As recently as September 30, we faced the tragic news of a death in a residential structure fire in Southbury that also demanded the mutual aid response of our own Newtown volunteers.

While it has been over a decade since Newtown experienced such a tragedy, this all too proximate situation evidences the need for The Newtown Bee to echo a message that is currently being promoted by Newtown’s Fire Marshal’s Office and the town’s five volunteer fire companies in conjunction with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Our nation, state, and community are nearing the end of the 100th anniversary of the first Fire Prevention Week. Our local fire service professionals, most of whom are volunteers and include numerous current and former paid municipal firefighters among their ranks, can attest to the importance of this year’s Fire Prevention Week theme: “Fire Won’t Wait — Plan Your Escape.”

This message, and the critical practice it promotes, is especially potent because, according to NFPA, last year our nation saw the largest number of home fire deaths since 2007. Incredibly, NFPA’s annual Fire Loss report notes that people are more likely to die in a reported home fire today than in 1980.

According to NFPA data, one’s residence — the place people feel safest from fire — is actually where they are at greatest risk, with three-quarters (75%) of all US fire deaths occurring in homes. Where people used to have more than ten minutes to escape a typical home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds, today they may have as little as two minutes. Or less.

Multiple factors contribute to this much smaller window of escape time, including the way newer homes tend to be constructed and the fact that modern home furnishings are often made with synthetic materials that burn faster and generate toxic smoke, making it extremely difficult to see and breathe.

State Fire Administrator Jeff Morrissette of the Connecticut Fire Academy in Windsor Locks — the teaching arm of the Connecticut Commission on Fire Prevention and Control — is also urging all residents to plan and practice a Home Escape Plan. Escape planning and practice can help you make the most of the time you have, giving everyone enough time to get out.

To help create a successful fire escape plan for your Newtown household, fire service officials recommend you:

*Make sure your home escape plan meets the needs of all your family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.

*Get everyone in the home involved in the plan.

*Draw a map of your home and find two ways out of each room. The second way is in case your primary exit is blocked by smoke or fire.

*Choose a meeting place outside the home where everyone will go once they escape.

*Practice your home fire drill at least twice a year with everyone in the household, including guests. Practice at least once during the day and at night.

Finally, smoke alarms should be installed inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of your home. Ideally, smoke alarms should be interconnected so when one sounds, they all sound.

Readers can also contact the Newton Fire Marshal's Office for safety information at 203-270-4370 — or visit nfpa.org/fpw or closeyourdoor.org for valuable safety information about fire escape planning.