Replace
all mattresses made before the 1973 Federal Mattress Flammability
Standard. Mattresses made since then are required by law to
be safer.
Keep
lighters, matches and other ignitables in a secured drawer
or cabinet out of reach of children. Children are one of the
highest risk groups for death in residential fires.
Keep
lit candles away from bedding, curtains, papers and anything
else that can ignite easily.
Do
not run electrical cords under your bed or trap them against
a wall where heat can build up. And avoid overloading extension
cords.
Take
extra care when using portable heaters. Keep bedding, clothes,
curtains and other flammable items at least three feet away
from space heaters.
Only
use lab-approved electric blankets and warmers. Check to make
sure the cords are not frayed.
Make
sure everyone in your family knows at least two escape routes
from their bedrooms, and practice these often.
In
case of a fire, stay low to the ground, beneath the smoke,
and use the escape plan you have worked out. Get out and stay
out.
Install
at least one working smoke alarm on each level of your home
and in halls outside bedrooms. Test the batteries every month
and change them at least once a year.
Did
you know? Eighty
percent of all fire deaths occur in the home.
The bedroom
is the most common room in the home where electrical fires
start.
Deaths
due to bedroom fires are particularly avoidable.
Having
a working smoke alarm more than doubles one’s chances
of surviving a fire.
Alternative Heater Safety
return to main fire prevention page
home
Never
smoke in bed.
Replace
all mattresses made before the 1973 Federal Mattress Flammability
Standard. Mattresses made since then are required by law to
be safer.
Keep
lighters, matches and other ignitables in a secured drawer
or cabinet out of reach of children. Children are one of the
highest risk groups for death in residential fires.
Keep
lit candles away from bedding, curtains, papers and anything
else that can ignite easily.
Do
not run electrical cords under your bed or trap them against
a wall where heat can build up. And avoid overloading extension
cords.
Take
extra care when using portable heaters. Keep bedding, clothes,
curtains and other flammable items at least three feet away
from space heaters.
Only
use lab-approved electric blankets and warmers. Check to make
sure the cords are not frayed.
Make
sure everyone in your family knows at least two escape routes
from their bedrooms, and practice these often.
In
case of a fire, stay low to the ground, beneath the smoke,
and use the escape plan you have worked out. Get out and stay
out.
Install
at least one working smoke alarm on each level of your home
and in halls outside bedrooms. Test the batteries every month
and change them at least once a year.
Eighty
percent of all fire deaths occur in the home.