% of those have practiced it.

“Modern fires in modern homes grow very, very quickly,” Chief Starr said. “With all of the synthetic materials that are petroleum based, it is a very different fire environment than it was several decades ago. So, prevention is even more critical now than it was a several years ago.”

The NFPA lists the following objectives as key messages for this year:

• Make sure your home escape plan meets the needs of all your family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
• Smoke alarms should be installed inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of your home. Smoke alarms should be interconnected so when one sounds, they all sound.
• Know at least two ways out of every room, if possible. Make sure all doors and windows open easily.
• Have an outside meeting place a safe distance from your home where everyone should meet.
• Practice your home fire drill at least twice a year with everyone in the household, including guests. Practice at least once during the day and at night.

The Southlake Fire Department encourages all residents to embrace the 2022 Fire Prevention Week theme.

For additional information on home escape plans and fire safety, visit www.cityofsouthlake.com/Get-Prepared.