Celebrate National Fire Safety Month with Increased Awareness

October is National Fire Prevention month so there is no better time to direct our attention to fire prevention and protection matters. Each year more than 4,000 people die in house fires. That is one every 3 hours 25 minutes. Direct losses due to fire are estimated at $7.3 billion annually. Perhaps the most significant fact about home fires is that in the vast majority of cases, they can be prevented.

Fire Facts You Should Know

We all think we know about home fires. In most cases we know little, and our false beliefs about fire could put us in jeopardy should a fire occur. Here are some important facts that could change the way you think about fire and save your life, and limit the damaging effects of fire.

  • A fire can become life threatening in under two minutes.
  • A fire can smolder undetected for some time and emit poisonous fumes.
  • A home can become engulfed in flames in under five minutes, or about the time of 5 commercials on television.
  • There is no time to gather valuables once a fire erupts.
  • There is no time to make a call once fire erupts.
  • During a fire, a home becomes dark with smoke making it impossible to see.
  • Heat, smoke, and fumes become life threatening before the flame.
  • A resident can become disoriented or incapacitated by fumes before they even know there is a fire,
  • Asphyxiation is the leading cause of fire deaths, exceeding burns by a three to one ratio.

Important Fire Protection Facts

Most home fires, and the deaths and damage they cause, can be prevented with the right tools and practices.

  • Most fire death occur in homes without a working smoke detector.
  • The fire death rate is 51% less in homes with fire alarms than those without.
  • Smoke detectors used in conjunction with monitoring services can increase safety by increasing response times.
  • A monitored service can initiate an emergency response even if the residents re not home or are unable to call for help themselves.
  • Home automation can help residents reduce the likelihood of fire by scheduling automatic turn off for appliances, or by allowing remote turn off.
  • A CO detector can detect fumes and may alert residents to a smoldering fire.
  • A monitored system initiates help soon than residents or neighbors can in the event of an emergency, which can get help to the scene sooner and limit the damages the fire causes.

Knight Security offers your family the most reliable defense possible for fire threats. If you would like more information about Home, life, and fire security, please give us a call.

Keith Maley
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