Precautions to take in the event of a fire
Being stuck in the middle of a fire can be scary, that’s why the Yuma Fire Department is continuing to help the community in ways that fires can be prevented.
With Fire Prevention Week and October being Fire Prevention Month, officials want the community to be vigilant every day of the year.
Kitchen fires from cooking are said to be the most common types of fires that fire crews respond to here in Yuma. This is because some individuals forget they are cooking and continue to do other things. In some cases even leaving the home and forgetting they had the stove on.
According to fire officials, fires kill around two to three thousand people a year.
One suggestion that fire officials have is to practice E.D.I.T.H which stands for exit drills in the home. With this, you identify ways out of every room and have a family meeting place where you go once you do get out of a fire. It’s important to practice these drills in the case of a real fire.
It is also important to have smoke alarms and make sure that they are actually working. The smoke alarms should be tested at least once a month and the batteries changed at least once a year.
Fire officials said that most people who die in fires did not have smoke alarms where the fire took place.
The Yuma Fire Department offers their assistance to any Yuma community members with their smoke alarms in regards to testing how they work and installing them free of charge.
Copyright 2019 KYMA
