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Fire Safety at Home
Smoke Alarms
- Every two hours someone dies in a fire
- A working smoke alarm can detect a fire and provide crucial minutes necessary to prevent a tragedy from occurring in your home.
- You have nearly a 50% better chance of surviving a fire in your home with working smoke alarms.
- Test smoke alarms once a month.
- Never paint a smoke alarm.
- Replace all smoke alarms every 10 years.
Home Fire Escape Plan
- The best way to protect yourself from fire is to prepare for it.
- Draw up a Home Fire Escape Plan. Make sure everyone in your family knows how to exit from each room of your home, with a second exit as a backup.
- Walk around your house inspecting each window and door to make sure it can be used quickly in an emergency.
- Choose a location outside to be your family’s Safe meeting Place where you go once your are safely outside.
- Most home fires happen at night, so practice your Home Fire Escape Plan in the dark.
Fire in General
- A residential home can be totally consumed in flames in less that five minutes from the time a fire starts.
- Fires kill more people from smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning than from burns.
- Studies show that from the time a fire breaks out, a person has less than 4 minutes to escape the disabling effects of smoke and poisonous gases.
- In case of fire, remember that smoke and deadly gases rise, so crawl low, below the smoke where the air is clearer to exit safely, all the way out, if necessary.
- Never leave cigarettes unattended or smoldering.
- Never smoke in bed.
- Keep matches and lighter up high out of the reach of children.
Kitchen Fires
- Never leave cooking unattended. If you step away, turn off burners until you return.
- Keep stove surfaces free of clutter and built-up grease.
- If a grease fire breaks out on the stove, immediately turn off the heat and cover with a tight lid. Do not throw water on it, this will spread the fire.
Burns & Scalds
- A burn can be one of the most terrifying kinds of accidents.
- If your clothing catches on fire, stop where you are; drop to the floor; and roll over and over to put out the flames.
- Never run, this will make it worse.
- Seek immediate medical help if the burn/scald has blisters and/or is very painful, cover over 15% of the adult’s body, covers over 10% of the child’s body, or the burn is on the face, hands, feet or genitalia.
- To treat a burn or scald in the home, apply cool, but not cold, water.