Safety in Action: A fire blanket proves to be a useful tool to a local Progressive Agriculture Safety Day participant
From cooking and home heating to lithium-ion batteries and electrical malfunctions, fires can ignite and quickly spread in and around the home. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, home fires have claimed more than 1,500 lives so far in 2025. Therefore, to shed light on this important issue, the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA) and fire departments across the country observe Fire Prevention Week™ (FPW) each October. This year’s campaign is themed Charge into Fire Safety and will take place October 5-11, 2025.
For the past 30 years, fire safety and prevention have remained popular topics at Progressive Agriculture Safety Day (PAF Safety Day) programs throughout North America. In 2024 alone, nearly 39,000 individuals received age-appropriate, hands-on education about fire safety. From learning about fire escape planning and how to stop, drop, and roll, to understanding how to use smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and fire blankets, youth participants gain valuable knowledge and learn potentially life-saving skills on how to keep themselves and their families safe in the event of a fire.
Kennedi’s Story
On May 9, 2025, local fourth-grade students participated in Overton County’s Progressive Agriculture Safety Day (PAF Safety Day), a program that has been offered annually and to hundreds of participants by the Overton County Soil Conservation District since 1999. Over the years, Twyla Whited, PAF Safety Day Coordinator, along with her planning committee, has had the opportunity to educate children on a variety of topics, including animal safety, ATV safety, firearm safety, and water safety, and each year sends children home with various personal protective equipment (PPE), from first aid kits to life jackets. Thanks to funding from the Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation (UCEMC) Cares Grant Program and support from On-Scene Emergency Services, every student was sent home with a fire blanket at this year’s program. The fire safety station held during the PAF Safety Day shifted its focus from creating an escape plan to how to use a fire blanket, a sheet of flexible material, typically woven fiberglass, used to smother a fire in an emergency.
On May 10, 2025, Kennedi Clouse, a student at Allons Elementary School who participated in the PAF Safety Day the day prior, was traveling with her parents, David & Jennifer, as they noticed a small car fire in the school’s parking lot. Kennedi remembered the fire blanket she received at her safety day and with her parents’ quick response, they turned around to help. Kennedi’s knowledge and her parents’ actions contained the fire until the local fire department arrived and completely extinguished the fire. Kennedi’s parents and local firefighters both stated that without the fire blanket, the situation could
have been much worse. Kennedi’s story serves as a great reminder of the importance of making safety education a priority for all ages.
Safeguarding Your Family from Fires
Prevention and preparedness are two very important practices when it comes to fire safety. Here are five tips to protect you and your family from a fire:
Plan for the Great Escape: As a family, make a fire escape plan. Identify two ways out of each room in the home in the event of a fire and decide on a meeting place.
Install Smoke Alarms: Every home needs working smoke alarms, which should be placed inside each bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home. Ensure everyone in the family knows the sound of the smoke alarm and what to do when they hear it. Test your smoke alarms monthly and replace them with fresh batteries at least once a year (hearing a “chirping” sound means that it's time to change batteries). Also, since sensors can get worn out, it is important to replace smoke alarms at least every 10 years.
Invest in Fire Extinguishers and Fire Blankets: Both these items should be placed where they are readily accessible and visible in the event of fire, typically in normal paths of travel.
Safe Use of Lithium-Ion Batteries: Phones, tablets, power tools, and other household rechargeable electronics are powered by lithium-ion batteries. Therefore, it is important to properly purchase, charge, and recycle these batteries to avoid fires.
Prioritize Maintenance and Safe Practices: From servicing home heating sources, cleaning out dryer vents, and replacing items with faulty cords, to avoiding overloading outlets, using surge protectors for sensitive electronics, and safe storage of chemicals and flammable materials, you can help prevent fires in and around the home.
Partner to Protect the Future Generation
Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® (PAF Safety Day) continues to be recognized as the largest rural safety and health education program for children in North America. Since its inception in 1995, the program has reached more than two million children and adults with age-appropriate, hands-on learning experiences.
PAF continuously looks to partner with safety and health champions willing to lead the charge locally and share their time, talent, and treasure with others. Each year, the Foundation educates, equips, and mentors hundreds of volunteers from across North America to serve in the role of PAF Coordinator.
You, too, can join the mission and provide education, training, and resources to make farm, ranch, and rural life safer and healthier for all children, their families, and their communities. Visit www.progressiveag.org for more information and click on Get Involved to learn about volunteer opportunities, donating to the cause, or how to bring a PAF Safety Day to your local community.