This week (October 7-13, 2018) marks Fire Prevention Week
and the theme this year is “Look. Listen. Learn. Be Aware. Fire can happen
anywhere.” During this time, it’s important to review where fires have the most
potential of occurring as well as testing your family’s escape plan, and making
sure your fire alarms are working properly.
LOOK for places a
fire could start
This week is a good time to do an assessment of your home
and identify potential fire hazards and address them. Cooking is one of the
leading causes of home fires. Leaving cooking unattended is the leading cause
of home fires. Here are some tips to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
·
Remove clutter from cooking areas such as
papers, small towels or oven mitts.
·
Always keep a close eye on what you are cooking.
You should always stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling
or broiling food. If you have to leave the kitchen for something, make sure to
set a timer so you do not forget about whatever you might be cooking.
·
Always be alert! Cooking while you are sleepy or
under the influence of alcohol or any other substance is incredibly dangerous.
Heating is the second leading cause of U.S. home fire. Issues
such as failing to clean heating equipment properly is the leading cause of
home heating fires. Below are some additional tips to safely heat your home in
the winter months.
·
Have chimneys and heating equipment cleaned and
inspected by a qualified professional yearly.
·
Make sure to keep anything that can burn easily
at least three feet away from heating equipment such as furnaces, fire places,
wood stoves and portable space heaters.
·
Always make sure you turn space heaters odd when
you leave the room or go to sleep.
Another big cause of fires is candles. If you use candles in
your home, ensure that you blow out all candles when you leave the room or go
to bed. Keep candles away from items that can burn and use candle holders that
are sturdy and won’t turn over easily. And never burn candles all the way down-
put them out before they get too close to the holder or container.
LISTEN for the sound
of the smoke alarm
Smoke alarms are the first line of defense in helping alert
people of a fire so that they can get out safely. By having smoke alarms in
your home, you cut your risk of dying by a fire in half. At minimum, install a smoke
alarm on every level of your home, in each bedroom and near all sleeping areas.
Test your smoke alarms regularly and replace smoke alarms that are more than 10
years old.
LEARN two ways out of
every room
When a fire is happening, you may only have minutes or even
seconds to escape safely. Practicing how to safely escape your home will help
you immensely when you find yourself in this emergency situation.
Make sure to develop an escape plan with all members of your
family. The escape plan should include:
·
Two ways out of every room, usually a door or a
window.
·
A path to each exit to an outside area.
·
Most importantly, an outside meeting place a
safe distance in front of your home where everyone can meet and be accounted.
Practicing your escape plan twice a year will ensure you are
prepared for any fire emergency. For more information on fire safety, visit www.nfpa.org. Remember, if you find yourself in
a fire emergency, call 9-1-1 for
help immediately and get to safety!
