Ma Partnering for Fire-Safe Communities Help Our Heroes Keep Our Community Fire Safe (NAPSA)—Individuals, groups and businesses in communities around the country can be heroes to some of the most admired people in America. That’s because there’s now an easy way to help firefighters educate children and savelives. The Problem Every year, fire departments in the United States respond to more than 350,000 homefires, resulting in at least 2,500 deaths and more than 12,000 injuries. “We see fire-related injuries that might have been prevented if the victims had received fire safety tips, installed working smoke alarms or practiced an escape plan,” explained James M. Shannon, president of Firefighters can better teach schoolchildren about safety when their communities contribute toward supplies and materials. eInspect to be sure you have working smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside each the bedroom and outside each sleep- “Our first line of protection is when one sounds, theyall sound. Make sure everyone knows National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). educating the community,” said Shannon. “But tight municipal budgets mean less money for edu- cational materials.” NFPA is a worldwide leader in fire, electrical, building, and life safety and is the program’s sponsor. What You Can Do That’s where community mem- bers like you come in. Through a registry called Sparky’s Wish List: Partnering for Fire-Safe Commu- nities, community members can provide critical educational resources and materials. These materials are used byfirefighters ing area. For the best protection, interconnect the smoke alarms so the sound of the smoke alarm. eChoose an outside meeting place a safe distance from your home whereeveryonewill meet. Make plans for anyone who has a disability or needs help escaping. Practice your homefire escapedrill. Have a homefire escape plan and have an escape drill twice a year. Hold escape drills during the day andat night. to educate children in fire safety elf children or others don’t wake when the smoke alarm visits, teach older adults in the community, provide lifesaving information to people with disabil- sounds, get outside and stay and prevention during classroom ities or reach out to residents during a fire station open house— especially during the annual Fire Prevention Week (October 7 to 13, 2012). The registry is named for Sparky the Fire Dog, NFPA’s official mascot and spokesdog. Hevis- its schools and participates in community events to spread fire safety messages, often accompa- nied by his firefighter friends. “Sparky’s Wish List is designed to help close the gap between what fire departments can afford and what they need to educate on fire safety,” said Shannon. Stay Safe at Home For example, fire departments distribute colorful workbooks and posters to schoolchildren and brochures to adults with theofficial Fire Prevention Week message: Have 2 Ways Out! Messages taught include: Plan yourfire escape. e Walk through your home and plan two ways out of every room. One way out will be the door, and the second way out may be a win- dow. sounds, assign someone to wake them up. When the smoke alarm outside! eLeave immediately and go right to your outside meeting place. *Don’t go back inside for any reason. eOnce you're safely outside, call the fire department from your cell phoneor a neighbor’s phone. Tell firefighters if any people or pets are trapped in the home. How It Works Fire departments put the wish list together by creating a profile and clicking boxes to indicate the materials they need. Donors can purchase those materials by searching for their department’s registry. The materials will be sent directly to the fire department. Tools and resources are also available for departments to learn how to spread the word to the community and engage potential donors. Further Facts You can learn more, including how to help, at www.sparkyswish list.org/give and (800) 344-3555. The deadline for donations is quickly approaching.
