Prevention Key to Helping Protect Loved Ones, Reducing Risk of Fire
PELLA, Iowa, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ — As temperatures drop and families spend more time in-doors, statistics prove that there is an increase in home fires, with December and January being the peak months. In 2008, 3,320 fire fatalities were reported in the U.S., and most deaths — 83 percent — occurred in homes, according to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA).
As Fire Prevention Week, observed October 4-10, and winter months approach, Pella Corporation’s Close the door on fire! campaign encourages homeowners to think about fire safety and take the proper steps now to help protect their loved ones year-round.
Stay warm! Stay safe!
Space heater usage can help you stay warm, but can increase the risk of fire if not used properly. Space heater fires in homes are often more deadly than other types of heating fires according to U.S. Fire Administration and are the leading cause of fires in winter months. They account for only 10 percent of all heating fires, but nearly 40 percent of heating injuries and deaths.
So how do you safely use space heaters? It’s important to ensure space heaters have space. Pella reminds homeowners to keep them at least three feet from paper, curtains, furniture, clothing, bedding or anything else that can burn. For safety’s sake, never leave space heaters on while not in the room, and turn them off before turning in for the night or a nap.
“Help protect your family’s safety by taking the proper fire safety steps like planning and practicing a home fire escape plan with your loved ones, testing exit windows and doors to make sure they open quickly and easily in an emergency, and replacing worn out batteries in smoke detectors,” said Kathy Krafka Harkema, Pella fire safety educator.
In addition to space heater usage pointers, Pella offers these fire safety tips to help protect your loved ones.
Identify! Prepare! Practice!
- Evaluate fire safety risks inside your home and immediate surroundings. Equip your garage with smoke detectors since garage fires can start easily and spread quickly. Also, properly extinguish fire in indoor fireplaces or outdoor settings to prevent the risk of fire spreading around your home or others in the neighborhood.
- Identify two exits - Designate two exits from every room in your home — a door and a window. Make sure doors and windows open quickly and easily to help ensure a quick exit; if not, consider replacing them for safety’s sake.
- Have a plan – Download an escape grid and draw a floor plan of each level of your home. Before an emergency strikes, establish and communicate a meeting place a safe distance outside your home for everyone to gather in the event of a fire.
- Check the alarms - Install working smoke alarms in or near every sleeping area and on every level of your home. Test alarms monthly, change batteries regularly, and replace alarms not permanently wired into your home’s electrical system every 10 years.
- Make smart purchases - Consider keeping items like fire extinguishers and fire escape ladders in your home. Mark their location on your home fire plan and share this information with those in your home.
- Test the alarm - Sound smoke alarms when household members are awake so everyone knows what they sound like, and test your family’s ability to awaken to fire alarms during sleeping hours. If they don’t awake easily, assign someone to awaken sound sleepers in the event of an emergency.
- Practice makes perfect – Practice your home fire escape plan with everyone in your home at least twice a year.
Helpful tools, images and audio sound bite
- Downloadable escape grid
- Additional helpful fire safety tips
- Fire safety tips in the home audio sound bite with Kathy Krafka Harkema
- Downloadable fire safety home images
About Pella Corporation
Pella Corporation is a leader in designing, testing, manufacturing and installing quality windows and doors for new construction, remodeling and replacement applications.
Pella is known for its 84-year history of making innovative products, providing quality service and delivering on customer satisfaction. Headquartered in Pella, Iowa, the company is committed to incorporating new technologies, increasing productivity, and practicing environmental stewardship to create satisfied customers.
Pella manufactures quality windows and doors sold through a Direct Sales Network operating PellaÃ‚® Window & Door Showrooms across the United States and Canada and select building materials retailers, including Lowe’sÃ‚®. For more information, call 888-847-3552 or visit pella.com. Follow Pella on Twitter.com @Pella_News.
SOURCE Pella Corporation