Fire Prevention and Safety Tips

10/1/2022 (Permalink)

Cooking and heating are the leading causes of home fires and fire injuries, and winter months are the peak time for fire-related deaths. With Fire Prevention Week Oct. 9-15 2022, it's the perfect time to review and practice fire safety

MINIMIZE YOUR RISK

When cooking, make fire safety a priority by keeping these tips in mind:

Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling or broiling food

When simmering, baking or roasting, check the food regularly, remain in the kitchen while cooking and use a timer

Keep anything that can catch fire away from your stovetop

Heating is the second leading cause of home fires.

Keep all flammables, like paper, clothing, bedding, drapes or rugs, at least 3 feet from a space heater, stove or fireplace

Never leave portable heaters and fireplaces unattended; turn off heaters and make sure fireplace embers are extinguished before leaving the room

If you must use a space heater, place it on a level, nonflammable surface, like ceramic tile, not on a rug or carpet

Keep children and pets away from space heaters

When buying a space heater, look for models that shut off automatically if the heater falls over

Working Smoke Alarms Are a Must

About three out of five fire deaths happen in homes without working smoke alarms. Smoke alarms are a key part of a home fire escape plan providing early warning to reduce your risk of dying in a fire. The National Fire Protection Association recommends you:

Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas on the ceiling or high on the wall

Keep smoke alarms away from the kitchen, at least 10 feet from the stove, to reduce false alarms

Use special alarms with strobe lights and bed shakers for people who are hard of hearing or deaf

Test smoke alarms monthly

Replace batteries in your smoke alarm and  carbon monoxide detector annually

Replace smoke alarms that are 10 or more years old

Make an Escape plan and practice it.

When and How to Use Fire Extinguisher

Always put your safety first; if you are not confident in your ability to use a fire extinguisher, get out and call 9-1-1.

• Everyone has left or is leaving the home
• The fire department has been called
• The fire is small, not spreading, and there is not much smoke
• Your back is to an exit you can use quickly
• You remember the acronym PASS:
  Pull the pin.
  Aim low at the base of the fire.
  Squeeze the handle slowly.
  Sweep the nozzle side to side