June 19, 2019 |
While spring and fall are the primary wildfire seasons in Wisconsin, wildfires can occur any time the ground is not snow-covered, requiring firefighters and residents to be on heightened alert for the threat of wildfire. Each year, wildfires consume hundreds of homes in the wildland urban interface. Studies show that as many as 80 percent of the homes lost to wildfires could have been saved if their owners had only followed a few, simple Firewise practices. In addition, civilian injury and deaths occur when people try to suppress wildfires they unintentionally started or because people wait too long to leave their home. Leaving late is a growing national problem, as well as a local concern in Wisconsin. Click here to see how you can save lives and property through advanced planning. |
|
Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds. A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire. Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home. Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes. Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors. Use this free fire escape grid to draw a floor plan of your home. |