October 5, 2012 – As part of its annual effort to increase public awareness and encourage a proactive approach to fire safety, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is teaming up with NFPA (both U.S. based) to promote Fire Prevention Week 2012, taking place October 7-13, 2012.

ESFi says its Fire Prevention Week campaign materials complement NFPA’s theme (“Have Two Ways Out!”) by offering a variety of resources that can be used to help prevent home electrical fires before they start.

Quoting NFPA stats, ESFi says electrical failures or malfunctions were factors in an estimated 46,500 home fires in 2010, resulting in 420 deaths, 1520 injuries and $1.5-billion in property damage.

“Establishing good electrical safety habits while learning to identify and correct electrical fire hazards will greatly reduce the risks for home electrical fires,” said ESFi president, Brett Brenner.

The ESFi Fire Prevention Week 2012 toolkit provides resources to help families learn to prevent electrical fires while also becoming better prepared in case a fire occurs. The toolkit features the Electrical Fire Safety Checklist, which can be used to help identify and correct home electrical fire hazards. Also included is a graphic tip sheet that illustrates how to test arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) and an illustrated smoke alarm safety tip sheet.

ESFi’s Fire Prevention Week materials can be downloaded for free (below).

CLICK HERE to learn more about Fire Prevention Week.

ESFi sponsors National Electrical Safety Month each May to increase public awareness of the electrical hazards. CLICK HERE to learn more about ESFi Canada.