For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 7, 2001
National Burn Awareness Week, 2001
By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation
Burn injuries are a serious problem in the
United States. Each year, over 3,000 people die and 16,000
are injured by fires that start in the home. These fires
cost the Nation over $18 billion. Tragically, children, the
elderly, and persons with disabilities are those most likely to become
victims of serious burns. Children are particularly
vulnerable. Each year, about 800 children under the age of
15 die of fire-related causes and about 500 of these deaths are to
children under the age of 5 years. In fact, children under
age 5 have a death rate from fire more than twice the national
average.
All Americans can make their homes safer by
making sure they have a working smoke alarm. About 90
percent of U.S. households have smoke alarms. However, a
recent survey found that smoke alarms in 20 percent of those households
-- about 16 million -- were not working, mostly because the battery was
dead or missing. Those families who have not yet done so
should place a smoke alarm inside each sleeping room and on each level
of a multi-story home and make sure the alarms are tested monthly and
the batteries are replaced when necessary.
We should also learn what to do in the event
of fire, including the "stop, drop, and roll" maneuver that can help
prevent serious burn injuries. Those families that have not
yet done so should make plans for escaping a house fire --and every
American family should review and practice the plan regularly.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) helps to keep children and families safe from products that pose
fire dangers. CPSC activities have contributed to a decline
in fires and fire deaths over the past several years. For
example, CPSC's standard for child-resistant lighters has helped reduce
fire deaths from children playing with lighters by 43 percent since
1994.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President
of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in
me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, do
hereby proclaim February 4 through February 10, 2001, as National Burn
Awareness Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this
week by participating in appropriate ceremonies and activities and by
learning how to prevent burn injuries, especially to children.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my
hand
seventh
day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-fifth.
GEORGE
W. BUSH
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