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Awareness into Action
Committing to Keep Your Family Safe
By Mark Stackpole
All households should be ready to deal with the possibility of a fire. "A new study from the National Institute of Standards and Technology shows that you have less than three minutes to escape if a fire occurs, so early warning from smoke alarms is critical and every family member must know the quickest escape routes," says Appy. Families should practice fire safety and regularly check to make sure that working smoke detectors have been installed on each floor and inside all rooms where people sleep. Similar installation of carbon monoxide alarms should be considered. Carbon monoxide exposure can result from fuel-burning appliances and equipment in the home (fireplaces, kerosene heaters, cars left running in an attached garage). While they do not warn of fire, these alarms do provide an early warning of carbon monoxide exposure, an otherwise silent killer.
While it is easy to panic about all of the things that can go wrong, it is more important for families to focus on all of the things that they can do in order to keep themselves safe. Campbell is still careful about home safety, even though he no longer has a small child in the house. "My son is now entering the teenage years, which promises to be a bit more challenging," he says. "Even though he is old enough to be somewhat responsible for his own actions, there are still various issues throughout the house that must be addressed to keep the family safe. As a dad, it is important to remember that I am responsible for another human being and that my focus must be on his safety."