National Initiative Calls for Community Organizations and Residents to Join Together to Prevent Home Fires

Each year in the United States, 82 percent of fire deaths and 76 percent of all fire injuries occur in the home — the very place where we should feel most safe. Most of these fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms, and a significant portion of the fire injuries occur when people are cooking. In response to this information, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is introducing Fire is Everyone's Fight™. This is a national initiative uniting the USFA and its partners and supporters in encouraging everyone to take steps to protect themselves and those they love from home fires.

The good news is that there are simple steps everyone can take to dramatically reduce the risk of a home fire. Since cooking is the leading cause of home fires and injuries, practice safe cooking. Stand by your pan, and keep an eye on what you fry. Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside each sleeping area. Test your alarms every month, and replace the entire alarm every 10 years. And for the best protection against fire, install a fire sprinkler system in your home.

We protect our businesses from fire with sprinkler systems so why not our homes? A smoke alarm is a vital safety device that will alert the occupants to the fire, and residential sprinklers can actually contain the fire. The installation of home fire sprinkler systems has the potential to save thousands of lives, prevent a large portion of injuries, and eliminate thousands of dollars in property loss. We all have a role in keeping our families safe from fire.

For more information on Fire is Everyone's Fight and staying safe from fire, please click the following buttons:

Fire is Everyone's Fight is a national effort led by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) to lower the number of home fires and home fire injuries in America. Along with USFA and partner organizations across the country, the fire community is speaking out with a unified message of fire prevention and safety to the public. The goal is to change how people think about fire and fire prevention using social marketing strategies to address the broadest possible audience. If your organization or fire department would like to be a partner organizations please visit the following web page for all the details:
Fire Is Everyone's Fight™ | Fire Prevention & Mitigation

Chief Dan Wallis
Louisiana State Fire Marshal