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Fire Prevention
Sobering Statistics
Do you take fire prevention seriously? Consider these statistics:
- Fire is one of the leading causes of accidental death in the home.
- Fire most often affects children and the elderly. Fires account for
more than $2 billion in damage to homes each year.
Fire Prevention Tactics
Fires can begin anywhere, but your kitchen and garage pose the biggest
threats for in-home blazes. Here's how to reduce your risk of fire in
vulnerable places, along with tips to protect items in your home.
Appliances and tools
Use only UL (Underwriters Laboratories)-listed or FM (Factory Mutual)-approved
appliances and tools, checking regularly for frayed or worn power cords
or plugs. Replace faulty cords immediately. Never operate appliances,
switches or outlets with wet hands or plug in more appliances than a socket
is designed to handle.
Stove
Keep areas around stoves, refrigerators, and dishwashers clean to prevent
dust particles from igniting. Don't store flammable items over the stove.
Turn pot handles inward so children can't pull them down. It's also a
good idea to keep a fire extinguisher on a wall nearby the stove.
Trash
Keep trash and other items away from the furnace or water heater, preferably
stored in sealed containers.
Heating equipment
Experts advise that you check heating equipment annually. Never store
gasoline and other flammables near heating equipment or a pilot light.
Instead, store them in tight metal containers away from the house.
Know Your Fire Prevention Equipment
Smoke detectors
Smoke detectors are an important and effective tool to alert you of a
fire in your home and/or awaken you from sleep; note that most deaths
from fire occur when people are sleeping. The National Fire Protection
Association recommends that you install one smoke detector outside each
bedroom and on all levels of your home and that you test all your smoke
detectors at least one a month.
Fire extinguishers
A fire extinguisher can help you control a small fire and prevent further
damage. A multi-purpose dry chemical fire extinguisher, labeled A-B-C,
is effective against most types of fires.
Fire extinguishers designed for fighting specific fire forms are especially
useful in the following areas of your home:
- Type A (for the den or living areas): Use Type A on ordinary combustibles
such as paper, cloth, wood, rubber and many plastics.
- Type B (for the kitchen or garage): Use Type B on flammable liquids
such as oils, gasoline, kitchen grease, paints, and solvents.
- Type C (for the basement or workroom): Use Type C on electrical fires
from wiring, fuse boxes, motors, power tools, appliances and electronics.
One Fire Escape Route Not Enough
In the event of a large, uncontrollable fire, your best defense is a
quick escape. Plan a fire escape route and an alternate route to be used
when the main route is blocked by fire. Practice taking the escape and
alternate routes regularly with your family.
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