Home Fire Safety
Is your home Fire Safe?
Per the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 358,500 home structure fires per year during 2011-2015, which represents three-quarters of all structure fires. $6.7 billion in direct damage, or 68% of total direct damage in structure fires. Your household has a one in four chance of having a home fire large enough to be reported to a fire department during an average lifetime. Someone in your household also has a one in ten chance of suffering a fire injury in a home fire an average lifetime.
To see if your home is fire safe, download the Home Fire Safety Checklist and check your home.
The 7 Ways to Prepare for a Home Fire
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Install the right number of smoke alarms. Test them once a month and replace the batteries at least once a year.
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Teach children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do when they hear one.
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Ensure that all household members know two ways to escape from every room of your home and know the family meeting spot outside of your home.
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Establish a family emergency communications plan and ensure that all household members know who to contact if they cannot find one another.
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Practice escaping from your home at least twice a year. Press the smoke alarm test button or yell “Fire“ to alert everyone that they must get out.
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Make sure everyone knows how to call 9-1-1.
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Teach household members to STOP, DROP and ROLL if their clothes should catch on fire.
