Fire safety basics can keep your family alive Published April 11, 2012 By JBER Fire Safety Office Safety release JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Are you confident that you and your family would be able to survive a fire in your home? Consider the most recent statistics involving residential building fires released by the National Fire Incident Reporting System (2008-2010): Burns and smoke inhalation are, unsurprisingly, involved in 92 percent of all civilian fatalities. 55 percent of civilian fire fatalities occur in the bedroom. 50 percent of these fires occur between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., accounting for 47 percent of fatal fires. Just over a third of fire victims were trying to escape and another third more were sleeping. The leading causes of these fires is "other unintentionally set, careless" and "smoking", accounting for 32 percent of residential fires. 44 percent of the fatalities are between the age of 40 and 69. Thirteen percent of the fatalities were younger than 10. The statement "don't become a statistic," it is absolutely appropriate relative to your survival, and there are numerous steps you can take. The key is to plan, prepare and practice. From the first day you set foot in your home you should have a fire escape plan. This plan doesn't have to be set in stone, and will more than likely be altered as you grow accustomed to your new environment, but a plan known by everyone residing there should be in place. Do you have at least two exits from every room? Are there youth, handicapped or elderly people that will require assistance with evacuation? How will that be accomplished? Do you have a designated meeting place where you can account for everyone that is at least 75 feet away from the building and out of the way of arriving fire crews? If you can effectively answer these questions your plan is well underway, but to be successful we must prepare. Have you prepared your family members and your home? Are your family members familiar with the evacuation plan and the fire protection equipment within your home? Of course, the only way to ensure that family members are familiar with the plan is to discuss it, and not to take for granted that everyone already knows. Your home should have smoke alarms on each level, in the area leading to the bedrooms, and in each bedroom. These smoke alarms should be tested each month by pressing the "test" button, and smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years. Non-working smoke alarms resulted in almost two-thirds of all residential fire deaths from 2005 to 2009. Your preparation should also include being familiar with the location and use of fire extinguishers, and fire-preventative practices within your home (matches/lighters, candles, dryer lint, cooking, etc.). Of course, even with the best plan and preparation, there is only one way to test their effectiveness. Just as the military frequently conducts drills to make sure each person does their required tasks in time, we must conduct drills to test our fire response and escape plan. This practice is most beneficial if done at least twice a year, at different times (daytime and nighttime), and can have great life- saving and confidence-building impact on children. This is where you may find problems, or gaps, in your planning or preparation, and now you'll be able to make any necessary adjustments. It's always better to figure out problem areas before an actual emergency. So, after reading this and referring to the question starting this article, can you confidently assert that your family would survive a fire in your home? Unfortunately, many who I come into contact with each day cannot. While there are no guarantees in life, your family's odds of survival improve dramatically by having a plan, preparing your house and family, and practicing. Is it not our duty to lead our families to ensure the survival of children and loved ones? We hope we will only have to practice these drills in your lifetime. Please contact the JBER Fire Prevention Office if you have any questions at 552-2620.