National Fire Prevention Week

On average, seven people die every day from a home fire.

It’s National Fire Prevention Week, and the Zanesville Fire Department is taking the time to educate the public on how to stay safe in the event of a fire. ZFD firefighters will be visiting area schools and businesses all week long, to share safety tips and provide fire-safety information.

“We’re going in, we’re talking about two ways out, we’re talking about smoke detectors, talking about checking our smoke detectors, not pulling the batteries out of them, talking about having fire extinguishers, talking about how to use fire extinguishers, sending kids through our fire safety house,” Hobson said. “This week we’re really strong on pushing the education.”

Space heaters are a leading cause of fires in the United States. As the cold winter months approach, the department wants to remind you of precautions when turning on the heat this season. Hobson said it’s important to take necessary steps to keep your family safe.

“We’re coming into the winter months now and we’re looking at space heaters, when they say space heaters, they say space for a reason, you need at least 36 inches all the way around them, and we’ve got candles, I’ve been on two or three good structure fires that a candle has melted all the way down to base,” Hobson said.

Hobson said space heaters must be plugged directly into an outlet, rather than an extension cord or surge protector.