Nutley Fire Commissioner Alphonse Petracco and Deputy Chief Paul Cafone have announced that the Nutley, New Jersey, Fire Department is teaming up with NFPA during Fire Prevention Week, October 7 to 13 and are urging residents to “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere”.
This campaign educates people about the three basic, but essential steps can reduce the likelihood of having a fire and how to escape safely in the event that a fire occurs.
“Look” for places fire could start. Take a good look around your home. Identify potential fire hazards and take care of them.
“Listen” for the sound of the smoke alarm. You could have only minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. Go to your outside meeting place, which should be a safe distance from the home and where everyone should know to meet.
“Learn” two ways out of every room and make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter.
In 2015, U.S. fire departments responded to 365,500 home structure fires. These fires caused 11,075 civilian injuries and $7.0 billion in direct damage.
“Working in the fire service for many years, we know that people often make choices in fire situations that jeopardize their safety or even cost them their lives,” said Deputy Fire Chief Paul Cafone. “We need to do a better job of teaching people about the potentially life-saving difference of escape planning and practice can make and motivating them to action.”
In addition to the recommendations from the Look, Listen and Learn campaign, the Nutley Fire Department recommends the following tips for establishing an escape plan in your home:
- 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 on the outside 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.
Join the Nutley Fire Department at their Open House on Friday, October 12th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities in Nutley, please contact the Nutley Fire Department at 973-284-4937. To learn more about “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere,” visit NFPA’s Web site at www.firepreventionweek.org.
