October: National Fire Safety Month | DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has labeled October as National Fire Safety Month.  Across the country, fire departments will be focusing on educating the public on the importance of fire safety.  Each year many lives are lost to fire.  Many of these losses could have been avoided had proper precautions been taken.  Fire Safety Month provides an excellent opportunity to focus on fire prevention and bring fire related issues to the forefront.  There are numerous things that you can do to ensure that your family is prepared for a fire emergency.  An excellent resource for fire safety tips is the USFA’s handbook entitled: “Working Together for Fire Home Safety.”  The most important fire safety related tips that you can do for your family are to:

• Properly install, maintain, and test smoke detectors on each floor, outside each sleeping area, and in each bedroom.

• Develop and then practice your family’s home fire escape plan. Everyone should know exactly what to do if you need to escape from your home.