FIRE SAFETY AT HOME

PREPARE and PRACTICE an escape plan.
Have a minimum of TWO routes of eggress from each room in the house.
Ensure that windows can be easily opened by anyone in the family. Use windows for...

Train Children proper use of fire escape ladders if they will be expected to use them.
Keep doors to bedrooms closed while sleeping.
Alert other family members of possible danger if awakened by the smell of smoke.
Roll out of bed onto the floor if awakened by a smoke detector.
Stay low to the floor because the heated gases will start at the top of the room and move down.
Crawl to the door and feel it with the back of your hand. If the door is warm use an alternate route (i.e. A window).
Establish a meeting place outside the home (mailbox, tree, sidewalk, ect.) so that all members can be accounted for.
NEVER go back inside the house for any reason once outside.
CALL 911 from a neighbor's house or from a cellar phone.

STOP, DROP, AND ROLL

Assist the victim to the ground if needed.
Coats, rugs, blankets or any other type of heavy cloth items can be used
to aide in smothering the fire.
Once fire is out, cool the area with cold water and remove burned clothing
that is not sticking to the victims skin.
CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY!!,

Placement of a detector in every bedroom and at each level of the living unit is recommended. As a minimum, one should be
installed in the hallway of each sleeping area and other rooms in the house.
The detectors should be close enough to the bedrooms so that the alarm is audible when the doors are closed.
Consider hallways, stairways, and normal exit routes for "every-level" detection.
It is most desirable to mount the detectors in the middle of the ceiling. If this is not possible, position them
between 4-12" from the ceiling.

Test your smoke detector at least once a month by using the "test button" or an approved smoke substitute.
Replace the battery once a year or as soon as the detector "chirps", warning that the battery is low.
Regularly vacuuming or dusting your smoke alarm following manufacture's instructions can help keep it working properly.
Replace your detector once every 10 years.
NEVER disable detectors because of nuisance alarms and NEVER "borrow" a battery from a detector.
Make sure everyone in your house can hear and recognize the sound of the alarm and knows how to react immediately.
Hardwired alarms should be installed by a qualified electrician.

19 of every 20 homes (95%) in the U.S. have at least one smoke detector.
More than half of home fire deaths result from fires in the 5% of homes without a smoke detector.
Homes with smoke alarms typically have a death rate that is 40-50% less than the rate for homes without alarms.
In one-quarter of the reported fires in homes euipped with smoke alarms, the devices did not work.
Why do smoke alarms fail? Most often because of missing, dead or disconnected batteries.
Source: NFPA's "U.S. Experience with Smoke Alarms and Other Fire Alarms" report

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