An important lesson to learn early in life

In McCook, there's living proof that smoke detectors work. It happened in 1990, soon after members of the McCook Fire Department visited elementary students, telling them of the importance of smoke detectors and a home escape plan.

One of the pupils carried that message home, and -- at her urging -- the family had detectors installed and set up a home escape plan.

Good thing. Weeks later, a fire broke out in the home and the smoke detector alarm sounded, alerting the father, who was alone in the home at the time. He made a quick escape from the burning home, and later told McCook firefighters he would have lost his life if it had not been for the smoke detector.

Fourteen years later that story remains vivid in the mind of McCook Fire Chief Marc Harpham, reminding him of the vast importance of spreading the message about fire safety.

As the nation prepares to observe Fire Prevention Week, Chief Harpham is calling upon citizens of the McCook area to take special steps to keep their families safe.

First, the fire chief urges all families to install smoke detectors and check regularly to see that they are working. To help make that happen, Chief Harpham and members of the fire department will come to any home in the McCook community and install a fire detector free of charge. They will also help the family develop a home escape plan and advise them on whether more detectors are needed for home safety.

Smoke detectors are the first step. They alert families of the presence of smoke, in many cases before fire is sighted or the odor of smoke is detected.

The next step is the home escape plan. As part of that plan, the fire chief says every room needs two escape routes. This could include two doors or a window and a door. The important thing is that there is another way to escape if one of the exit routes is blocked by fire.

To encourage an awareness of the need for fire safety at a young age, Chief Harpham and other members of the fire department will be visiting McCook's elementary and pre-school students during the next several weeks. "We will be meeting with the pupils at West, East, Central and St. Patrick's, as well as all the pre-schools in town," he said.

Fire safety is an important lesson to learn early in life ... and to remember throughout our adult years. We're grateful to Chief Harpham and members of the fire department for keeping us aware and making themselves available to improve fire safety in our homes.