Although the shows are being held mainly for school children, anyone is invited to attend. The shows are free of charge.
Altus Fire Chief J.R. Wheeler said, “Annual observances like National Fire Prevention Week are excellent opportunities to focus on fire hazards - but we should all practice fire safety every day-at work, at play, and particularly at home. The most common causes of home fires result from cooking, heating, electrical malfunction, smoking materials and candles."
Safety tips to reduce home fires include:
• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking. Many cooking fires start from "unattended" cooking.
• Have heating equipment and chimneys inspected and cleaned annually by qualified professionals.
• If you smoke, smoke outside.
• Keep flammable materials away from light bulbs, light fixtures and lamps.
• Use flashlights during power outages, not candles. If you do burn candles indoors, blow them out before leaving the room, and keep them away from things that can burn.
FIRE SAFETY FACTS
Each year, more than 4,500 Americans die and more than 30,000 are injured in fires. Many of those deaths and injuries could have been prevented if people had a better understanding of fire, USFA officials say. USFA's Fact Sheet on the Nature of Fire includes lots of valuable information, including:
• Fire is fast! In less than 30 seconds a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire. It takes only minutes for thick black smoke to fill a house.
• Fire is hot! A fire's heat alone can kill. Room temperatures in a fire can be 100 degrees at floor level and rise to 600 degrees at eye level. Inhaling this super hot air will scorch your lungs.
• Fire is dark! Fire starts bright, but quickly produces smoke and complete darkness. If you wake up to a fire, you may be blinded, disoriented, and unable to find your way around the home you've lived in for years.
• Fire is deadly! Smoke and toxic gases kill more people than flames do. Fire uses up the oxygen you need and produces smoke and poisonous gases that kill.
FIRE SAFETY TIPS FROM USFA
In the event of a fire, remember that
• Time is the biggest enemy and every second counts! Escape first!
• Develop a home fire escape plan and practice it frequently.
• In your fire escape plan, designate a meeting place outside.
• Make sure everyone in your family knows two ways to escape from every room.
• Practice feeling your way out with your eyes closed.
• Never stand up in a fire, always crawl low under the smoke and try to keep your mouth covered.
• Never return to a burning building for any reason; it may cost you your life.
• Finally, having a working smoke detector dramatically increases your chances of surviving a fire.
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