National Fire Prevention Week
By Home Security Source October 10, 2011 | 02:00 PMPosted in: Fire Prevention Residential fires affect tens of
thousands of families every year, resulting in injuries to 25,000 people and a
tragic number of fatalities. National Fire Prevention week is a great time to review fire safety and fire prevention with your family.
Check out our
fire safety top ten list:
1. Make sure each bedroom in your house has a smoke alarm immediately outside and remember to change the batteries at least once a year.
2. Make sure the stairs and hallways around your house are
clear of toys, tools, laundry or any other items. It will make it easier
to exit your home in case of a fire.
3. Teach your kids the "Stop, Drop, and Roll"
technique, in case clothing catches on fire.
4. Stay in the kitchen when you’re cooking. Grease fires
can flare up quickly and spread fast, but you can reduce the risk by
keeping an eye on things.
5. If you detect the strong smell of natural gas in the
house, open a couple of windows, then exit quickly. Don’t even make
emergency phone calls from inside – use a neighbor’s phone to call the
proper authorities.
6. Avoid storing old mattresses in the home or garage, and
keep used rags (particularly those with petroleum products on them) in
tightly sealed containers and store them away from heat sources.
7. Teach kids that matches, lighters and candles are not
toys and should not be played with. Keep them out of reach of kids.
8. If a fire starts, crawl on all fours, keeping as low as
possible so that you don’t inhale smoke. Get out of the house as quickly
as possible.
9. Check doors for heat before you open them. If your
primary method of escape is blocked, fall back on your secondary method, a
different door or window.
10. Meet at a designated meeting place outside and don’t
re-enter the house.
We can’t emphasize enough the importance
of practicing fire safety and fire prevention all year long, but National Fire
Safety Week is the perfect time to review steps to avert a disaster and what to
do if an unforeseen event does happen.
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