Life Safety / Education

Installing and Testing Smoke Alarms
Holiday Safety
Home Escape Plan
Hunting Home Hazards
Fire Extinguishers

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Fire Safety 2004
Fire Safety

Installing and Testing Smoke Alarms

• Install smoke alarms Listed (examined and tested to appropriate product safety standards) by a qualified testing laboratory on every level of your home, including inside or near every sleeping area.
• Make sure that the batteries in every smoke alarm are working. Smoke alarms should be tested once a month and batteries replaced once a year, or when the alarm "chirps," warning that the battery is low.
• If any smoke alarms are more than 10 years old (or if no one can remember how old they are), have a grown-up replace them.
• Never paint or decorate a smoke alarm (even with stickers!) because this could keep it from working properly.
• Make sure that everyone in your home knows the sound of the smoke alarm, and knows exactly what to do if the alarm goes off.
• Smoke alarms Listed by a qualified testing laboratory are the most effective early warning device available. Having working smoke alarms in your home cuts your chance of dying in a fire nearly in half.
• 15 of every 16 homes (94%) in the U.S. have at least one smoke alarm.
• One-half of home fire deaths occur in the 6% of homes with no smoke alarms.
• Homes with smoke alarms (whether or not they are operational) typically have a death rate that is 40-50% less than the rate for homes without alarms.
• In three of every 10 reported fires in homes equipped with smoke alarms, the devices did not work. Households with non-working smoke alarms now outnumber those with no smoke alarms.
• Because smoke rises, alarms should be mounted high on walls or ceilings. Wall-mounted alarms should be positioned 4-12 inches from the ceiling; ceiling-mounted alarms should be positioned 4 inches away from the nearest wall. On vaulted ceilings, be sure to mount the alarm at the highest point of the ceiling.
• Smoke alarms should not be installed near a window, door or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with their operation.
• NFPA recommends that people with hearing impairments install smoke alarms with louder alarm signals and/or strobe lights to alert them to a fire.
• Replace all smoke alarm batteries immediately upon moving into a new home.
• Keep batteries in smoke alarms; do not borrow them for other purposes. Nuisance activations can be addressed by moving an alarm farther away from kitchen smoke or bathroom steam and by more frequent cleaning. If the problem persists, replace the alarm.

Holiday Safety

The winter holidays are a time for celebration, and that means more cooking, home decorating, entertaining, and an increased risk of fire due to heating equipment. Safety Tips:

Holiday Decorating & Lighting

• Use caution with holiday decorations and whenever possible, choose those made with flame-resistant, flame-retardant or non-combustible materials.
• Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials, and do not use candles to decorate Christmas trees.
• Purchase only lights and electrical decorations bearing the name of an independent testing lab, and follow the manufacturer's instructions for installation and maintenance.
• Carefully inspect new and previously used light strings and replace damaged items before plugging lights in. Do not overload extension cords.
• Always unplug lights before replacing light bulbs or fuses.
• Don't mount lights in any way that can damage the cord's wire insulation (i.e., using clips, not nails).
• Keep children and pets away from light strings and electrical decorations.
• Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving the house or going to bed.

• Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S. When cooking for holiday visitors, remember to keep an eye on the range.
• Provide plenty of large, deep ashtrays and check them frequently. Cigarette butts can smolder in the trash and cause a fire, so completely douse cigarette butts with water before discarding, or flush them down the toilet.
• After a party, always check on, between and under upholstery and cushions and inside trash cans for cigarette butts that may be smoldering.
• Keep matches and lighters up high, out of sight and reach of children (preferably in a locked cabinet). When smokers visit your home, ask them to keep their smoking materials with them so young children do not touch them.

This information courtesy www.nfpa.org.

• Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Draw a floor plan of your home, showing two ways out of each room, including windows. Don't forget to mark the location of each smoke alarm.
• Make sure that everyone understands the escape plan. Are the escape routes clear? Can doors and windows be opened easily?
• Practice the escape plan at least twice a year, making sure that everyone is involved – from kids to grandparents. If there are infants or family members with mobility limitations, make sure that someone is assigned to assist them.
• Agree on an outside meeting place where everyone can meet after they've escaped. Remember to get out first, then call for help. Never go back inside until the fire department gives the OK.
• Have everyone memorize the emergency phone number of the fire department. That way any member of the household can call from a cellular phone or a neighbor's home.
• Be fully prepared for a real fire: when a smoke alarm sounds, get out immediately. And once you're out, stay out – leave the firefighting to the professionals! Get out and stay out.
• According to an NFPA survey, only one-fourth of U.S. families have developed and practiced a home fire escape plan. One-third of those who have did so for the first time during NFPAs three-year Fire Prevention Week program "Fire Drills: The Great Escape!"
• Every family needs a home fire escape plan. When you make your plan, try to identify two ways out of each room (one way out might be the window, the other could be the door).
• Make sure that doors and other exits out of your home are clear of toys, furniture, and other clutter.
• If someone in your home needs help getting around (an infant, or a grandparent), make sure that another member of the family has been assigned to help them in the event of a fire.
• Choose a safe place to meet outside after you've left your home.
• Make sure that everyone in your home knows the fire department's emergency number and understands to get out first and then call for help. (911)
• Most important of all: practice your home escape plan twice a year. You never know when you'll have to use it!
• Stay low and crawl. Stay below the smoke.
• Before opening any doors, feel them with the back of your hand. If it’s hot don’t open it, find another way out.

Hunting Home Hazards

Candle Safety

• Almost half (44%) of home candle fires start in the bedroom.
• Extinguish all candles when leaving the room or going to sleep.
• Keep candles away from items that can catch fire (clothing, curtains, and upholstery.
• Keep candles up high out of reach of children.
• Never leave a child unattended in a room with a candle. A child should not sleep in a room with a lit candle.
• Store candles, matches and lighters up high and out children's sight and reach, preferably in a locked cabinet.
• Never use a candle for a light when checking pilot lights or fueling equipment such as a kerosene heater or lantern. The flame may ignite the fumes.

• Cooking fires are the #1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries. The majority of cooking equipment fires start with the ignition of common household items (i.e., wall coverings, paper or plastic bags, curtains, etc.).
• Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires.
• Three in every 10 reported home fires start in the kitchen – more than any other place in the home.
• Never leave cooking food on the stovetop unattended, and keep a close eye on food cooking inside the oven.
• Keep cooking areas clean and clear of combustibles (i.e. potholders, towels, rags, drapes and food packaging).
• Keep children and pets away from cooking areas by creating a three-foot (one-meter) "kid–free zone" around the stove.
• Turn pot handles inward so they can't be bumped and children can't grab them.
• Always keep a potholder, oven mitt and lid handy. If a small grease fire starts in a pan, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Don't remove the lid until it is completely cool. Never pour water on a grease fire and never
• discharge a fire extinguisher onto a pan fire, as it can spray or shoot burning grease around the kitchen, actually spreading the fire.
• If there is an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed to prevent flames from burning you and your clothing.
• If there is a microwave fire, keep the door closed and unplug the microwave. Call the fire department and make sure to have the oven serviced before you use it again.

• Space heaters need space. Portable space heaters need a three-foot (one meter) clearance from anything that can burn and should always be turned off when leaving the room or going to sleep.
• Wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys, chimney connectors, and all other solid-fueled heating equipment need to be inspected annually by a professional and cleaned as often as the inspections indicate.
• Use a sturdy fireplace screen to keep sparks from flying into the room.
• Portable kerosene heaters must be fueled only in a well-ventilated area, free of flame and other heat sources, and only when the device has cooled completely. Use only the type of kerosene specified by the manufacturer for that device, and never use gasoline instead of kerosene.
• When turning a heating device on or off, be careful to follow the manufacturer's instructions. When buying heaters, look for devices with automatic shutoff features.
• Make sure that electrical cords are in good condition, with no cracked or frayed areas.
• Any fuel or liquid that can catch on fire, like gasoline or kerosene, needs to be kept in a safe container, outside the home in a garage or shed.

• Handle any propane-powered equipment cautiously and always follow the manufacturer's instructions. Cylinder tanks for equipment such as stoves and ovens must be located outside of the home.
• Never store or use propane gas cylinders larger than one pound inside the home.
• Never operate a propane-powered gas grill inside the home.
• Carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions when lighting a pilot.
• If you smell a strong odor of gas, leave the area immediately and call the fire department from outside the home.

• Never put anything over a lamp, like clothes or a blanket, not even when playing.
• Don’t touch radiators or heaters. Ask an adult to turn a heater on or off for you.
• Don’t stand too close to the fireplace or a wood stove. You could get burned or your clothes could catch fire.
• Never touch matches, lighters, or candles. If you see matches or lighters in a room, tell an adult right away.
• Don’t play with electrical cords or stick anything into an electrical socket.
• Turn off lights, stereos, TVs and other electrical equipment when you are finished using them.
• In the hands of an adult who knows how to use it, a portable fire extinguisher can save lives and minimize property damage by putting out a small fire or containing it until the fire department arrives. But never forget that fire spreads rapidly. Your first priority should always be to get out of the house.

Fire Extinguishers

• A portable fire extinguisher can save lives and property by putting out a small fire or containing it until the fire department arrives; but portable extinguishers have limitations. Because fire grows and spreads so rapidly, the number one priority for residents is to get out safely.
• Use a portable fire extinguisher when the fire is confined to a small area, such as a wastebasket, and is not growing; everyone has exited the building; the fire department has been called or is being called; and the room is not filled with smoke.
• To operate a fire extinguisher, remember the word PASS:
  • Pull the pin. Hold the extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from you, and release the locking mechanism.
  • Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire.
  • Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.
  • Sweep the nozzle from side-to-side.
• For the home, select a multi-purpose extinguisher (can be used on all types of home fires) that is large enough to put out a small fire, but not so heavy as to be difficult to handle.
• Choose a fire extinguisher that carries the label of an independent testing laboratory.
• Read the instructions that come with the fire extinguisher and become familiar with its parts and operation before a fire breaks out. Local fire departments or fire equipment distributors often offer hands-on fire extinguisher trainings.
• Install fire extinguishers close to an exit and keep your back to a clear exit when you use the device so you can make an easy escape if the fire cannot be controlled. If the room fills with smoke, leave immediately.
• Know when to go. Fire extinguishers are one element of a fire response plan, but the primary element is safe escape. Every household should have a home fire escape plan and working smoke alarms.
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Copyright 2004, Locust Fire Department