FIRE SAFETY AT HOME

How to survive a fire...

• 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...
• Secondary escape
• Indicate ones location to emergency personel
• Provide fresh air
• 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 cellular phone.

STOP, DROP, AND ROLL

If your clothes catch on fire you should...

• STOP IMMEDIATELY - Running will make the fire worse.
• DROP - Cover your face with both hands as you drop to the ground.
• ROLL - Roll over and over until the fire has been smothered.

If you observe someones clothes on fire you should...

• 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!!,

SMOKE DETECTORS

Smoke Detector Locations

• 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.

Maintenance and Testing

• 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.

Facts and Figures

• 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