GEORGETOWN — With National Fire Prevention Week kicking off this weekend, Chief Fred Mitchell and the Georgetown Fire Department are encouraging residents to create and practice an evacuation plan.

National Fire Prevention Week, organized by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) begins this year on Sunday, Oct. 6 and ends on Saturday, Oct. 12. The annual campaign seeks to educate and provide the public with valuable safety recommendations and steps they can take to prevent possible fires and respond properly in the event of a fire.

The slogan of the 2019 National Fire Prevention Week is “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!” in an effort to remind people of the critical importance of creating and practicing an escape plan should a fire start.

According to the NFPA, a person may only have a two-minute window to escape from a fire after a smoke alarm is activated.

“This week is a great reminder that everyone needs to plan and prepare for the event of a fire,” Chief Mitchell said. “Creating an escape plan, sharing it and practicing those steps with everyone in your household will save time when it matters the most.”

The Georgetown Fire Department wishes to share the following safety tips from the NFPA:

• Create a home escape plan, and make a map. Share that plan will all members of your household.
• Designate a minimum of two ways to get out of each room, if possible.
• Make sure all doors and windows to the outdoors are easy to open.
• Designate an outside meeting place a safe distance away from the home where everyone in your household should meet in the event of a fire.
• Practice a fire drill at home with your entire household, once at night and once during the day time, twice a year.
• Make sure everyone in your household practices using different routes to exit your home.
• Teach children how they can escape, should they need to get out of the home on their own.
• In the event of a fire and while practicing fire drills, close doors behind you as you leave.
• If the smoke alarm sounds, exit the building and do not go back inside.
• If you are evacuating and there is smoke, get low and proceed beneath the smoke.
• Call the fire department once you are outside the building.

For additional fire prevention safety tips, click here.

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