Acadiana: Do We Really Know How to Prevent Fire Deaths?

One of the most frightening things to me is the thought of my house being on fire, but I honestly don't try to think about it. As it turns out, I also don't do enough to educate myself on the issue.

As we got a chance to sit down with Lafayette Fire Investigator Alton Trahan on "Acadiana's Morning News", he gave us some good reminders about fire safety, and he taught us a few things we didn't know. I thought I would pass along that information.

I think most people know that smoke detectors help to save lives. Unfortunately, not everyone has at least one smoke detector in their home, or they may not be able-bodied enough to install one. If there is someone in your neighborhood who you think can't afford a smoke detector, or they need help installing their smoke detector, helping them out might mean the difference between life and death.

The Insurance Information Institute reports, based on statistics from the National Fire Protection Association, that there was a fire about every 24 seconds in our country. The statistics show there was a home fire every 93 seconds based on data from 2019.

Trahan says often they respond to fires at homes where a child has been playing with a lighter or matches. He says they even had a fire they responded to once, there was a 2-year-old child that was interested in a pack of matches. The fire was the result of the child's interest in the matchbook. He says we really need to think about fire prevention, but we all have busy lives, so he does have some great reminders.