As a gathering
place for friends and family, your home is at the center of your life.
Surrounded by your family and most treasured possessions, home is where
you feel secure.
An important part of that secure
feeling is the knowledge that you have done everything you can to make
sure your home is protected. That's why we want you to take a few
moments to read the information below which can help protect your home
and family.
FIRE SAFETY TIPS
Install
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Smoke
detectors warn you of a fire in
time to let you escape. Install them on each level of your home and
outside of each sleeping area. Follow the manufacturer's directions,
and test once a week. Replace batteries once a year or when the
detector chirps to signal that the battery is dead. Don't ever borrow
them for other uses!
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
should also be installed at each level of your
home. Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that can be produced by gas or
oil appliances like a furnace, clothes dryer, range, ovens, water
heaters or space heaters. If your detector sounds everyone should leave
the home and wait for emergency responders.
Use
Caution with Cigarettes
Carelessly discarded cigarettes cause tens of thousands of home fires
every year. Never smoke in bed or when you are drowsy! Provide large,
deep ashtrays for smokers, and put water on the butts before discarding
them. Before going to bed, check under and around sofa cushions for
smoldering cigarettes.
Be
Careful Cooking
Never leave cooking unattended. Keep cooking areas clear of
combustibles and wear short or tight-fitting sleeves when you cook.
Keep the handles of your pots turned inward so the pots can't be knocked
or pulled over. If grease catches fire, carefully slide a lid over the
pan to smother the flames, then turn off the burner. Never put foil or
other metals in a microwave oven.
Space
Heaters Need Space
Keep portable and space heaters at least 3 feet from paper, curtains,
furniture, clothing, bedding, or anything else that can burn. Never
leave heaters on when you leave home or go to bed, and keep children and
pets well away from the heaters.
Plan
and Practice to Escape
If fire breaks out in your home, you must get out fast. With your
family, plan two ways out of every room. Fire escape routes must not
include elevators, which might take you right to the fire! Choose a
meeting place outside where everyone will gather. Once you are out
stay out!
Lifesaving tips:
- If your clothes catch fire Stop,
Drop, and Roll
- Stay low in smoke
- Sleep with the bedroom door closed
- Have an escape plan
- Conduct emergency Exit Drills In The Home (E.D.I.T.H.)
- Know 2 ways out
- Get out & stay out
- Select a meeting place outside
Remember, working
smoke detectors save lives!
Click
here to view and print the
BABYSITTER'S CHECKLIST.
Outdoor Fire Safety
Summer
means barbecuing, camping, outboard motors and lawnmowers. However, it
can also mean trouble.
Every
year hundreds of people are injured when they use gasoline or other
flammable liquids to start barbecue grills and campfires. These liquids
can flash and create a fireball that may burn or ignite the clothing of
anyone standing too close.
The only
items which should be used in grills are charcoal or wood. Paper and
leaves are very light and may become airborne, drift on the breeze and
ignite fires some distance away from the campfire. Aerosol cans and even
empty pop bottles that are sealed may explode, throwing flaming debris
several feet from the fire. Be aware that most aerosol cans these days
use a flammable gas such as butane or propane as the propellant because
it does not affect the ozone layer as much as fluorocarbons.
REMEMBER:
Lawnmowers, outboard motors, generators and small motors should always
be fueled when they are cold, before being run. Their fuel tanks are
very close to hot engine parts and may cause the gasoline to flash if
spilled during fueling.
