As Fire Prevention Week approaches, the Thorndale Fire Company encourages residents to “Look. Listen. Learn.” What does that mean?

Today’s home fires burn faster than ever. In a typical home fire, you may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds. Knowing how to use that time wisely takes planning and practice.

NFPA statistics show that the number of U.S. home fires has been steadily declining over the past few decades. However, the death rate per 1000 home fires that are reported to fire departments was 10 percent higher in 2016 than in 1980.

“These numbers show that while we’ve made significant progress in teaching people how to prevent fires from happening, there’s still much more work to do in terms of educating the public about how to protect themselves in the event of one,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. “This is particularly critical given the increased speed at which today’s home fires grow and spread.”

This year’s “Look. Listen. Learn.” campaign highlights three steps people can take to help quickly and safely escape a fire:
• Look for places fire could start.
• Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm.
• Learn 2 ways out of every room.

The Thorndale Fire Company Welcomes you to Look, Listen and Learn at this years Fire Prevention Open House being held on Wednesday October 10th from 6pm to 9pm.

Bring the kids down to the fire house for some FREE fun!!

Things to do include a tour of all of our apparatus like Engine 38. On display will also be Rescue 38, Traffic 38, Utility 38, Squad 38 and our original, first ever fire engine; a 1939 Chevy. The 1939 Chevy is currently undergoing restoration but it is a slow process. Donations are always being accepted and always appreciated.

When you're not admiring all the cool things you'll find on Rescue 38, find your way over to the many other stations we have set up, or dress up like a firefighter or flow some water with a fire hose.

Our special demonstration this year will be an obstacle course where we will demonstrate to the public different means of how we train for a real emergency while keeping in mind the physical fitness aspect.

There will be a similar course set up for children, so they too can experience the training!

Goodie bags for the kids will also be handed out while our supply lasts!

For more information about Fire Prevention Week and home escape planning, visit www.firepreventionweek.org.