“Plan Your Escape” is the theme for the Orland Fire Protection District annual Open House Sept. 24
The Orland Fire District urges the “Plan Your Escape” message for our annual Open House which will be held onSept. 24th.
The Orland Fire Protection District will host its open house on Saturday, Sept. 24 in anticipation with the annual Fire Prevention Week™ (FPW) message to help members of the public and offer strategies to avoid injuries during fire emergencies.
This year’s OFPD Open House theme is “Fire won’t wait — Plan your escape™”. Officials and firefighters of the Orland Fire District will provide instruction on how to be safe in your home, and/or in any location.
The OFPD Open House will be held on Saturday, Sept. 24 from 10 am until 1 pm. It is open to the public and is free of charge.
“Every home owner and business owner should have a clear plan to escape a fire with their family members, employees, friends and customers,” in mind, explained OFPD Fire Chief Michael Schofield.
“It’s an important plan that is thought out based on your property and can save lives. The Orland Fire District will provide guidance on how this can be done to help the public avoid injuries or worse during fire emergencies.”
Betsy Dine, OFPD Fire and Life Safety Education Coordinator, said that the Fire District is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®)—to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week™ which will be commemorated from October 9 through 15 this year.
The Open House theme “Fire won’t wait — Plan your escape” is the official theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week. We will work to educate everyone about simple but important actions that can be taken to keep themselves and those around them safe from home fires.
“It’s important for everyone to plan and practice a home fire escape! Everyone needs to be prepared in advance, so they know what to do when the smoke alarm sounds. Given that every home is different, every home fire escape plan will also be different,” said Betsy Dine, Fire and Life Safety Education Coordinator.
“Have a plan for everyone in the home. Children, older adults, and people with disabilities may need assistance to wake up and get out. Make sure that someone will help them!”
Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA, said that the time people have to escape a home fire are only minutes and having a plan will save lives.
“Today’s homes burn faster than ever. You may have as little as two minutes (or even less time) to safely escape a home fire, from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Your ability to get out of a home during a fire depends on early warning from smoke alarms and advance planning,” Carli said.
Attendees at the Open House will learn key home fire escape planning tips, including:
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- Making sure your escape plan meets the needs of all your family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
- Ensuring that smoke alarms are installed inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of your home. Smoke alarms should be interconnected so when one sounds, they all sound.
- Identify at least two ways out of every room, if possible. Make sure all doors and windows open easily.
- Have an outside meeting place, a safe distance from your home, where everyone should meet.
- Practice your home fire drill at least twice a year with everyone in the household, including guests. Practice at least once during the day and at night.
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The Lions Club will provide eye screening, one for children and one for adults. The Open House will also feature live music, a free Barbecue for attendees, face-painting, water ball, CPR, drone display, many kid’s activities and a 911 center where people can watch how a 911 call is made and answered.
An Honor guard will post colors at 10:15 AM, with demonstrations scheduled throughout the day including: Rope Rescue at 10:30 AM; the Dive Team at 11 AM; Vehicle Extrication at 11:30 AM; the Side-by-Side Burns at 12:15 AM; and a Hazmat Static Display.
The Open House will be held at the OFPD Training center at 10728 163rd Pl, Orland Park.
For more general information about Fire Prevention Week and fire prevention in general, visit www.FPW.org, and www.Sparky.org. For information on the OFPD, visit www.OrlandFire.org.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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