By Staff Reports

(LĪHU‘E) – The Kaua‘i Fire Department is promoting National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6 to 12, to help educate the community about fire safety and preparedness.

“This year’s theme works to educate everyone about the small but important actions they can take to keep themselves and their ‘ohana safe and prepared for a fire emergency,” said Deputy Fire Chief Kilipaki Vaughan. “Situational awareness is a skill people need to use wherever they go. No matter where you are, look for available exits. If the alarm system sounds, take it seriously and exit the building immediately.”

The Kaua‘i Fire Department is once again working in coordination with the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) – the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years – to promote this year’s campaign, “Not every hero wears a cape. Plan and practice your escape!”

To help kick off the week, Mayor Derek S. K. Kawakami held a proclamation ceremony on Sept. 23, and encouraged all households to develop a fire safety plan together and practice it.

“The statistics for structure fires and fire-related deaths across our nation are alarming,” said Mayor Kawakami at the proclamation ceremony. “It’s imperative that our Kaua‘i residents have an escape plan in place for the safety of themselves and their loved ones. We are fortunate to have excellent first responders here on our island, but we must do our part as well. It is our hope that our community continues to take these messages seriously and will be well prepared for any emergency.”

NFPA statistics show that in 2017 U.S. fire departments responded to 357,000 home structure fires. These fires caused 2,630 fire deaths and 10,600 fire injuries. On average, seven people died in a fire in a home per day during 2012 to 2016.

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, please contact the Kaua‘i Fire Department at 241-4985 or emailkfdpreventionbureau@kauai.gov.

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