According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2011, more than 1.3 million fires were reported in the United States. These fires caused more than 3,000 civilian deaths, 17,500 civilian injuries, and $11.7 billion in property damage.
Although it is impossible to ensure that your residence is completely protected from a fire, many fires are preventable. There are common fire safety measures that can help decrease the chance of a fire occurring in your home. If a fire should occur, early detection is vital in saving lives. Remember, it doesn’t take raging flames and extreme heat to kill or injure. Smoke from slow moving or smoldering fires is just as deadly. Smoke alarms can jolt you and your family awake at night, and help provide additional time that is critical to escape even when the family is not asleep.
The following preparedness tips can allow your family to react quickly in case of a fire emergency:
Have a Fire Escape Plan
It is important to have a plan when there are children in your home. Children sometimes need help getting out of the house. They may not know how to escape or what to do unless an adult shows them.
Have a plan for young children who cannot get outside by themselves. You will need to wake babies and very young children and help them get out. In your plan, talk about who will help each child get out safely.
It is important to find two ways out of every room in your home, in case one exit is blocked or dangerous to use.
Choose a meeting place outside your home. Children should know what to do when they hear a smoke alarm and there is no adult around. Help them practice going to the outside meeting place. Teach them to never go back inside a building that is on fire.
DRAW A MAP of each level of your home and show all doors and windows. Find two ways to get out of each room. Make sure all doors and windows that lead outside open easily.
TEACH CHILDREN how to escape on their own in case you cannot help them.
Have a plan for everyone in your home who has a disability.
PRACTICE your fire escape plan at night and during the daytime.
Close bedroom doors before going to sleep.
Install & Maintain Operable Smoke Alarms
Smoke alarms are a key part of a home fire escape plan. When there is a fire, smoke spreads fast. Working smoke alarms give you early warning so you can get outside quickly.
A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire. Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home. Install alarms in the basement. Smoke alarms should be interconnected. When one sounds, they all sound.
Large homes may need extra smoke alarms.
It is best to use interconnected smoke alarms. When one smoke alarm sounds they all sound.
Test all smoke alarms at least once a month. Press the test button to be sure the alarm is working.
Today’s smoke alarms will be more technologically advanced to respond to a multitude of fire conditions, yet mitigate false alarms.
A smoke alarm should be on the ceiling or high on a wall. Keep smoke alarms away from the kitchen to reduce false alarms. They should be at least 10 feet (3 meters) from the stove.
People who are hard-of-hearing or deaf can use special alarms. These alarms have strobe lights and bed shakers.
Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.
Smoke alarms are an important part of a home fire escape plan.
The Community Fire Protection District offers assistance with checking smoke detectors and changing batteries for homeowners within our district. We also provide smoke detectors, free of charge, to any resident that cannot afford to buy them.
Space Heater Safety
If you choose to use a portable space heater, how you use it can be the difference between life and death for your family. Portable space heaters are commonly used when the main heating system cannot adequately heat a home or when relying on central heating alone is considered too costly. But when improperly used, space heaters can carry a very high price – fires and the loss of life.
Here are some of the essential safety precautions you need to use with space heaters to protect your family:
Always use a smoke alarm/carbon monoxide alarm whenever using a space heater.
Turn off portable heaters whenever leaving the room or going to bed.
Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment. The three-foot safety zone includes furniture, drapes, and electronics – anything that can burn.
Plug electric heaters directly into the wall outlet if possible. Many extension cords and power strips are not designed to handle the load of an electric heater. If an extension cord is necessary, use the shortest possible heavy-duty cord of 14-gauge wire or larger.
Always check and follow any manufacturer’s instructions pertaining to the use of extension cords. Never place an electrical cord under a rug. It will build heat.
Buy a unit with a tip-over safety switch, which automatically shuts off the heater if the unit is tipped over.
Protecting your family comes first. Never use an oven or other cooking devices to heat your home. Make sure your home has working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms by testing them monthly. Check with your local fire department. It may be able to supply alarms at no charge to you.
Think about keeping your family secure by considering how you’ll heat your home when the temperatures drop.