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. This year’s theme,“Have 2 Ways Out!”, focuses on the importance of fire escape planning and practice.

NFPA

The U.S. fire problem

U.S. home structure fires

In 2011, U.S. fire departments responded to 370,000 home structure¹ fires. These fires caused 13,910 civilian injuries, 2,520 civilian deaths, $6.9 billion in direct damage.

• Fact sheet: home structure fires in the U.S. (PDF, 51 KB)

  92% of all civilian structure fire deaths resulted from home structure fires.
• Cooking is the leading cause of home structure fires and home fire injuries.
• Kitchens are the leading area of origin for home structure fires (42%) and civilian home fire injuries (37%).
• Only 4% of home fires started in the living room, family room, or den; these fires caused 24% of home fire deaths.
• Seven percent of reported home fires started in the bedroom. These fires caused 25% of home fire deaths, 20% of home fire injuries, and 14% of the direct property damage.
• Smoking is a leading cause of civilian home fire deaths.
• Home structure fires peak around dinner hours between 5:00 and 8:00 pm.
• Almost two-thirds (62%) of reported home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
• Most fatal fires kill one or two people. In 2011, 12 home fires killed five or more people. These 12 fires resulted in 67 deaths.

Full Story and why you need DeTech fire alarms

This loss of life doesn't have to happen, there is a solution, DeTech fire alarms.