This week is Fire Prevention Week.

The American Red Cross is reminding everyone to put together a home fire escape plan and practice. According to one report, if you are involved in a fire, you have only two minutes to escape. It is important, to test smoke alarms and change batteries every month in order to stay safe in a disaster.

According to data, Louisiana Red Cross responded to 1,400 home fires in 2021, and its home fire responses are 29% higher during cold months (November-March) than warmer times of year (April-October).

PRACTICE YOUR TWO-MINUTE DRILL

Create a fire escape and practice it with your family and every resident in the household. especially children. Discuss what to do in an emergency. Doublecheck that children in the house know what a smoke alarm sounds like and what to do if it is going off.

Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including a printable escape plan and safety tips for cooking and home heating.

The escape plan should detail two ways to exit every room in the home and designate a meeting area that is a safe distance from the house or dangerous situation.

A smoke alarm should be on each floor of the house and be situated in and outside of bedrooms.

If someone in the household is deaf or hard of hearing, install strobe light and bed-shaker alarms to help alert to a fire.

The American Red Cross offers assistance purchasing and installing smoke alarms to those who cannot afford it. Visit SoundtheAlarm.org/Louisiana to request a free smoke alarm installation.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission.

For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

SOURCE: AMERICAN RED CROSS