Red Cross Home Fire Preparedness
Volunteer Michelle Adams
Home Fire Preparedness
Get tips on escaping from a home fire, plus learn smart habits that can prevent a fire from starting.
Need Help Now?
If you need help after a home fire, please contact your local Red Cross.
The 7 Ways to Prepare for a Home Fire
1.Install the right number of smoke alarms. Test them once a month and replace the batteries at least once a year.
2.Teach children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do when they hear one.
3.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.
4.Establish a family emergency communications plan and ensure that all household members know who to contact if they cannot find one
another.
5.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.
6.Make sure everyone knows how to call 9-1-1.
7.Teach household members to STOP, DROP and ROLL if their clothes should catch on fire.
Home Fire Escape Plans
Unsure where to start? Use these guides to help begin your escape plan:
Single Family Home:
www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_Cu
... y_Home.pdf
Multi Family Dwelling:
www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_Cu
... elling.pdf
High-Rise Apartment Complex:
www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_Cu
... rtment.pdf
Use this printable worksheet to plan and practice home fire drills:
p.widencdn.net/4wvu1z/145733-Ti
... x8-5-FINAL
Develop Fire-Safe Habits
If you do nothing else:
Keep items that can catch on fire at least three feet away from anything that gets hot, such as space heaters.
Smoking materials are the leading cause of residential fire deaths in the United States. If you smoke, take precautions: Smoke outside; choose fire-safe cigarettes; never smoke in bed, when drowsy or medicated, or if anyone in the home is using oxygen.
Use deep, sturdy ashtrays and douse cigarette and cigar butts with water before disposal.
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.
Never leave a burning candle unattended, even for a minute.
Protect your home
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside every sleeping area. Also, install a carbon monoxide alarm in a central location outside each separate sleeping area.
Keep matches and lighters up high, away from children, preferably in a locked cabinet.
Use flashlights when the power is out, not candles.
Make sure your house number is easily readable from the street, even at night.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Fact Sheet:
www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_Cu
... tSheet.pdf
Reduce fire risks in your home
Make sure your home heating sources are clean and in working order. Many home fires are started by poorly maintained furnaces or stoves, cracked or rusted furnace parts, or chimneys with creosote buildup.
Use kerosene heaters only if permitted by law. Refuel kerosene heaters only outdoors and after they have cooled.
Check electrical wiring in your home.
Fix or replace frayed extension cords, exposed wires, or loose plugs.
Make sure wiring is not under rugs, attached by nails, or in high traffic areas.
Make sure electrical outlets have cover plates and no exposed wiring.
Avoid overloading outlets or extension cords.
Purchase only appliances and electrical devices (including space heaters) that bear the label of an independent testing laboratory.
Store combustible materials in open areas away from heat sources.
Place rags used to apply flammable household chemicals in metal containers with tight-fitting lids.
Home Heating Fires:
www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_Cu
... tSheet.pdf
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