The Richmond Fire Department (RFD) wants to remind the community about Fire Prevention week, and the department wants to educate everyone about simple yet important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe from home fires.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) also is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week ™(FPW) through Saturday.

“Today’s homes burn faster than ever. You may have as little as two minutes (or less) to safely escape a home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Your ability to get out of a home during a fire depends on early warning from smoke alarms and advance planning,” said Lorraine Carli vice president of outreach and advocacy at the NFPA.

“We believe that fire prevention is one of our most important jobs, and (we) would like to have parents and grandparents understand the importance of the training, what students and preschoolers are taught, and how to partner with us to make our children and young adults safer, knowing the right things to do in an emergency,” said RFD Chief Mark Sowder.

The first two weeks in October, the Richmond fire team has been at Richmond schools with the fire prevention trailer, delivering fire safety training to all students from pre-K to the fifth grade.

“It is important for families to have a fire escape plan,” Sowder explained. “Make the plan simple and ... have everyone in the household plan and practice (it). By practicing, (it) makes family members more able to do the correct things during an emergency.”

According to Sowder, the first part of the fire safety plan is the “warning system.” Smoke detectors should be placed within the home to alert occupants. The detectors need to be tested twice a year, and batteries should be replaced twice a year, when the time changes. Smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years. Smoke detectors need to be loud enough where people sleep so they will wake up with the alarm.

“When you hear the smoke detectors beep or if you see smoke, you need to exit the building immediately,” he said.

If the smoke is visible, occupants should move below it to avoid breathing in the gasses and fine particles. If an escape route requires the opening of an interior door, the door should be felt first to check for heat. If it is warm, use another way out, he added.

Sowder mentioned that staying outside, at the identified meeting place for the occupants is best once the problem has been addressed. Everyone in the home should know where the safe meeting place is.

Calling 911 is the next step, according to Sowder. Parents should talk to their children about 911, explaining that it is an emergency contact and they should be confident when they’re calling.

Reviewing the fire safety plan within a household is recommended twice a year by Sowder. He said families could do so when changing and testing smoke detectors.

“It is important to us at Richmond Fire that all of our citizens know the things to do to be safe when fire strikes. So please partner with us to instill fire safety in the younger members of your families and keep our community members fire safe,” Sowder concluded.