FIRE PREVENTION SAFETY TIPS

HOME FIRE SAFETY TIPS

If a fire broke out in the middle of the night, would you and your family
be able to escape safely? Although most Americans believe they could
get out alive, according to NFPA's 1997 Home Fire Escape Survey,
only a small number (16%) have actually developed and practiced a
home fire escape plan to ensure they could escape quickly and safely.

Some 4,000 fire deaths occur in U.S. homes every year, and too often
it;s because people didn't, or couldn't get out of a burning home in
time. Developing and practicing a home fire escape plan is the key to
survival.

The elements of an effective home fire escape plan includes the following:

Working smoke detectors on every level of the home and outside all sleeping areas

2 ways out of each room

Unobstructed and easy to use exits

A meeting place outside

A posted phone number for the Fire department

Practicing the plan at least twice a year with every member of the household.

Everyone, including preschoolers, can be taught the basics of fire escape.
If there are infants or family members with mobility limitations, someone
in the household should plan to assist them. Also make sure that doors
needed for escape are not nailed or painted shut. the most important to
remember is to react to the sound of a smoke detector immediately and make
getting out your top priority.

SMOKE DETECTORS

Although 13 of every 14 homes have at least one smoke detector, almost
half of home fires and three-fifths of fire deaths occur in the share of homes
with no detectors. Thousands of people still die each year in home fires where
smoke detectors aren't installed. Having a smoke detector cuts your chance of
dying nearly in half if you have a home fire. By properly placing, regularly
testing and maintaining your detectors, you can ensure that they are in fact
working and will alert you if a fire breaks out.

A recent NFPA report on smoke detectors found that there is a substantial
number of households that don't have the devices on every level of the home,
as needed. The majority of fire deaths occur at night when people are asleep.
NFPA's National Fire Alarm Code (NFPA 72) says homes must have smoke
detectors on every level of the home including the basement and outside
each sleeping area. New homes are required to have a smoke detector
in each sleeping area as well

To slow the spread of smoke and fumes if a fire develops, NFPA
suggests that you sleep with your bedroom doors closed. If you sleep
with your bedroom doors closed, install a smoke detector inside each
bedroom. Detectors should also be installed in other areas of your home
where people sleep. In new homes, the National Fire Alarm Code
requires hard-wired detectors to be interconnected, so that if one detector is
activated, all detectors will sound the alarm signal. On floors without
bedrooms, smoke detectors should be installed in or near living areas, such
as family rooms and living rooms.

PROPER SMOKE DETECTOR PLACEMENT

Since smoke and deadly gases rise, detectors should be placed on the
ceiling at least 4 inches from the nearest wall, or high on a wall, 4-12
inches from the ceiling. This 4-inch minimum is important to keep alarms
out of possible "dead air" spaces, because hot air is turbulent and may
bounce so much that is misses spots near a surface. Installing detectors near
a window, door, or fireplace isn't recommended because drafts could detour
smoke away from the unit. In rooms where ceiling has an extremely high point,
such as in vaulted ceilings, mount the detector at or near the ceiling's hightest point.

MAINTAINING YOUR SMOKE DETECTORS

Whether you have battery operated or hard-wired detectors, it is recommended
that you test them once a month to make sure they are in proper working order.
Test each detector by pushing the test button and listen for the alarm. If you can't reach,
stand under the alarm and push the test button with a broom handle.

If your smoke detector is battery operated, replace the batteries
according to the manufacturer's instructions. NFPA recommends doing this at least
once a year or when the alarm chirps alerting that the battery power is low. Replace
the batteries immediately if you move into a new home. Do not disable the detector by
borrowing the batteries for other uses.

The easiest way to remember how to change the batteries is when you
Change your Clocks, Change your Batteries!!

Regularly cleaning your smoke detectors and following the manufacturer's instructions may help stop
false alarms. If this doesn't stop them. install a fresh a battery in the detectors giving false alarms.
Evaluate where your detectors are located if the problem still persists. Cooking vapors and steam
can set off a smoke detector. If the alarm is near the kitchen or bathroom, try moving it further
awyay. If the false alarms persist, install a new smoke detector.


"ALL FIRE SAFETY TIPS ARE COMPILED FROM NFPA"