Fire Prevention Tips for your Home

If a fire breaks out in your home, you may have less than two minutes to escape before it’s engulfed in flames.  How can you be sure you and your family will know what to do?  We encourage you to PREPARE, PRACTICE, & PREVENT so you are ready if a fire occurs.
 

PREPARE

Working Smoke Detectors  

Test your detectors monthly by pressing the test button and listening for the alarm
Change the detector batteries twice a year.  Consider doing this at the same time you change your clocks in the fall and spring.
NEVER disable a smoke detector – only WORKING smoke detectors save lives!
Consider retrofitting with smoke detectors featuring lithium batteries that can last up to 10 years.
Fire Prevention Tips: Do you have working smoke detectors on each level of your home? Fire extinguishers in the kitchen & garage? An escape ladder for upper floors? An escape plan?
   

Home Escape Plan

Draw a diagram of your house showing doors and windows.
Determine two escape routes out of every room.
Identify an outdoor meeting place a safe distance from the house where everyone will report (e.g. mailbox).
Teach everyone to “Get Out and Stay Out!” – to leave the house and never re-enter the building for any reason.
Teach everyone to call 9-1-1 from a neighbor’s.

Example of an escape route plan for your home
   

Visible Address  

Be sure your address is marked clearly and is visible from the street so emergency crews can find your house quickly.

PRACTICE !!
Panic can slow you down – know what to do and how to do it!  

 
  Crawl Low Under Smoke!  
When you test your detectors, discuss what the alarm means.  Teach family members to crawl low along the floor in a smoke-filled room – the “good air” is near the floor. Spread out a sheet and shake it a couple of feet above the ground to simulate smoke and have everyone crawl very low under it.  Don’t forget to practice crawling down the stairs – feet first for safety!
Hold regular fire drills to practice your home escape plan  
Practice crawling low under smoke and escaping via windows, especially using fire escape ladders.
Be sure to include meeting at the designated point and going to a neighbor’s home as if calling the 9-1-1 operator.
Keep track of how quickly you clear the house- try to be as fast as possible! Remember, you may have less than two minutes to escape!
Mix it up.  Practice a variety of scenarios, just in case!
   

PREVENT

   

Heating Equipment

Never use charcoal or unvented appliances in your home.
Clean/service your chimneys and heating systems annually.
Keep combustibles at least 18 inches away from baseboard and portable heaters.  Never leave a portable heater unattended in a room or around children.

Matches & Lighters  

KIDS + MATCHES/LIGHTERS = FIRE!  Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children.
Teach children to tell an adult when they find matches or lighters, and that those items are not toys.
Do not allow children to use matches or lighters to light candles, especially in their bedrooms.
Consider using only lighters with child-resistant features.

Electrical Safety  
Extension cords should not be used in place or permanent wiring.
Do not overload plugs or extension cords!  If you cannot avoid using a number of power cords, be sure to use power strips with circuit breakers.
Unplug small appliances, like toasters and curling irons, when not in use.
Do not overlook tripped circuit breakers, as they may be an indication of a dangerous situation.

Smoking/Ashes

NEVER smoke in bed!
Extinguish smoking materials in sturdy, non-tip ashtrays – do not throw them into trash cans, shrubbery, or bark dust.
Dispose of hot ashes and briquettes in metal containers, not in paper bags, cardboard boxes, trash cans, or plastic buckets.  Keep containers of hot ashes and briquettes outside, far away from the side of the house and off of wood decks and patios. Briquettes and ashes can stay hot for several days.

Cooking

Never leave the room when using burners, especially when warming food.  Fats and greases are highly susceptible to ignition if left unattended.  In case of grease or pan fire, smother the fire with the lid to the pan or use an extinguisher.  NEVER throw water on a grease fire.
Keep combustibles away from cooking surfaces – even if the heating elements are not in use.  Do not store extra pans or combustibles in the oven.

Flammable Liquids

Store paint, paint thinner, gasoline, and other flammable liquids outside your dwelling and away from heat sources.
Rags or combustibles soaked with flammable liquids should be discarded in metal containers with lids, not s, to prevent spontaneous ignition.
 

CONTACT MELBOURNE FIRE PREVENTION DIVISION AT 321/674-5702 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PREVENTING AND SURVIVING A FIRE IN THE HOME!  

 

National Fire Protection Association: Rising energy costs may trigger more heating fires
Caution urged with supplemental heating devices  

The substantially increased cost to heat your home this winter might drive you to use supplemental heating sources whenever possible. Fireplaces and space heaters can make a room toasty, but the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) urges consumers to use caution when using these devices by thinking fire-safety first. 

There were 45,500 home heating fires reported to U.S. fire departments in 2002, according to NFPA. These fires caused 220 deaths, 990 injuries and $449 million in property damage. These numbers have generally declined over recent years, but with natural gas and oil prices expected to rise sharply from last year at this time, those who never used supplemental heating may elect to do so, possibly causing more fires.

Based on frequency of use, space heaters pose a higher risk of fire and fire death than central heating.

Fireplaces and chimneys were involved in 43 percent of all home heating fires and 11 percent of the associated deaths. Fixed and portable space heaters, including wood stoves, were involved in 25 percent of the home heating fires, but 74 percent of the associated deaths. Central heating was involved in 19 percent of home heating fires and 10 percent of the associated deaths.

Most fireplace and chimney fires were caused by creosote build-up. The leading cause of space heater fires was combustibles too close to the heaters. Central heating fires were primarily caused by mechanical failures or malfunctions.

Heating equipment can be used safely if you follow these recommendations from NFPA:

·     When buying a new space heater, make sure it carries the mark of an independent testing laboratory, and be sure to have fixed space heaters installed by a qualified technician, according to manufacturer’s instructions or applicable codes. Or make sure a qualified technician checks to see that the unit has been properly installed.

·     Keep or maintain a 36-inch clearance between space heaters and anything that can burn.

·     Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys, chimney connectors and all other solid-fueled heating equipment inspected annually by a professional, and cleaned as often as inspections suggest. Use only wood that is properly seasoned to reduce creosote build-up.

·     Make sure your fireplace has a sturdy screen to prevent sparks from flying into the room. Allow fireplace and woodstove ashes to cool before disposing in a metal container.

·     Have any gas-fueled heating device installed with proper attention to ventilation. If unvented gas space heaters are used in bedrooms or bathrooms, make sure they are small and well-mounted. NFPA codes prohibit use of liquefied petroleum gas heaters with self-contained fuel supplies.

·     Test smoke alarms monthly; install a carbon monoxide alarm in a central location outside each sleeping area.

 

 

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