Home Fire

Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Stay in the kitchen and closely monitor your meal anytime you are cooking. Keep an eye on what you fry!

• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, utensils, food packaging, towels, or curtains — away from your stove
• Install a fire extinguisher and learn how to use it; contact your local fire department for training
• Stovetop fire: smother flames by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the burner — leave the pan covered until completely cooled
• Oven fire: turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed
• If in doubt, just get out! If flames spread beyond the stove or oven, evacuate immediately — close the door behind you and call 9-1-1 from outside

• Use caution around heating equipment such as space heaters and fireplaces
• Keep anything that could catch fire at least 3 feet from the heat source

• Always plug appliances directly into wall outlets — extension cords are for short-term use only
• Check power cords and make sure they are not across doorways or under carpets where they might get pinched or wear out
• Have all electrical work done by a certified electrician

Children "playing" with fire is dangerous and causes many preventable injuries and deaths each year.

• Store matches and lighters out of children's reach and sight
• Teach young children to never touch matches or lighters

• If you smoke, do so outside — make sure to extinguish materials in a deep and sturdy ashtray
• Never smoke or allow anyone to smoke when medical oxygen is in use
• Use e-cigarettes with caution — fires and injuries can occur when they are being used, charged, or transported

• Avoid using candles — use battery-powered lights and flashlights instead
• If you must use a candle, use extreme caution and never leave it unattended

Working smoke alarms save lives and can cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half.

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas
• Make sure everyone in your home knows the sound of a smoke alarm and what to do if it goes off
• Test ALL smoke alarms at least once a month by pressing the test button
• NEVER disable a smoke alarm by removing batteries — even temporarily
• Replace all smoke alarms once they reach 10 years of age
• If your alarm is chirping, the battery is low

• 10-Year Battery: Replace the entire smoke alarm when it reaches 10 years
• 9-Volt Battery: Replace the battery at least once a year; replace the alarm if older than 10 years
• Hardwired: Replace the backup battery and check the manufacture date; replace if older than 10 years
• Consider installing interconnected smoke alarms — when one sounds, they all sound
• People who are deaf or hard of hearing may benefit from bed shaker alarms or strobe light smoke alarms

Make and practice a home fire escape plan so that everyone in your household knows what to do and can escape in less than two minutes.

• Find two paths to the outside from every room — a doorway first, then a window or second doorway
• Make sure escape paths are clear and not blocked by clutter, furniture, or equipment
• Choose a safe outside meeting place where everyone will go after escaping
• Account for infants, small children, older adults, and anyone with a disability — assign someone to help them
• Practice your escape plan twice a year with your entire household
• Get out and stay out — NEVER go back into a burning building
• If smoke or fire blocks your way out, use another exit; get low and go under the smoke
• Meet at your designated outside meeting place — then call 911 from a safe location
• If windows have security bars, make sure they have a quick release mechanism

• If there is an outside fire escape, know how to use it in an emergency
• Know your building's escape plan — identify fire doors and fire-safe stairways on your floor
• Practice by counting the number of doors between your apartment and the fire exits to navigate in the dark
• Never take the elevator during a fire