Safety Tips

SAFETY WITH APPLIANCES

Keep furnaces, stoves, and smoke pipes away from combustible walls and ceilings, and in good repair.
Keep oil stoves or oil heaters level and clean.
Have heating equipment checked each year by a service company, for leaks and possible trouble.
Make sure portable heaters are properly located and maintained.
Have chimneys regularly checked and cleaned.
Keep a good screen in front of your fireplace.
Be sure the TV antenna is installed safely and has a ground lightning arrestor.
Have appliances checked periodically for safe condition.
Have an electrician check the wiring of your home for safe condition.
Have hanging lamps supported by means other than the wires.
Inspect electrical cords for exposed wires and do not use them for permanent wiring.
Do not run cords under rugs or hooked over nails.
Avoid overloading electrical outlets, this could cause overheating

Make it a rule to NEVER leave small children unattended.
Make sure your babysitter knows the escape routes and procedures for your home.
Instruct babysitters to evacuate the children first, above all else.
Do your babysitters know how to phone the fire department?
Teach your children to keep a safe distance from flame and spark sources. Make sure their clothing is fire safe.
Teach your children what to do if your clothes catch on fire: "Stop, Drop, and Roll" - Stop, Drop to the ground, and Rollback and forth till the fire goes out. If your hands are not on fire, use them to protect your face.
Have frequent fire escape drills that include your children.

Central heating units should be inspected annually by a qualified contractor. Special attention should be given to the build up of lent and dust. This can be very flammable.
Portable space heaters should have a three (3) foot clearance around them. Curtains, chairs, and other combustibles should be clear of the appliance. Never leave portable heaters unattended.
Natural gas fueled heaters need special attention. They should be inspected to assure proper venting of combustion as well as the elimination of Carbon Monoxide gases. Install a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector.
Educate children of the dangers of heating appliances.

Is your dwelling a single-story, multi-story, or high-rise? Single-story is usually safer.
It is better that bedrooms be located on ground level for fast, safe, emergency escape.
Are the rooms where fires usually start (living rooms, ends, kitchens, and basements) located under or near stairways; or could smoke travel freely from fire in these rooms to block the stairs? These are dangerous conditions and you must be prepared and ready for alternate emergency escape routes.
Keep attics, basements, and storage rooms clean and avoid storing concentrations of combustible materials.
Know how to shut off the gas service to your home.

Draw a floor plan of your home showing the bedrooms, halls, stairs, exit doors, and windows.
Mark the preferred (normal) exit route from each bedroom.
Plan and mark an alternate (emergency) escape route from each bedroom. (A window may be the only emergency escape route from a bedroom). This alternate route is to be used if fire, heat, or smoke block the normal exit route.
Plan a definite place to meet the rest of the family outside of the house, and write it on the floor plan.
Plan how you will evacuate (or rescue) any crib-age children, invalids, or handicapped in your household.
Decide which telephone (outside your dwelling) you will use to notify the fire department of the fire.
Install automatic fire detection (e.g. smoke detectors)
Practice your plan often in mock drills.

Test your smoke detectors at least once a month. Most detectors have a "Press to Test" button. A broken detector provides NO protection and you can't afford to be without early warning to a fire.
If your detector is battery operated, change the batteries once a year as a minimum.
You should have at least one smoke detector on each level of your home or apartment. The protection of sleeping areas is very important, since most fatal home fires happen at night.
Train everyone in your family to respond quickly at the sound of the smoke detector. Second's count ... practice getting out safely.

Always be careful of disposing of cigarettes, cigars, and pipe ashes. Make sure they are out and deposited in non-flammable containers, not waste baskets.
Obtain plenty of large, safe ash trays for use throughout the house.
Matches and lighters should be kept out of reach of children.
Double-check for smoldering cigarette butts in chairs and sofas before retiring, especially after guests leave.
Keep rubbish cleaned out of any smoking area.
Make a rule, NEVER smoke in the bed -- while alone or intoxicated, sleepy or under medication.
Do not smoke near oily rags, and keep them in sealed containers.