Fire Prevention Week: Protect your family by practicing home fire escape plan, testing smoke alarms

PORTLAND — During Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 5-11), the American Red Cross of Northern New England reminds everyone of the dangers of home fires, which claim seven lives every day in the U.S. To help protect your household, test your smoke alarms each month and practice your escape plan until everyone can get out in less than two minutes.

“Home fires can occur any time, any place,” said John Montes, regional disaster officer, Red Cross Northern New England Region. “The sooner an alarm alerts you to a fire, the sooner you can get out. This is critical because fire experts say you may have less than two minutes to escape a burning home before it’s too late.”

Tips for creating your home fire escape plan and practicing your 2-minute drill:

Everyone in your household should know two ways to escape from each room in your home.

Smoke is dangerous. Get low and go!

Decide where to meet once you get outside. Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as a neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows to meet.

Get out and stay out. Never go back inside for people, pets or things.

If a fire starts, you may have less than two minutes to get to safety. Time your fire drill and find out: what’s your escape time?

While practicing your escape plan, teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like. Talk about fire safety and what to do in an emergency.

Smoke alarm safety:

Place smoke alarms on each level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas.

In addition to testing your alarms once a month, change the batteries at least once a year, if your model requires it.

Also check the manufacturer’s date of your smoke alarms. If they’re 10 years or older, they need to be replaced because the sensor becomes less sensitive over time. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Local Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers provide emotional support, financial assistance and information to help families begin the process of recovery. Most of the 65,000 emergencies that the Red Cross responds to each year are home fires. In 2025, local Red Cross Disaster Action teams have responded to more than 200 home fires in Maine, assisting nearly 700 Mainers. Additionally, our trained volunteer teams have installed more than 1,240 free smoke alarms so far this year and provided home fire safety education and escape planning for Mainers in need.

For emergencies like home fires, our volunteers provide comfort during what can be the worst days of people’s lives. Learn how you can volunteer for our Disaster Action Team at redcross.org/DAT.

If you need assistance, visit www.redcross.org/EndHomeFiresNNE for a free smoke alarm installation.

Thanks to donations, our services are free and available for all those in need. Help families prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires by giving at SoundTheAlarm.org or texting the word HOMEFIRE to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, working with community partners, has saved at least 2,489 lives by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing free smoke alarms in high-risk areas across the country. To learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved, visit redcross.org/homefires. 

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org or visit us on social media.