When I was about 12 years old and we lived in North Dakota, my Mom received the call that her niece (who was the same age as my youngest brother - 3 years old) had died in a house fire.  There was a problem with the furnace and she was too young to escape the flames and smoke.  It was such a sad period in our young lives knowing that little Shelly had died such a horrible death.  To this day, it still haunts my memories.  We wonder what she would’ve been as an adult: would she be a mother, a model, a politician, a waitress?  To honor Shelly’s short life, I want to remind everyone that this is Fire Prevention Week.  Follow some of the links below to learn more.

Many people are surprised to learn that a home fire is reported every 83 seconds in the U.S. and that last year, such home fires represented 81 percent of all fire deaths and 79 percent of civilian fire injuries.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, there is a fire death in the United States every two hours, 23 minutes.  That is a shocking, devastating number!  As a home owner, renter, or regular human being, you need to do your part to keep you and your family safe.  This link to the National Fire Protection Association provides numerous reports and tips about fire prevention and safety, including:

• Extinguish all candles when leaving the room or going to sleep.
• Keep candles at least 1 foot away from things that can catch fire, like clothing, books and curtains.
• Never leave cooking food on the stovetop unattended, and keep a close eye on food cooking inside the oven.
• Wear short, close fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and catch fire. (When I was in elementary school, I heard about a teacher who wore a loose robe that caught fire. I don’t remember if she survived or not, but it was pretty horrifying to hear about.)
• Do not operate the dryer without a lint filter. Clean lint filters before or after each use and remove accumulated lint from around the drum.
• Never use your oven to heat your home (to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning).

This site has countless other tips, so be sure to take a few minutes this week to look it over. You might be surprised to learn what you might be doing wrong!