National Fire Prevention Week

Dee Jepsen—State Agricultural Safety and Health Leader

October 4-10 is National Fire Prevention Week

In recognition of this commemorative week, the OSU Ag Safety and Health Office has prepared various fire safety messages for your readership and local programming efforts.

In addition to these articles, there is also an article in the October C.O.R.N. newsletter:  “ Dry Weather Makes Field Fires a Safety Concern for Farmers.”   Access this article through the following link, http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2015/2015-32/#2.

Here’s a general checklist for everyone to practice:

  1. CHANGE the batteries in your smoke detector. Don’t have at least 1 detector on each level of your home or apartment? Then INSTALL smoke detectors now!  Having an alert system will help save lives in the unfortunate event of a fire emergency.
  2. CHECK your portable fire extinguishers. It’s recommended to have an extinguisher in the kitchen and garage areas for small fires that can be contained quickly.
  3. RESPONSE PLANS are critical for homes and businesses. Fires can spread rapidly, often times trapping victims in minutes. Have 2 ways to escape every room, and purchase a fire ladder for homes and apartments with second or third floors.

For more information on fire prevention, including helpful worksheets for planning and preparing for fire emergencies, please visit the National Fire Protection Association website at http://www.nfpa.org