By Staff Reports

(LĪHU‘E) – The Kaua‘i Fire Department is promoting National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 7 to 13, to help educate the community about fire safety and preparedness.

“This year’s theme helps the public to understand three basic steps of fire prevention and response,” said Fire Chief Robert Westerman. “Every family should have a home escape plan and should practice it often. If a fire should occur, having a plan and executing it quickly could mean the difference between life and death.”

The Kaua‘i Fire Department is once again working in coordination with the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) to promote this year’s campaign, “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere.”

The NFPA campaign promotes the following three essential steps:

• Look for places fires could start.Take a good look around your home. Identify potential fire hazards and take care of them.
• Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm.You could have only minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. Go to your outside meeting place, which should be a safe distance from the home and where everyone should know to meet.
• Learn two ways out of every room.Make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter.

To help kick off the week, Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. held a proclamation ceremony on Friday, and encouraged all households to develop a fire safety plan together and practice it.

“It’s so important for every family to have an emergency response plan in place,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. at the proclamation ceremony. “That’s why I’m proud to promote Fire Prevention Week every year, and I hope this message of fire safety and emergency preparedness continues to grow and reach every member of our community.”

The Kaua‘i Fire Department advises all home escape plans to include working smoke alarms on every level of the home, in every bedroom, and near all sleeping areas. It also includes two ways out of every room, usually a door and a window, with a clear path to an outside meeting place (like a tree, light pole, or mailbox) that’s a safe distance from the home.

NFPA and the Kaua‘i Fire Department offer these additional tips and recommendations for developing and practicing a home escape plan:

• Draw a map of your home with all members of your household, marking two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit.
• Practice your home fire drill twice a year. Conduct one at night and one during the day with everyone in your home, and practice using different ways out.
• Teach children how to escape on their own in case you can’t help them.
• Make sure the number of your home is clearly marked and easy for the fire department to find.
• Close doors behind you as you leave — this may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
• Once you get outside, stay outside. Never go back inside a burning building.

For more information on Kaua‘i’s Fire Prevention Week programs and activities, please contact the Kaua‘i Fire Department at 241-4985 or email kfdpreventionbureau@kauai.gov.

To learn more about home escape planning and other fire safety tips, visit the NFPA website at www.firepreventionweek.org.