First Alert Launches 'The Great Escape' Sweepstakes on Facebook

AURORA, Ill., Oct. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of Fire Prevention Week (October 9-15), First Alert is offering its Facebook fans the chance to "escape" to the place where it all began – Chicago, home to First Alert and site of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, the impetus behind the national observation.

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First Alert's "The Great Escape" sweepstakes will award one lucky family with a prize package including roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations for four to experience some of the "hottest" attractions that the Windy City has to offer.  In keeping with the sweepstakes' fire prevention theme, the prize package also will include dinner at the Chicago Firehouse Restaurant and tickets to the Lookingglass Theatre's production of "The Great Fire."

To enter, participants must simply "like" First Alert on Facebook between October 3 and October 31, then register to enter.  Existing fans may enter by clicking the sweepstakes tab.  Participants may enter once per day.

The sweepstakes is part of a month-long campaign being conducted by First Alert to educate consumers about residential fire prevention and, in particular, the importance of having and practicing a fire escape plan.

"In the event of a fire, every second counts!" said Deborah Hanson, director of external affairs for First Alert.  "In just seconds a small flame can turn into a major fire and a home can become engulfed in flames and smoke.  An effective escape plan can help you and your loved ones get out of the house quickly and safely in an emergency."

According to Hanson, the best escape plans have two ways to get out of each room just in case the primary way is blocked by fire or smoke.  Make sure everyone in the household knows the various routes and practice your escape plan once a month so it becomes second nature.  Voice-enabled alarms, like those available from First Alert, also can help save time by identifying where fire and smoke are in the home so residents can determine the safest and fastest ways out.

As part of "The Great Escape" sweepstakes, Facebook fans also will have the chance to win one of four suites of First Alert's new Combination Smoke/Carbon Monoxide (CO) Voice Alarms.  Each Friday in October, First Alert will give away four alarms to a random sweepstakes participant.  First Alert's voice alarms combine high-decibel beeps with a loud pre-recorded voice that can identify where fire and smoke are in the home, so that residents can determine the safest and fastest plan of escape.

Fire Prevention Week, the start of a month-long campaign of awareness events for First Alert, was established in 1920 to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 conflagration that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, and destroyed more than 17,400 buildings.  Every year in October, First Alert, along with the National Fire Protection Association and various other organizations, help spread awareness about the dangers of fire and CO poisoning and to educate the public on how to protect themselves, their families and their homes.

For more information on fire and CO safety, as well as a complete home safety checklist, visit http://www.firstalert.com/safety_checklist.php.  For official "The Great Escape" sweepstakes rules, visit http://www.facebook.com/FirstAlertSafety.

SOURCE First Alert