Fire Prevention & Safety Guide

The most effective way to protect yourself and your home from fire is to identify and remove fire hazards. Sixty-five percent of home fire deaths occur in homes with no working smoke alarms. During a home fire, working smoke alarms and a fire escape plan that has been practiced regularly can save lives.

Contents

  1. Be Red Cross Ready
  2. Fact Sheets
  3. Prevent Home Fires
  4. Caution: Carbon Monoxide Kills
  5. Practice Fire Safety at Home
  6. In Case of Fire
  7. Let your family know you're safe

 

Be Red Cross Ready

  • If a fire occurs in your home, GET OUT, STAY OUT and CALL for help.
  • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Test them every month and replace the batteries at least once a year.
  • Talk with all household members about a fire escape plan and practice the plan twice a year.

 

Fact Sheets

 

Prevent home fires

Steps You Can Take Now

  • Keep items that can catch fire at least three feet away from anything that gets hot, such as space heaters.
  • Never smoke in bed.
  • Talk to children regularly about the dangers of fire, matches and lighters and keep them out of reach.
  • Turn portable heaters off when you leave the room or go to sleep.

Cooking Safely

  • Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
  • Stay in the home while simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food. Check it regularly and use a timer to remind you that food is cooking.
  • Keep anything that can catch fire—like pot holders, towels, plastic and clothing— away from the stove.
  • Keep pets off cooking surfaces and countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto the burner.

 

Caution: Carbon Monoxide Kills

  • Install carbon monoxide alarms in central locations on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas.
  • If the carbon monoxide alarm sounds, move quickly to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door.
  • Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning devices inside a home, garage, basement, crawl space or any partially enclosed area.


Practice fire safety at home

Smoke Alarms

  • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
  • Teach children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do when they hear one.
  • Once a month check whether each alarm in the home is working properly by pushing the test button.
  • Replace batteries in smoke alarms at least once a year. Immediately install a new battery if an alarm chirps, warning that the battery is low.
  • Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years. Never disable smoke or carbon monoxide alarms.
  • Carbon monoxide alarms are not substitutes for smoke alarms. Know the difference between the sound of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms.

Fire Escape Planning

  • Ensure that all household members know two ways to escape from every room of your home.
  • Make sure everyone knows where to meet outside in case of fire.
  • Practice escaping from your home at least twice a year and at different times of the day. Practice waking up to smoke alarms, low crawling and meeting outside. Make sure everyone knows how to call 9-1-1.
  • Teach household members to STOP, DROP and ROLL if their clothes should catch fire.

 

In case of fire...

Follow Your Escape Plan!

Remember to GET OUT, STAY OUT and CALL 9-1-1 or your local emergency phone number.

  • If closed doors or handles are warm, use your second way out. Never open doors that are warm to the touch.
  • Crawl low under smoke.
  • Go to your outside meeting place and then call for help.
  • If smoke, heat or flames block your exit routes, stay in the room with doors closed. Place a wet towel under the door and call the fire department or 9-1-1. Open a window and wave a brightly colored cloth or flashlight to signal for help.

Use Caution with Fire Extinguishers

  • Use a portable fire extinguisher ONLY if you have been trained by the fire department and in the following conditions:
    • The fire is confined to a small area, and is not growing.
    • The room is not filled with smoke.
    • Everyone has exited the building.
    • The fire department has been called.
  • Remember the word PASS when using a fire extinguisher.
    • Pull the pin and hold the extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from you.
    • Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire.
    • Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.
    • Sweep the nozzle from side to side.

 

Let Your Family Know You're Safe

If your community has experienced a disaster, register on the American Red Cross Safe and Well web site to let your family and friends know about your welfare. If you don’t have Internet access, call 1-866-GET-INFO to register yourself and your family.