Faribault Fire Department Open House is Saturday

Dustin Dienst, Faribault Fire Chief joins KDHL AM Minnesota Tuesday to talk about this weekend's Open House at the Faribault Fire Station.

National Fire Prevention Week is next week with this year's theme: "Fire won't wait.  Plan your escape."

This year marks the 100th Fire Prevention Week.

According to information from the National Fire Protection Association today's homes burn faster than ever which gives people less time to get out in a fire.

You may have less than two minutes to safely escape from the time you hear a smoke alarm.  Because of this fact it's more important than ever the NFPA says to have advance planning.

Literally seconds can save lives.

The NFPA says it's important for everyone to plan and practice a home fire escape.  Everyone needs to be prepared in advance so they know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds.

Any hesitation deciding what to do can be very costly.

Because every home is different every home fire escape plan will also be different.  There is no cookie cutter approach here.

Smoke alarms are really a no brainer. Smoke alarms sense smoke well before humans can, alerting residents to danger.  Smoke alarms need to be in every bedroom, outside of the sleeping areas (like a hallway), and on each level (including the basement) of your home.

Do not put smoke alarms in the kitchen or bathroom.

Chief Dienst has emphasized over the years the best protection comes from combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that are interconnected throughout the home.

These should be installed by a qualified electrician, so that when one sounds, they all sound.  This ensures you can hear the alarm no matter where in your home the alarm originates.

Schools practice fire safety, but Chief Dienst has also emphasized in recent years that education is also good for adults because fire danger surrounds people of all ages when a fire strikes.

Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week October 9th falls in because it's the anniversary of the great Chicago fire which started on October 8, 1871 causing devastating damage.

The horrific event killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.

Frankly those numbers are hard for me to fathom.

Since 1922 the NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week.  In 1925 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance.

It is the longest-running public health observance in the U.S.A.

Remember if you can't listen during the live KDHL radio program between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. a podcast of the show is availably typically within a half hour of the conclusion of the broadcast on the KDHLradio.com website.

KDHL is 920 AM, static-free at 97.9FM.  The website is best accessed by downloading the KDHL app on your favorite mobile device or all your mobile devices.