Help Me Hank: Fire safety tips for families

DETROIT – Help Me Hank partnered with local fire departments to share life-saving information about house fires.

So far this year, 86 people have died in Michigan as result of a house fire. In October, 17 people died, including seven children.

Watch the video above for the full report.

Last year, residential structure fires in Michigan killed 139 people, according to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). Michigan fire departments responded to 13,909 residential structure fires in 2018.

READ MORE: Michigan fire safety: How to protect your family from house fires

Experts said that people should sleep with the bedroom door closed. They also said it’s important to actually practice a fire escape plan with children, including teaching them how to open windows and get help.

Firefighters shared important tips for talking to children about fire safety:

  • They should sleep with doors closed.
  • They need to know how to open their windows, unlock their screens and get out, if needed.
  • If they’re trapped, teach them to throw toys out the window. It will alert people on the ground that someone is in the room.
  • They should know the plan and practice it. Make sure a safe meeting location is agreed upon.

WATCH: Help Me Hank shares life-saving information amid rash of deadly house fires in Michigan


About the Authors:

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.