Fire Marshal Urges Safety Plans & Caution During Fire Prevention Month

A few seconds could make the difference between you getting out of your home safely and you getting seriously injured or killed.

Mooresville Fire-Rescue and Fire Marshal Woody spend the entire month of October educating and working with our community so they’re aware of fire dangers and have a safety plan in place should tragedy strike.

Safety plans:
If you don’t have a safety/escape plan in place, Fire Marshal Woody says it’s time to call a family meeting and make one quickly! Fire doesn’t wait for anyone or anything – so it’s important for everyone in the house to know how to escape a house fire, where to meet, and who to call if they smell smoke or suspect a fire (hint: 911)! You can use the worksheet below (or online at MooresvilleNC.gov/Woody) to identify your family’s safety plan. Remember, you should have at least two ways out of every room in case one is blocked. And remember, once you escape, STAY OUT! Do not go running inside a burning home or other building for anything. Smoke, dangerous gasses, and potential floor collapses are serious dangers for everyone.

Have a safety plan? Now it’s time to practice so everyone is familiar with the plan!

Smoke alarms:
Smoke alarms are quintessential because they can be the first clue there’s smoke or fire in our homes. Make sure your smoke alarms are working, the batteries are good, and there are smoke alarms on every floor and outside every bedroom. It’s important to replace your smoke alarms every 10 years and replace the batteries every 6 months to ensure they work to their full potential.

Cooking safety:
Did you know the leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking? And that cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries?

It’s important to stay in the kitchen and be alert when cooking food, especially if you’re frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food. Don’t forget to keep anything that can catch fire, such as oven mitts and towels, away from the stove.

If a small cooking fire sparks, smother the flames by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the burner. Do not put water on the fire, especially if it’s a grease fire! And if a fire sparks in the oven, turn off the heat and keep the door closed! If you aren’t comfortable doing either, get out and call 911!

If there are children in the home, make sure to have a 3 feet “kid-free zone” around the stove and areas where there are hot food or drinks. And don’t forget to warn them that touching a hot stove could cause burns!

Remember, fire safety is everyone’s responsibility. Make sure everyone in your home knows what to do if a fire sparks, including where to meet after evacuating the home. And as always, if you smell smoke, suspect a fire, or there’s another emergency, call 911!