Fire Prevention Week 2018 has begun. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has declared this year’s theme “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware – fire can happen anywhere.”
Its website states:
“Through three simple calls-to-action, this year’s theme identifies basic but essential ways people can reduce their risk to fire and be prepared in the event of one:
Look for places fire can start
Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm
Learn two ways out of each room”
According to the NFPA, the majority of fire deaths (four out of five) occur at home each year. The association emphasizes advanced planning as being critical.
And according to Fire Rescue 1, most house fires start in the kitchen from unattended cooking or grease that has become overheated. Candles are also often a culprit of home fires and home fire deaths. Finally, the site also mentions that approximately two-thirds of all fire deaths happen in homes where there’s no working fire alarm. Your chance of dying in a home fire is cut in half if you have a working smoke alarm.
Knowing these facts about fire safety is incredibly important, as is being prepared.
For as far back as I can remember, my family would regularly practice fire drills in our home. My dad would give us specific instructions on what to do and where to go. We practiced getting to safety as quickly as possible, as though a real fire were enveloping our home. I recall being scared thinking about our house potentially catching fire as a child and running through what things from my room I would grab if it happened. But I learned what to do in the event a real fire occurred. And while my parents emphasized the seriousness of the issue, our entire family also had fun doing these drills. I recall laughter and will forever have that memory of something we all did together as a family.
There’s so much to learn about fire safety, and education and preparedness are essential. The Government Publishing Office has resources to help you and your entire family, from children to grandparents, prepare for a fire.
Let’s Have Fun With Fire Safety is a fun activity book that gives children valuable fire safety and prevention tips. My family fire drills are just one example that fire safety doesn’t have to be a drag. Make it fun with resources like this one, and children will be more likely to pay attention and participate.
Kids aren’t the only ones who need to prepare for a fire. Adults age 65 and older are more than twice as likely to die in fires than the Nation’s population as a whole. Individuals 85 and older are more than four times as likely to die in a fire than the general population. Also, older adults have a higher risk of injury from fires. If you are a caregiver to a senior, check out Fire Safety Checklist for Older Adults, designed to help seniors and their caregivers learn about fire safety.
Fire prevention is a serious topic. But practicing drills and getting educated can be a fun opportunity for family bonding. Check out these publications from the U.S. Government Publishing Office, and remember to look, listen and learn this Fire Prevention Week!
The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications
HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?
Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.
- Click here to purchase Let’s Have Fun With Fire Safety
- Click here to purchase Fire Safety Checklist for Older Adults
- Click here to purchase Sesame Street Fire Safety Program Family Guide
- Click here to browse our Fires & Explosions collection
Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.
Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.
Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.
Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.
About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the PR Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.
Posted by Trudy Hawkins 
govbooktalk
Trudy Hawkins
Government Book Talk 
