In the US, this is National Fire Prevention Week. I thought we might extend an invitation to our international members to join us.

Has anyone been in a fire - at home, school, or elsewhere? What suggestions would you give to others that you learned in escaping a fire?

What suggestions are there in general to protect or survive a fire?

Do we have any firefighters here who can give us some inside scoop and information?

LOOK! Sparky can teach us something about fire safety!

Good idea to post this, Linda1. Fire prevention week had been chosen for October because it's a good time to get rid of flammables inside the house and to clean brush and debris away from the outside of the house before winter sets in.
I would advise anyone to have maybe 3 or 4 class ABC extinguishers: one for the garage, one for the kitchen, one for the basement and one for a utility room near a clothes dryer or furnace. When I say 'near' I mean outside the room where a fire may occur. You don't want to have to go into a room where there is smoke and possible fire to retrieve an extinguisher.
Keep all flammable solvents, paints, cleaners, etc. in one metal cabinet outside the living space if you can.
Put battery operated smoke and carbon monoxide detectors outside of a bedroom. I say battery operated because if there is a power failure the electrically operated detectors won't work.
Teach your kids what to do when a house alarm goes off and practice the procedure. When my daughter was younger, I told her to open her outside window if the alarm outside her bedroom door went off, and get outside. Her bedroom was one of those 'garden level' rooms where the window sill was only about 12 inches above ground level.
One early winter morning the alarm went off outside her bedroom door. Just as I had told her to, she went out the window (after grabbing her dog).
My wife and I never heard the smoke alarm because we were sleeping on the floor above. But, I did hear the doorbell and furious knocking. When I opened the door, my daughter was standing there shivering with her dog in her arms, the smoke alarm was blaring, it was 5AM and I was confused to say the least.
The problem was with the alarm, itself -- no fire or smoke.
After that experience I never worried about how she would respond had there been an actual fire.

I applaud all of the men and women who dedicate their lives to helping fight fires! My brother was a volunteer firefighter, but he moved, and hasn't yet been able to get on the volunteer team in the town he lives in. Around here, there are alot of small towns, and each town has it's own volunteer team, and one of the rules is you have to live in or near enough to the town that your address is listed as being that town.

One of the things they suggest is replacing the batteries in your smoke detectors twice a year, spring and fall.
Another thing is to make sure there is a smoke detector outside each bedroom door. That way if you sleep with your bedroom door closed, the smoke will still be able to get to the detector and it will go off.

All very good suggestions! It's Fire Prevention Week here in Canada, too, at least in my province of British Columbia. I work in a school and the local fire dept. supplied units for various grade levels to be combined with the regular curriculum this week. Also we had a special assembly Monday morning, with firefighters giving video presentations and a talk on fire prevention. There were also pamphlets and brochures. The students were to practice "escape routes" at home with their families, and if they did so, could return a ballot signed by their parents and win a chance to become "Fire Chief for a Day". The winner of this draw is picked up at their school by fire engine, taken to the firehouse, (I don't know what they do there!)...their picture is in the paper..........and many become more educated regarding fire safety. Happens every year.

It is great that they start fire safety education so young! In our local schools they have Fire Prevention Week activities, but they don't give the kids a chance to be Fire Cheif for a Day. I think that is an excellent idea!