Fire Safety

1  Install:    Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside all sleeping areas. Make sure everyone knows the sound of the alarm. Sleep with bedroom doors closed and install interconnected alarms in the bedrooms so when one sounds, they all sound.

2 Test:                Test alarms once a month and replace their batteries once a year, or when an alarm "chirps" to tell you its battery is low.

3 Replace: Replace any smoke alarm that is more than 10 years old. Replace smoke alarms that use long-Life (10-year) batteries when the alarm chirps or fails to respond to periodic testing. The batteries in these units cannot be replaced

4 Plan Escape: Make a home fire escape plan and practice your plan at least twice a year so everyone knows what to do in a fire emergency.
If you must escape through smoke, crawl low on your hands and knees to your exit, keeping your head one to two feet above the floor where the air is cleaner.

5 Time Factors:   Important Facts: 

 **Medical Studies show that your sense of smell does not function when you sleep. Smoke will not wake you!!

**Statistics have proven you have 45 seconds to escape a fire before being incapacated by smoke inhalation.

Prevention

1 Smoking: Don't smoke in bed. Encourage smokers to smoke outside.  Provide sturdy, deep ashtrays and make sure cigarette butts and ashes are out before throwing them away. Smoking materials are the leading cause of fire deaths and the third leading cause of home fire injuries.

2 Electrical: Inspect electrical cords to make sure they are not pinched behind furniture, under rugs, or stretched. Replace cords that are cracked, frayed, have broken plugs, or have loose connections. Electrical distribution equipment is the fifth leading cause of home fires and the sixth leading cause of home fire deaths

3 Candles:    Keep candles at least one foot away From anything that can burn and put them out when you leave the room or go to sleep. From 1990 to 2001 the number of candle fires has almost tripled.

4 Cooking:   Never leave cooking food on the stovetop unattended and keep a close eye on food cooking inside the oven. Always have a lid nearby to slide over a pan in case of fire. Cooking is the leading cause of home fires-the majority of stovetop fires happen because of unattended cooking.

5 Heaters:      Install a carbon monoxide detector. Keep fixed and portable space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn. Heating is the leading cause of reported, unconfirmed home fires during the winter months of December, January, and February.

6 Children:    Keep matches and lighters out of the reach and sight of children - up high in a locked cabinet. Children under age six are the most likely to start fires while playing with matches and lighters