Two minutes may be all the time to escape a house fire

This Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 9-15), the American Red Cross of Wisconsin, urges everyone to practice their two minute home fire escape plan, and test their smoke alarms, to stay safe from the nation’s most frequent disaster.

Two minutes is the amount of time that fire experts say a person may have to safely escape a home fire before it’s too late. These crises account for most of the 60,000-plus disasters that the Red Cross responds to each year, across the U.S.

Over the past two years, in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, there was a 14 percent increase in Red Cross home fire responses during colder months, than warmer times of the year.

“As the threat of home fires increases with colder temperatures, Fire Prevention Week serves as an important reminder to prepare now,” said Justin Kern, communications director, American Red Cross of Wisconsin. “Practice your twominute home fire escape drill and test your smoke alarms monthly, to help keep your family safe.”

To prepare for a fire emergency, the following can help a family with their plan:

• Include at least two ways to exit every room in the home in the escape plan.

• Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from the home, such as a neighbor’s home or landmark, like a specific tree in the front yard, where everyone knows to meet.

• Place smoke alarms on each level of the home, including inside and outside bedrooms, and sleeping areas. Test alarms monthly and change the batteries at least once a year, if the model requires it.

• Check the manufacturer’s date of smoke alarms. If they’re 10 years or older, they likely need to be replaced, because components such as batteries can become less reliable. Follow the alarm’s manufacturer instructions.

• Tailor an escape plan to everyone’s needs in the household. If a family member is deaf or hard of hearing, install strobe light and bed-shaker alarms to help alert to a fire.

Visit redcross.org for more information, including resources in American Sign Language.

If someone cannot afford to purchase smoke alarms or is physically unable to install one, the Red Cross may be able to help.