PRINTER'S NO. 3653
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 540
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY MARCELL, HOGAN, TOMLINSON, LABS, STAATS, CONKLIN,
GREINER, M. MACKENZIE, JAMES, MERSKI, ECKER, HAMM, CIRESI AND
KENYATTA, SEPTEMBER 27, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, SEPTEMBER 27, 2024
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing the week of October 6 through 12, 2024, as "Fire
2 Prevention Week" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Fire is a serious public safety concern both locally
4 and nationally, and homes are the locations where people are at
5 greatest risk from fire; and
6 WHEREAS, Home fires killed more than 2,800 people in the
7 United States in 2021, according to the National Fire Protection
8 Association®, and fire departments in the United States
9 responded to 338,000 home fires; and
10 WHEREAS, Cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the
11 United States, and fire departments responded to more than
12 166,400 annually between 2016 and 2020; and
13 WHEREAS, Two of every five home fires start in the kitchen,
14 with 31% of these fires resulting from unattended cooking; and
15 WHEREAS, More than one-half of reported nonfatal home cooking
16 fire injuries occurred when the victims tried to fight the fire
17 themselves; and
 1 WHEREAS, Children under five years of age face a higher risk
2 of nonfire burns associated with cooking than being burned in a
3 cooking fire; and
4 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania residents should turn pot handles
5 toward the back of the stove, always keep a lid nearby when
6 cooking, keep a three-foot kid-free zone around the stove, oven
7 and other things that could get hot, watch what they heat and
8 set a timer to remind them that they are cooking; and
9 WHEREAS, Residents who have planned and practiced a home fire
10 escape plan are more prepared and therefore more likely to
11 survive a fire; and
12 WHEREAS, Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in
13 reported home fires almost in half; and
14 WHEREAS, A smoke alarm should be installed in every bedroom,
15 outside each sleeping area and on each level of the home to
16 maximize the detection of smoke or fire emergencies; and
17 WHEREAS, A smoke alarm should be tested at least once per
18 month by pushing the test button; and
19 WHEREAS, All smoke alarms should be replaced once they are 10
20 years old or stop responding when tested; and
21 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania residents are responsive to public
22 education measures and are able to take personal steps to
23 increase their safety from fire, especially in their homes; and
24 WHEREAS, The 2024 "Fire Prevention Week" theme "Smoke alarms:
25 Make them work for you!" effectively serves to remind us to stay
26 alert and keep smoke alarms updated and ready to go off in case
27 of an emergency; and
28 WHEREAS, Promoting this theme provides an ideal opportunity
29 to educate the public of the danger fire poses in home kitchens
30 throughout this Commonwealth; and
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 1 WHEREAS, This Commonwealth's first responders exhibit great
2 dedication to reducing the occurrence of home fires and home
3 fire injuries through prevention and protection education and
4 through their quick response to emergencies; therefore be it
5 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
6 week of October 6 through 12, 2024, as "Fire Prevention Week" in
7 Pennsylvania; and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge all
9 residents, landlords and businesses to protect their property by
10 heeding the important safety messages of "Fire Prevention Week"
11 which can be found on the National Fire Protection Association's
12 publicly accessible Internet website; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commend all
14 firefighters, other first responders and all who provide support
15 for their efforts to prevent, fight and stop fires.
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