Filter
Top Products
17
PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY FROM FIRE
Putting up Smoke Alarms is just one step in protect-
ing your family from fires. You must also reduce the
chance a fire will start in your dwelling, and have a
plan for escaping safely if one does. To have a good
fire safety program, you must:
Develop a family escape plan and practice it with
everyone in your family, including small children.
1) Draw a floor plan of your residence and identify
at least two exits from each room and one way to
get out of each bedroom without opening the door;
2) Decide on a meeting place a safe distance from
residence, and make sure everyone knows to wait
there; 3) Know where to go to call the Fire
Department from outside the residence; 4) Make sure
everyone—including all children—know what the
alarm signal means and how to react to it. Teach them
they must be prepared to leave the residence by
themselves if needed; 5) Hold fire drills every 6
months and practice how to escape safely. Show
children how to check if doors are hot before opening
them. Show them how to use an alternate exit if a
door is hot and shouldn’t be opened. Teach them to
stay close to the floor and crawl if necessary.
Install at least one Smoke Alarm on every level of your
dwelling and/or dwelling unit, in every bedroom, and
in every sleeping area. Keep alarms clean, and test
them weekly. Replace smoke alarms immediately if
they are not working properly. Smoke alarms that do
not work cannot alert you to a fire.
Keep at least one working fire extinguisher on every
floor, and an additional one in the kitchen. Have fire
escape ladders or other reliable means of escape
from an upper floor in case stairs are blocked.
Follow safety rules, and prevent hazardous situations:
1) Use smoking materials properly. Never smoke in bed.
2) Keep matches or lighters away from children.
3) Store flammable materials in proper containers.
4) Keep electrical appliances in good condition and
don’t overload electrical circuits.
5) Keep stoves, barbecue grills, fireplaces and
chimneys free from grease and debris.
6) Never leave anything cooking on the stove
unattended.
7) Keep portable heaters and open flames, like
candles, away from flammable materials.
8) Don’t allow rubbish to accumulate.