News Release

NAPPANEE — In an effort to reduce deaths and injuries from home fires, the group Advancing Community Together in Nappanee & Wakarusa plans to focus on home fire awareness at the June 16 Friday Fest.

ACT Nappanee-Wakarusa will operate a booth from 5-8 p.m. in the Downtown Pavilion, 201 W. Market St., Nappanee. The booth will feature a game for children to win fire hats, fire-awareness toys and stickers, and materials in both English and Spanish for adults to create a home fire escape plan. Residents who do not have smoke detectors can sign up for free detectors as well as installation by teams from the American Red Cross.

Nationwide, a home fire occurs every 87 seconds, leading to an estimated 358,500 home fires every year, according to information provided by ACT. Every day, seven people die from home fires. Statistics show that 50% of these fires start in the kitchen, 7% begin in the bedroom, 4% start in the living room, 3% in the laundry room and 6% are chimney fires.

Having a home fire escape plan to get out of your home in two minutes and practicing it are key to preventing death and injury. Having working smoke detectors no older than 10 years is another recommended safety precaution, according to ACT.

ACT Nappanee-Wakarusa is a civic organization of independent, progressive and Democratic voters who work to benefit their communities and nearby areas of Elkhart County.