Does your home have working smoke alarms?  This year’s theme for Fire Prevention Week (October 4-10) is all about having working smoke alarms outside every bedroom.

Do you test your smoke alarms monthly?  Let the test run the full cycle so everyone in the family can hear the sound and know what to do.

How old is your smoke alarm?  The sensors only last 10 years, so if yours are older than that, it’s time to replace them.  Same goes for hard-wired alarms!

Do you have a fire escape plan?  Have the kids get involved in identifying two ways out of the house and picking a safe meeting place.  Then actually PRACTICE it at least 2 times a year.

Want more information on fire safety?  Check out www.nfpa.org 

DID YOU KNOW?  Fire Prevention Week started all because of a cow.  That’s right…a COW!  According to popular legend a cow knocked over a gas lamp, which caught the barn on fire and eventually caught the entire city of Chicago on fire.  Learn more about it by searching for the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.