The Great Chicago Fire began, some say, by a cow kicking over a lantern in Mrs. O’Leary’s barn.  Other reports argue the fire was started by neighborhood kids smoking, a meteor shower, or even an angry neighbor.  Whichever way you look at these theories, one thing holds true: as the fire spread, destruction and mayhem ensued.  What became of that fateful day was a drive to educate people about Fire Safety.

October is now known as hosting America’s longest running national campaign, Fire Prevention Week.  The week occurs during the Sunday-Saturday span that October 9th falls into to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire and to pay tribute to the heroes and lives lost on that day.  Fire prevention is a topic that shouldn’t be taken likely.

The 2017 Fire Prevention Week theme is “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!” With that in mind, let’s take a look at to how you can plan an evacuation route to safety:

  1. Make a floor plan of your home that all ages can understand. Each member of your family should have a copy.
  2. Mark at least two exit routes from every room. Typically, through the door and through the window will be the fastest routes.
  3. Walk through every room in your home as a family and point out each escape route.
  4. Help children understand how to open windows safely.
  5. Practice a fire drill in a variety of rooms so that your family feels comfortable escaping a fire.

Other ways you can take part in Fire Prevention Week include:

  • Checking your smoke alarms. Replace the batteries at least one time every year and test the alarms each month.
  • Provide fire extinguishers on every floor and make sure everyone knows how to use one.
  • Put an escape ladder in every room on upper level floors.
  • Teach children how to call 911 and help them memorize their address.
  • Designate two safe meeting places should you need to evacuate your home.
  • Remember ‘Stop, Drop, and Roll.”

When people are educated about what to do in a fire, they’re more likely to escape unharmed.  They’ll be less likely to panic and feel confident that they’ll know what to do if the situation ever arises.

At Restore Pro, we’ve seen the damage that ensues when a fire occurs.  The most important thing is to be safe and escape.  Everything else can be replaced; you, however, can’t be replaced.  Should you have a fire in your home, safety should be your number one concern.   Let our team of Fire Damage Restoration experts handle the mess and cleanup so you can focus on your family.

Call us if you are in need of our Fire Damage Restoration Services at 1-800-847-0114.  You can learn more about our home emergency services on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RestorePro911.