April 28, 2005– Now that Spring has arrived, the Bureau of Construction Codes and Fire Safety (BCCFS) is reminding homeowners that open windows can pose a fall hazard to unsupervised, young children.

“It is important to keep windows closed and locked when young children are present and never place furniture such as chairs, beds and sofas below windows where children can quickly climb to an open window and potentially fall,” said BCCFS Director Henry L. Green. “Also remember that insect screens are intended to keep insects out; they are neither designed nor intended to keep children from falling out of windows.”

Windows play a major role as a life saving avenue of escape from a fire. Windows should be included in the home emergency escape plan, and children should be taught how to properly use a window for escape and rescue purposes. It is critical that homeowners practice the emergency escape plan and test their smoke alarms on a monthly basis.

The National Safety Council celebrates National Window Safety Week every year the last full week of April. The NSC’s Window Safety Task Force has developed educational material about window and door safety. Visit the NCS’s web site at: http://www.nsc.org/aware/window/index.htm to learn about how window falls can be prevented and how windows, when properly used, provide a means of emergency escape and rescue in a fire.