Red Cross volunteers, fire departments and community groups are canvassing neighborhoods in several communities, including Mosinee, to get the word out about having smoke detectors and better fire safety in homes.
Red Cross spokesperson Barbara Behling says many people think they have more time to get out of a burning structure than they do...
"...62 percent of the people believe they have five minutes or more to escape a burning home. When in reality, and we've confirmed this with fire departments across the country, you really have less than two minutes...."
She says plan your escape route and have a meeting spot outside are critical.
She says equally as surprising were the numbers of people without smoke alarms...
"....65 percent of all fire related deaths occur in homes that don't have functioning smoke alarms..."
40 percent of people had lived in a home with no smoke alarm and 20 percent have disabled a smoke alarm because of nuisance beeping or flashing lights. Since the beginning of the year, at least 13 Wisconsinites have lost their lives to fires in their homes.
