October 2020: Fire Prevention Month

WHEREAS, last year, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and MI Prevention, a statewide community risk reduction program, reported that 102 Michigan residents were killed in 88 residential fires and that fire departments throughout the state responded to over 13,000 home fires in 2019; and,

 

WHEREAS, today’s fires grow quickly and produce extreme heat and deadly smoke that limits the time occupants have to escape a residential house fire to less than three minutes; and,

 

WHEREAS, the state of Michigan’s MI Prevention data has identified the three leading causes of fatal residential fires in Michigan since January 2017 as careless smoking, cooking, and heating sources; and,

 

WHEREAS, the best option for surviving a residential fire today is to have a home fire escape plan where every family member is prepared to react quickly and calmly in a real fire situation by establishing two routes out of every room to exit the home within two minutes or less; and,

 

WHEREAS, nearly half of all residential fires originate in the living room, and nearly 2/3 of Michigan fire deaths occur overnight; and,

 

WHEREAS, practicing a home fire escape plan with the entire family at least twice a year that includes “fire drills” during the day and at night, practicing escaping through windows, having working smoke alarms, and closing bedroom doors when sleeping can cut a family’s risk of dying in a home fire in half; and,  

 

WHEREAS, MI Prevention, Michigan’s fire departments, and partnering organizations are dedicated to reducing the occurrence of home fires and home fire injuries through fire prevention education, so residents understand personal steps to decrease the chance of fire in their homes; and,

 

WHEREAS, the 2020 Fire Prevention Month theme, Serve Up Fire Safely in the Kitchen!^TM, through the National Fire Protection Association, encourages Michiganders of all ages to learn about home fire escape planning and practice, bring that information home, and become true heroes in taking steps to protect their homes and families from fire;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim October 2020 as Fire Prevention Month in Michigan.