Fire marshal reminds residents to have escape plan

It’s National Fire Prevention Week and the Travis County Fire Marshal’s Office is reminding all county residents to have an escape plan – and to practice it regularly. According to a press release, National Fire Prevention Association statistics show that, “in 2017, U.S. fire departments responded to 357,000 home structure fires. These fires caused 2,630 fire deaths and 10,600 fire injuries. On average, seven people died in a home structure fire per day from 2012 to 2016.” Will Boettner, the fire education outreach coordinator for the Fire Marshal’s Office, said in the release, “These sobering numbers show that today’s homes tend to burn faster. In a typical home structure fire, you may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds.” Escape plans should include a map of the home showing two exits from every room and how to get outside. The fire marshal also recommends designating a meeting place a safe distance from the house. “Knowing what to do in the event of a fire is critical to saving lives and preventing injuries.”