As Fire Prevention Week continues, leaders in the area remind locals to take part in fire safety

By KENDALL MOON/Murphy News Service

“Hear the Beep Where you Sleep: Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm!” The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is pushing that reminder as its theme for Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 4-11.

Casidy Anderson, community risk reduction officer for the Minneapolis Fire Department, said although the fire department always pushes the basics for fire safety during activities such as cooking or smoking, “Most fire fatalities happen at night during sleeping hours between midnight and 6 a.m.”

That’s because people are usually asleep and less aware of potential hazards occurring within their home she said.

The NFPA is trying to encourage people to have smoke alarms inside their bedrooms, Anderson said, especially for those who sleep with closed doors.

A press release by the Minnesota Department of Commerce quoted data from a NFPA report, which revealed that homes with working smoke alarms cut the risk of a home fire death by 50 percent.

Anderson made a final note for renters of off-campus housing. She said if homes are not up to code and do not have adequate smoke detectors, “empower yourself and buy your own smoke alarm for your room.”

The Minneapolis Fire Department also took part in the prevention week by providing its Twitter followers with best practices for smoke alarm safety.

Kendall Moon is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.