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Prevention Tips
Never play with matches or with a
cigarette lighter; and keep them away from your sister, brother and
friends.
Make sure your house has a
smoke detector; ask grown-ups in your house to check it often to
make sure it's working.
Ask your family if they will
help you come up with an escape plan to get everyone out of the
house in case of a fire or other emergency.
If you see a fire breaking
out, quickly tell an adult and leave right away.
If the smoke is bad, cover
your mouth with a cloth; crawl low on the floor until you get to the
door or window.
While trying to exit the house
during a fire, always touch doors with the back of your hand to see
if they are hot before you open them. If the door is hot, don't open
it; go out the other way in your escape plan. If the door is cool,
open it slowly and check to see whether it's safe and clear.
If your clothes catch fire,
stop moving, drop to the floor, and roll around to until the flames
go out.
Do not go back in; wait
outside at the spot where your family members will meet you.
Know how to call for emergency
assistance.
Learn your address and phone
number.
For more fire safety stuff for
kids visit the United States
Fire Administration's Kids
Page
For more
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WHAT SENIORS
NEED TO KNOW
Install a smoke detector on
every level of your home and in the garage. Check your smoke
detector monthly and change batteries as needed or at least once a
year.
Have an electrical inspection
done on your home by a licensed electrician.
Keep space heater away from
flammable materials.
Never cook in loose-fitting
clothing that could catch fire over the stove.
Remember to turn off the stove
if you are done cooking or going out.
Never, ever, smoke in bed or
in overstuffed upholstered chairs.
Keep your address and
direction to your home next to your phone, in case you have to call
for emergency assistance.
If the smoke is bad, cover
your mouth with a cloth; crawl low on the floor until you get to the
door or window.
Talk to other seniors in your
community about forming a fire prevention group; invite us to a
meeting. You can call 727.787.5974 to schedule a life safety
education talk.
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DESIGNING A FIRE ESCAPE PLAN
FOR THE FAMILY
The chances of surviving a
fire are greater if you are prepared. A fire escape plan is
essential to that preparation.
Here are some tips to help your family design a fire escape plan:
- Include the entire family
in your preparations.
- Map out two escape routes
from every room.
- Purchase chain ladders
for escape from floors above the first.
- Make sure windows can be
opened quickly in the event you must exit a fire.
- Discuss and agree on what
to do with a pet if fire breaks out.
NEVER re-enter
a burning house for a pet!
- Designate a place outside
the home where family members can meet after escape.
- In a fire, crawl low on
the floor with your mouth and nose covered with a cloth or towel
until you can exit.
- Go to your designated
meeting place and stay put!
- Hold family fire drills
and practice escape. Hold these drill both in the day and in the
night, it is amazing how different things look in the dark.
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URBAN WILDLAND FIRE SAFETY
TIPS
If you choose to construct a
house in a wooded area, please remember:
- Build with fire-retardant
materials from the roof down.
- Make sure your lot is
properly cleared of dead brush and trees and any other natural
combustibles.
- Grow trees and bushes at
a safe distance from the house; prune them regularly.
If an urban wildfire threats
your home;
- Don't wait until the last
minute to get out. Give yourself plenty of time so there is
still an available exit route.
- Take only what you can
safely carry with you.
- Make sure you know how to
call for emergency assistance in your area, and be sure you can
provide accurate directions to your home.
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SEASONAL HOME FIRE SAFETY
Each season presents its own
unique home fire safety concerns. In winter, you depend heavily on
your heating appliances.
Remember:
- Keep your furnace clean
and check that the pilot light is working
- If you use a space
heater, keep it away from flammable materials, never use it when
you sleep and make sure the wiring is sound.
- Have all alternative
heating sources such as a wood stove examined by an expert to
make sure they are functioning properly.
- Do not use the oven for
heating
- Clean and check
fireplaces and chimneys regularly
A holiday Christmas tree is a
source of joy; but if you're not careful, it can also lead to a
fire.
Remember:
- Buy a tree whose needles
haven't dried out.
- Place the tree away from
any heat source such as a space heater or fireplace
- Buy consumer-inspected
Christmas tree lights, and do not overload the circuit with
wrong wiring.
- Turn off the tree lights
when you go to bed; never leave them on when you're not home.
- Discard the tree as soon
as the holidays are over, and even sooner if it starts to dry
out.
Summer is the time for
outdoor barbecues; and its also a time that places heavy demands on
appliances that cool the house.
Remember:
- When using window air
conditioning units, take care not to overload circuitry.
- Have the units serviced
by a technician at the beginning of the season.
- When barbecuing, keep
charcoal burners at a safe distance from the house and from
anything else that's flammable.
- Avoid using high-flame
charcoal burning fluids.
- Don't wear loose-fitting
clothing while cooking (Anytime of the year)
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT
RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLERS
Q:
What new technologies are being used to fight residential fires?
A:
Residential sprinklers are being introduced to homes all over the
United States. Studies conducted by the United States Fire
Administration show the combined use of smoke detectors and
residential sprinklers can cut the risk of death by fire by
approximately 75%.
Q: What are
residential sprinklers?
A: Unlike
fire sprinklers in commercial buildings, residential sprinklers use
narrow plastic piping that requires minimal water pressure from the
tap leading to you home to transport water to the source of a fire.
Residential sprinklers are recessed instead of prone from the
ceiling. They are available in a wide array of aesthetically
appealing colors.
Q:
Why are residential sprinklers beneficial?
A:
Residential sprinklers can contain a fire and prevent it from
spreading to other parts of a home. Only the sprinklers in the fire
area are activated during a fire.
Q:
Who should have residential sprinklers?
A: Everyone.
No matter whether you live in an apartment, a townhouse, of a single
family residence, a residential sprinkler system can save your life.
Just as seat belts have become standard equipment in modern cars,
increasingly, new homes often include the option to add residential
sprinklers. Older homes can be retro-fitted for residential
sprinkler systems.
Q: How much do
residential sprinklers cost?
A: Just as
construction prices vary from region to region, so do costs
associated with residential sprinklers. One rule of thumb is that,
in a new home, the cost of a residential sprinkler system is one
percent of the total construction cost. Installation requires
minimal labor and materials. The cost for retrofitting an existing
home with sprinklers may be higher.
Q:
Where can people learn more about residential sprinklers?
A: Contact
our Fire Prevention Staff at 727.787.5974, or write
to:
The United States Fire
Administration
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
These messages and
recommendations taken in part from Home Fire Safety - Act on it!
Published by the US Fire
Administration.
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