Is the chill of winter creeping in and around your house? The best defense is making sure your home’s heating system is maintained properly
Follow these tips for extra efficiency and warmth
Other safety suggestions
Furnace Maintenance Checklist
US Fire Administration- Safety Tips for The Home Avoiding a Furnace Fiasco
Let’s Have Fun with Fire Safety- kids booklet
Source: Winter Residential Building Fires (PDF, 1.0 Mb)
Halloween is a fun holiday but it’s also an important time to practice fire safety. The occurrence of fire increases around Halloween due to arson and the use of candles as decorations. Follow these tips for a happy and fire-safe Halloween: Learn how to prevent tragic Halloween fires. Safety tips for parents and children from the U.S. Fire Administration.
Fires cause an estimated 3,500 deaths and nearly $4 billion in property damage in the United States annually — much more than hurricanes, tornadoes or floods. Yet many people ignore common fire hazards in the home and don’t prepare themselves or family members for this more common catastrophe. Set aside some time and effort to protect your home from a devastating blaze with these safety tips.
In this fun, animated video, Rover the Home Safety Hound and Freddie Flashlight teach children to stay away from things at home that might cause fire and burns.
This segment from NBC’s TODAY Show may surprise some parents, as it shows how kids can sleep right through the sound of a smoke alarm.
This video done by the NIST shows a VERY DRY Christmas tree on fire in a room. It takes a little over 30 seconds for the room to flashover. Keep your tree watered. Once it ignites (short circuit of a strand of lights, direct flame, etc) it will become a fully developed fire very fast and extend to the rest of the structure very quickly.
Home Fire Prevention and Safety Tips * Fire Safety for Children
*****************************************************************************************************************
Fire Resources - a page of links and resources on these topics
The fireplace may be a happy spot for the family to gather ‘round. But did you know that fireplaces and chimneys caused 27,200 residential fires in the United States in 2008—and that those blazes caused $147.6 million in property damage and 10 fatalities?
Statistics like these drive home the importance of scheduling an annual chimney inspection. An inspector can check for one big culprit of chimney fires—creosote, which is a thick, gummy substance that’s a byproduct of burning wood.
Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) for additional information and resources regarding Chimney Safety. To locate a CSIA-certified chimney sweep in your area, check out the CSIA home page.
Fires cause an estimated 3,500 deaths and nearly $4 billion in property damage in the United States annually — much more than hurricanes, tornadoes or floods. Yet many people ignore common fire hazards in the home and don’t prepare themselves or family members for this more common catastrophe.
Household Appliances- Household appliances are another common cause of fires. Many people feel invulnerable from electrical fire hazards, thinking the rules don’t apply to them. Don’t make the same mistake and instead connect with these warnings:
Cook Up a Safe Place- Most home fires start in the kitchen. To protect your home and family:
Protecting Possessions
A house fire is traumatic enough. Not having a good record of your belongings can only add to the misery. Keeping a home inventory of the items you have and their values will help you when the rebuilding starts. There are free downloads available from the Insurance Information Institute to serve as a guide to homeowners in order to have record after a loss.
A few simple steps can help when taking inventory: Don’t put it off. Start with new items and their value, and then try to remember older items. An incomplete inventory is better than nothing at all. Use your camera. Take pictures or video of your home and write down descriptions to go with it. Keep it safe. Be sure to keep the inventory in a secure place, such as a fire box or safe deposit box.
This year, the focus is on the kitchen so it’s the perfect time to teach your little chefs how to be safe in kitchen. For example, even though it can be convenient, it’s not safe to hold a child while cooking. Instead, move a high chair in the kitchen within sight before you start. Here are a few more safety tips.
The use of a fire extinguisher in the hands of a trained adult can be a life and property saving tool. However, a majority of adults have not had fire extinguisher training and may not know how and when to use them. Fire extinguisher use requires a sound decision making process and training on their proper use and maintenance. Tips on what type of extinguisher to buy, when to use and how to maintain it
In this fun, animated video, Rover the Home Safety Hound and Freddie Flashlight teach children to stay away from things at home that might cause fire and burns.
In the event of a fire, remember that every second counts, so you and your family must always be prepared.
Smoke alarms are required by your insurance. Since most fires start between midnight and 4 a.m., the key to survival is being awake and alert.
Working smoke alarms reduce the chances of dying in a fire by nearly 50 percent. They are a critical first step for staying safe, but in order to be effective, they have to be working properly.
For the best protection, install smoke alarms on every level of your home and in every sleeping area.
This segment from NBC’s TODAY Show may surprise some parents, as it shows how kids can sleep right through the sound of a smoke alarm.
Fuel-powered devices can provide wonderful benefits to families when used properly. But they also underscore an important necessity in the home: the need for a carbon monoxide alarm.
Carbon monoxide poisoning can result from faulty furnaces or other heating appliances, portable generators, water heaters, clothes dryers, or cars left running in garages. At its worst, carbon monoxide can cause severe side effects or even death.
Young children are especially vulnerable to the effects of carbon monoxide because of their smaller bodies. Children process carbon monoxide differently than adults, may be more severely affected by it, and may show signs of poisoning sooner. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, nausea and drowsiness.
Escape plans help you get out of your home quickly. In less than 30 seconds, a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire. It only takes minutes for a house to fill with thick black smoke and become engulfed in flames.
More Fire Safety Tips