Fire Safety Month

Fire Safety Month

October is Fire Prevention Month, an observance that occurs each year in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871. The Great Chicago Fire killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, and destroyed more than 17,400 structures. Here at the Evansville Museum, we have an emergency plan for what to do in the event of a fire and you should too.

The goal of Fire Prevention Month is to raise fire safety awareness and help ensure your home and family are protected. The most important thing that you can do is have a working smoke detector in your house or apartment. Smoke detectors sense smoke long before you can, alerting you to danger. Ideally, they need to be in every bedroom, outside of the sleeping areas (like a hallway) and on each level (including the basement) of your home.

Today’s homes burn faster than ever, so you may have as little as two minutes, or less, to safely escape when a smoke alarm sounds. Your ability to safely get out of your home during a fire depends on early warning and advanced planning.

Every home and every family should have a home escape plan. It is important for everyone to practice how they would escape from your home in the event of a fire.

Every home should also have an action plan to prepare and practice a home fire escape. Everyone needs to know, in advance, what to do when the smoke alarm sounds.

We’ll take care of your safety when you visit us, but I urge you to do your part and take the steps now to prepare for the possibility that fire could strike your home.

Mitch Luman

The Dorothy and George Eykamp Director of Science Experiences