IRMO, S.C. — The purpose of Fire Prevention Week is to make sure everyone knows what to do in case of a fire and how to stay safe.
Fire Prevention Week for the U.S. is from October 6 to October 12.
The National Fire Prevention Association's campaign this year is, "Not every hero wears a cape. Plan and practice your fire escape."
They are hoping to educate children and adults about the importance of knowing what to do in case of an emergency. Their website says, "In a fire, mere seconds can mean the difference between a safe escape and a tragedy."
Fire Marshal Brian Haley, from Irmo Fire District, talks about the Irmo community.
"Most of our house fires are cooking related," Haley says, "just unattended cooking. Pay attention to your cooking and if you have a fire, how are you going to get out of the house? If your first way out isn't going to work, what's your second way out?"
Haley encourages this conversation to be with the entire household. "Talk about it with family, don't just make up your own mind, have a plan with your family. Where are you going to meet? Which door are you going to go out of? If the fire's by one door, what other door are you going to go out of? Have some sort of plan. Have a drill at home so everybody will be safe."
Haley says to always check your fire alarms. If the test button beeps, that doesn't necessarily mean the batteries are good, it just means that electricity is flowing through it.
Haley said that people say they have fire drills at work and school, so why not at home as well?
"When you push the test button [on the fire alarm], see if your children run outside, have a drill."
Haley says a rule of thumb for smoke alarms and their batteries is, "If it's older than 10 years old, don't trust it. Get a new one, any store sells them," Haley said. "And if your neighbor needs one, give your neighbor one, and you could be my hero!"
"Just get out of the house," Haley said as his last reminder. "Don't go back in and get your cell phone. Don't go back in and get your keys. Call 911 from outside or a neighbor's house. Let us take care of the problem. Get your family out safe, because you can replace your stuff, you can't replace your family."
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