Oct. 6 to 12 is National Fire Prevention Week. The theme of this year’s campaign is “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!” — underscoring the importance that fire prevention starts at home and that there are small but important actions everyone can take to keep themselves and those around them safe.

Despite the simple steps that we should be taking to protect our homes and families, accidents do still happen. The National Fire Protection Association indicated that in 2017, U.S. fire departments responded to 357,000 home structure fires. These fires caused 2,630 fire deaths and 10,600 fire injuries. On average, seven people died in a fire in a home per day between 2012 and 2016.

These alarming figures are nothing to ignore. National Fire Prevention Week is an excellent time for your family to develop and practice your fire escape plan, as well as to ensure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are functional.

The NFPA reports you may have as little as one to two minutes to safely escape a home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Therefore, having and practicing an escape plan is essential to helping ensure everyone gets out in time.

To find out more about Fire Prevention Week programs and activities in your neighborhood, please contact your local fire department.

For more general information about Fire Prevention Week and home escape planning, visit fpw.org.