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COMMUNITY NEWS FIRE PREVENTION WEEK OCT. 7 - 13: "HAVE TWO WAYS OUT" continued from previous page Fire Marshals Association), decided that the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire should henceforth be observed not with festivities, but in a way that would keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention. The commemoration grew incrementally official over the years. In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which Oct. 9 falls. According to the National Archives and Records Administration's Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. The President of the United States has signed a proclamation proclaiming a national observance during that week every year since 1925. The preceding historical perspective has been reproduced from NFPA's Fire Prevention Week Website, www.firepreventionweek.org. The theme of this year's observance is "Have Two Ways Out," focusing on the importance of fire escape planning and practice. The reality is that when fire strikes, your home could be engulfed in smoke and flames in just a few minutes. It is important to have a home fire escape plan that prepares your family to think fast and get out quickly when the smoke alarm sounds. What if your first escape route is blocked by smoke or flames? That's why having two ways out is such a key part of your plan. Plan and practice a home fire drill: 1. Draw an escape plan including an area to meet outside. 2. If possible, have two ways out of every room. 3. Be sure everyone is familiar with the plan. 4. Get out fast and stay out. 5. If there is smoke and fire blocking your first way out, use the secondary exit. 6. Close the door behind you when you leave a room and/or the house. 7. Stay low to avoid breathing smoke. 8. Go to meeting area and call, or have someone call, 911. ~ John McLaughlin, Retired, CAL FIRE Division Chief FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2012 13