Fire & Safety Tips

Make sure all family members know what to do in the event of a fire, draw a floor plan with at least two ways of escaping every room. Make a drawing for each floor, dementions do not need to be correct, make sure the plans show important details: Stairs, Hallways and Windows that can be used as escape routes.

Test windows and doors - do they open easy enough ? Are they wide enough ? or tall enough ?
Choose a safe meeting place outside the home, a tree, the house across the street.
Practice alerting others members in the house, it's a good idea to keep a bell and flashlight in each bedroom.

Always sleep with the bedroom doors closed, this will keep deadly heat and smoke out of bedrooms, giving you additional time of escape.Find a way for everyone to sound a family alarm, YELLING , and POUNDING on walls , whistlingetc, practice yelling "FIRE". In a fire, TIME is critical, don't waste time getting dressed, don't search for pets or valuables, "JUST GET OUT " Roll out of bed, stay low, one breath of smoke or gases may be enough to KILL

Practice evacuating the home blindfoulded. In a real fire situation the amount of smoke generated by fire most likely will make it difficult to see.Practice staying low to the floor while escaping, feel all doors before opening them, if a door is hot, get out another way. Learn to STOP DROP and ROLL, if your clothing catches fire don't run, drop to the ground and stoop drop and roll.

Check smoke detectors once a month and change the batteries in your sme detectors at least once a year. Smoke detectors sence abnormal amounts of smoke or invisable gases in the air, they can detect both smoldering and burning fires. A least one a smoke detectors should be installed on very level of your home.Purchase smoke detectors labeled by the Under Writers Laboratories ( UL) or Factory Matual (FM).

Post Emergency numbers near telephones, be aware that if a fire threatens your home you should NOT place the call to emergency services from inside your home, It's better to get out and place a call to 911 from a safe place located outside of your home.

Give first-aid where appropriate, seriously injured victems should be transported to a  medical facility immediatly. Stay out of the damaged home, return only when the fire authorities say it is safe to return.

Never put space heaters near clothing, drapes or anything that is flamable, keep anything that may combust or catch fire, keep children away from space heaters or any type of portable heater, portable heater can cause severe burns and maybe even death. Never smoke in bed or when you are sleeping, carelessly disregarded cigarettes are the leading cause of deaths in the United States.