Alternative Heating	Carbon Monoxide Detector	Children
Cooking	Electrical	General
Home	Portable Heater	Smoke Detector
Storage	Travel	Vehicles

Information on this page is not complete by any means it is just a good starting point.

Home Fire Safety

• Set up Evacuation Drills In The Home (EDITH) - practice evacuating your house, and meeting at the designated point OUTSIDE.
• Get Out of your house if you have a fire - call 911 from your neighbor's house.
• Take a walk around your house, shed, garage and property. Repair or discard any unsafe items, and make sure you have any flammable materials stored safely.
• Discard properly any soiled cleaning rags or towels. Soiled material can spontaneously combust under certain conditions.
• Clean your clothes dryer filter between each load.
• Pull your dryer out from the wall, and ensure that there is not any dangerous buildup of lint behind the dryer or in the exhaust hose.
• Make sure that everything you put in the dishwasher is safe for dishwasher use - plastic can burn from contacting the heating element.

Fire Safety Tips for Travelers

• Take a smoke detector with you, in case your hotel/motel room doesn't have one installed.
• Take a moment to note the evacuation route(s) and instructions before you settle in for the night.

Fire Safety Tips Regarding Children

• Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children.
• Teach your children never to play with matches, lighters, or fireworks.
• Teach your children how to call 911, as well as their address and telephone number.
• Teach your children the "Stop, Drop, and Roll" method to extinguish flames on themselves.

Fire Safety Tips Regarding Cooking

• Never "Barbecue" or grill indoors on a smoker or barbecue grill. These devices are intended for outdoor use only.
• Keep your grill at least 30 feet from any structures - for residents of apartments, condominiums and townhouses, it's the law. For the rest of us, it's just an excellent idea.
• Don't leave food unattended on the stove.
• Keep dangling clothing away from burners.
• Turn handles on pots and pans so that they can't be knocked off the stove accidently.
• Keep appliances clean and free of grease and crumbs.
• Make sure your stove is turned off and small appliances unplugged before leaving the house or going to bed.

Fire Safety Tips Regarding Storage Areas

• Make sure that storage areas are free from excess clutter. It adds to the fire load, and can impede your evacuation as well as our attack in case of an emergency incident.
• Make sure that flammable materials are stored in proper approved container, well away from sources of heat or ignition.
• Do not store gasoline in your house.

Fire Safety Tips Regarding Vehicles

• Only use a approved portable gasoline container for gasoline storage.
• Do not fill your portable gasoline can in your vehicle remove the can from the vehicle.
• Make sure the container is sealed tightly.
• Container should not be left in the vehicle for longer than absolutely necessary, especially on a warm or sunny day.
• If you smell gasoline or suspect a gasoline leak, do not operate the vehicle until the leak is repaired.
• If you smell smoke or see flames, pull over well off the traveled roadway as soon as safely possible to do so. Do not attempt to drive any further.

Safety Tips Regarding Electrical

• Replace frayed or cracked electrical wiring.
• Do not run electric power cords under rugs.

Safety Tips Regarding Portable Heaters

• Plug electric space heaters directly into the wall socket, not into extension cords.
• Place heaters where they will not be knocked over easily.
• Unplug heaters when they are not being used.
• Do not use heaters to dry clothing or other items.

Safety Tips Regarding Alternative Heating

• Make sure your fireplace or wood burning stove is clean and in good repair before using it.
• Keep all combustible materials well away from the heat.
• Make sure you use the proper fuel for your heating device.
• Do not use gasoline in a kerosene heater.
• Do not burn coal in a device meant to burn wood.

Safety Tips Regarding Smoke Detectors

• Consider installing both a photo-electric and ionization smoke detector in your house. While photo-electric detectors may react quicker than ionization detectors, the photo-electric detectors may not detect the black smoke generated by synthetic materials as quickly as the white smoke generated by natural materials.
• Check your smoke detectors monthly, and replace the batteries in them in the spring and fall when you adjust your clocks.
• Install at least one smoke detector on each floor of your house, away from air vents, and at least six inches away from walls and corners.
• Install smoke detectors near bedrooms.
• If there are any smokers in the house, install a smoke detector in their bedroom.
• If your smoke detector sounds while you are in bed, Roll out of bed and stay low to the floor remember that the heat and toxic gases are up higher.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

• If you burn anything in your house, such as wood, natural gas, propane, kerosene, or coal, install a Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector. This device can warn you of potentially deadly CO gas before the concentration reaches the harmful level.

• Learn the warning signs of CO poisoning: redness of the skin, headaches, dizziness, nausea, weakness, loss of muscle control, chest tightness, heart fluttering, sleepiness, confusion, vomiting or diarrhea. If more than one person in the household is sick, and they feel better after being away from the house for a while, CO poisoning should be suspected. If you suspect CO poisoning, get out of the house and call the fire department.