Last week was Fire Prevention Week and we want to review everything we’ve learned for protecting your home and your family from fires!
Here’s some tips on how to keep your home safe from fires.
Plan your escape route
- Draw a simple map of your home including all doors and windows.
- Check that you can you find two escapes from each room.
- Check all doors and windows to ensure they are useable and accessible.
Test your smoke alarms
- Press the test button to check batteries.
- Let children hear what the alarm sounds like to know when it’s an emergency.
- Click here for the National Fire Protection Association Tip Sheet.
- Plus, make sure you have a fire extinguisher in the home in an easily accessible location.
Choose an outside meeting place
- If you ever need to escape out of the house, decide where the family will meet.
- Choose an object that will never move and is far from the home (like a mailbox, a specific tree, or a street sign).
Make a regular reminder
- Put your plan of action up in the house where it can be regularly reviewed by the family.
- Include the emergency phone number for the fire department (9-1-1).
Practice home fire drills
- Set up a practice fire drill for your family to execute the escape route from different rooms in the house.
- Fire Fighters can look scary in all of their gear, try to introduce your children to a friendly fireperson to let them show off their gear and spread the message that they are safe and helpful and not scary!
