Volunteers getting word out on fire prevention

Crawling Low, Staying Safe Four-year-old Jake Gwosdz showed fellow classmates at Faith Lutheran Pre-School how to crawl low in smoke during the El Campo VFD's Fire Prevention Week seminar there Monday. He's followed by 3-yearold Cody Rodriguez with volunteer Helen Hlavaty assisting. In photo at top right, volunteer fireman Thurman Kirby dons gear to prepare for a rescue. L-N Photo by Shannon Crabtree

This week is Fire Prevention Week and the El Campo Volunteer Fire Department is joining national efforts to provide fire safety tips helping to keep families, friends, and communities safer.

The theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week is "Practice Your Escape Plan!"

"Please share these tips and continue to pass on the message of fire safety every day," ECVFD President Patrick Hlavaty said. "Together we can all make a difference."

Tips to remember when practicing a fire escape plan include:

• Always have at least two ways out of each room, such as doors and windows.

• Make sure all exits are clear and working. If doors or windows are blocked by items such as boxes or furniture, someone, especially young children, may not be able to move them quickly enough to escape.

Test your windows to make certain that they are not stuck shut and screens are removable from the inside.

• Teach children how to unlock and open the window in case they ever need to get out. If a screen is on the outside, demonstrate how they can remove it.

• Choose a meeting place where members of your family can assemble once you get out.

This location should be safely accessible for all members. For example, if small children are in the family, choose a location where they would not have to cross the street, such as the mailbox, a tree in the yard, or the neighbor's fence.

• Practice your plan at least twice a year. Make sure that you have also practiced at night because some family members may not wake up to the smoke alarm and the exits are more difficult to find by feeling your way through the dark.

• Call the fire department and notify them about any special circumstances within your home, such as two babies in one room, someone with a physical disability, or any person with special needs.

This ensures the information is available to them before an emergency happens. Also share this information with your neighbors.

• Once everyone gets out, make sure that they stay out!