Is your Home Safe?
Think about it...
The United States has one of the highest fire death and injury rates in the world. In 1992, fire was the third leading cause of preventable deaths at home. Every year there are more than 400,000 home fires serious enough to be reported to local fire departments. According to the National Fire Protection Agency Fires account for roughly $4 billion in property losses annually, and the long-term damage to fire victims and their loved ones is incalculable.
You can use this fire safety checklist to increase your awareness of how fires can occur. By spotting hazards and taking some simple precautions, most fires and fire-related injuries can be prevented.
Smoke Detectors
- Do you have at least one working smoke detector on every floor of your home including the basement?
- Are your smoke detectors properly installed and maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions?
- Have you checked your smoke detectors' batteries lately?
Escape Plan
- Does every member of your family know your plan for escape in the event of fire?
- Does everyone know at least two ways out of each room?
- Have you agreed on a meeting place in front of your home where you will gather to wait for the fire department?
- Does everyone know to get to get out first, then call for help from a neighbor's phone or call box?
- Does everyone understand that they should never, ever go back inside a burning building?
- Has your family practiced escaping through smoke by getting down on hands and knees and crawling to the nearest exit?
(Make sure everyone understands that they should use the exit "free from smoke or flames if they can.)
- Does everyone in your family know how to stop, drop, and roll on the ground to smother flames if clothes catch fire?