Public Safety: Fire Won’t Wait. Plan Your Escape.

By Lisa M. Grisham, CPSTI

Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services (CCFES) is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week (FPW), October 9-15, 2022. This year’s FPW campaign, “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape,” works to educate residents about simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe from home fires.

“Today’s homes burn faster than ever. You may have as little as two minutes (or even less) to safely escape a home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Your ability to get out of a home during a fire depends on early warning from smoke alarms and advance planning,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA.

CCFES encourages all residents to embrace the 2022 FPW theme.

“It’s important for everyone to plan and practice a home fire escape. Everyone needs to be prepared in advance, so that they know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds. Given that every home is different, every home fire escape plan will also be different,” said Chief Eddie Robinson. “Have a plan for everyone in the home. Children, older adults, and people with disabilities may need assistance to wake up and get out. Make sure that someone will help them!”

As encouragement to involve more families to practice their home escape plans, CCFES is hosting a video contest showing your family planning and practicing their fire escape.

Entries are due by October 15 and must be no longer than three minutes. A Fire Prevention Week prize pack will be delivered to your home in the big red truck by Sparky the Fire Dog! To submit your video, please include your home address as well as your email address or phone number. Send entries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. All submissions will remain private until winner(s) are chosen and provide permission for use. Be creative!

To find out more about FPW programs and activities in Cherokee County, contact CCFES at 678-493-6290 or visit CherokeeCountyFire.org. For more information about FPW and fire prevention in general, visit FPW.org and Sparky.org.

 

Here are some key home fire escape planning tips:

• Make sure your plan meets the needs of all your family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities. Also, don’t forget about including your pets in the plan.
• Smoke alarms should be installed inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of your home. Smoke alarms should be interconnected — so when one sounds, they all sound.
• Know at least two ways out of every room, if possible. Make sure all doors and windows open easily.
• Have an outside meeting place a safe distance from your home where everyone should meet.
• Practice your home fire drill at least twice a year with everyone in the household, including guests. Practice at least once during the day and at night.