Fire Safety
BFD Reminds Residents to Stay Fire Smart!
FIRE SAFETY
BFD Reminds Residents to Stay Fire Smart!
Belltown Volunteer Fire Department is joining forces with the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to remind local residents to "Don't Get Burned." During this year's fire safety campaign, firefighters and safety advocates will be spreading the word about the dangers of home fires and teaching local residents how to stay fire smart and plan and practice escape drills from your home in case a fire occurs.
According to the latest NFPA research, 3,655 people died in 2018 in home fires - that's roughly ten every day. Being alerted to a fire and knowing what to do to escape from one are extremely important, yet only 23% of households have planned and practiced a home fire escape plan.
Are you prepared for a fire? Although it's difficult to prepare for the unexpected, reviewing the information below and taking action based on it to plan for a fire is strongly recommended... and don't forget to practice your escape plan during Fire Prevention Week!
Install working smoke alarms on every level; and inside each bedroom and outside of each sleeping area.
Develop a fire escape plan that identifies two ways out of each room and a family meeting place outside.
Make sure your plan allows for any specific needs in your household. If everyone knows what to do, everyone can get out quickly.
Practice your plan, at least twice a year.
Some studies have shown that some children and adults may not awaken to the sound of a smoke alarm; they may need help waking up.
If the smoke alarm sounds: Go to your closest exit, and if there is smoke on your way out, turn and use your second way out. If you must exit through smoke, get low and go under the smoke to your exit. Don't take time to pick up belongings; just get out and help others get out. Move fast but stay calm.
Fire Prevention Week is actively supported by fire departments across the country. For 85 years fire departments have observed Fire Prevention Week, making it the longest running public health and safety observance on record.
Install smoke detectors
Check smoke detectors once a month and change the batteries at least once a year. Smoke detectors sense abnormal amounts of smoke or invisible combustion gases in the air. They can detect both smoldering and burning fires. At least one smoke detector should be installed on every level of a structure. Purchase smoke detectors labeled by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Factory Mutual (FM).
Links to Learn More About Fire Safety
FOR YOUR HOME
how to protect your home from fire
Install and Maintain Smoke Detectors
Smoke detectors warn you of fire in time to let you escape. Install them on each level of your home and outside of each sleeping area. Follow the manufacturer's directions, and test once a week. Replace batteries twice a year, or when the detector chirps to signal that the battery is dead. Don't ever take the battery out for other uses!
Plan and Practice Your Escape
If fire breaks out in your home, you must get out fast. With your family, plan two ways out of every room. Fire escape routes must not include elevators, which might take you right to the fire! Choose a meeting place outside where everyone should gather. Once you are out, stay out! Have the whole family practice the escape plan at least twice a year.
Space Heaters Need Space
Keep portable space heaters at least 3 feet (1 meter) from paper, curtains, furniture, clothing, bedding, or anything else that can burn. Never leave heaters on when you leave home or go to bed, and keep children and pets well away from them.
Be Careful Cooking
Keep cooking areas clear of combustibles, and don't leave cooking unattended. Keep your pot handles turned inward so children won't knock or pull them over the edge of the stove. If grease catches fire, carefully slide a lid over the pan to smother the flames, and then turn off the burner.
A Match is a Tool for Adults
In the hands of a child, matches or lighters are extremely dangerous. Store them up high where kids can't reach them, preferably in a locked cabinet. And teach your children from the start that matches and lighters and lighters are tools for adults, not toys for kids. If children find matches, they should tell an adult immediately.
Use Electricity Safely
If an appliance smokes or begins to smell unusual, unplug it immediately and have it repaired. Check all your electrical cords, and replace any that are cracked or frayed. If you use extension cords, replace any that are cracked or frayed; and don't overload them or run them under rugs. Remember that fuses and circuit breakers protect you from fire: don't tamper with the fuse box or use fuses of an improper size.
Cool a Burn
If someone gets burned, immediately place the wound in cool water for 10 to 15 minutes to ease the pain. Do not use butter on a burn, as this could prolong the heat and further damage the skin. If burn blisters or chars, see a doctor immediately.
STOP, DROP, AND ROLL
Everyone should know this rule: if your clothes catch fire, don't run! Stop where you are, drop to the ground, and roll over and over to smother the flames. Cover your face with your hands to protect your face and lungs.
Crawl Low Under Smoke
If you encounter smoke using your primary exit, use your alternate route instead. If you must exit through smoke, clean air will be several inches off the floor. Get down on your hands and knees, and crawl to the nearest safe exit.
Practice Candle Safety
The popularity of candles as home decorations has increased in recent years, leading to an increase of candle related fires. Some safe tips include: Never leave a lit candle unattended in any room of the house; never leave candles burning when you go to bed; and never use candles near combustible materials such as curtains, drapes, bedding and cabinets.
SAFETY TIPS
Fire Safety Tips
Don't Get Burned
Keep hot foods and liquids away from tables and counter edges so they cannot be pulled or knocked over.
Have a 3-foot "kid-free" zone around the stove.
Never hold a child in your arms while preparing hot food or drinking a hot beverage.
Teach children that hot things hurt.
Be careful when using things that get hot such as curling irons, oven, irons, lamps, heaters.
When using heating pads only use for 15-20 minutes at a time and don't lie, sit or place anything on the pad.
Just Right?
To avoid scalds, set the thermostat setting in your water heater to no higher than 120 degrees F.
Remember young children and older adults skin burns more easily.
Consider having "anti-scald" devices on tub faucets and shower heads to prevent scalds.
Test the water before placing a child or yourself in the tub.
Never leave young children alone in the tub, shower or near a sink.
Be careful about scalding water. The water should feel warm, not hot. Before you put your child in the tub, test the temperature with your wrist, elbow, or the back of your hand. Don't rely on a tub with a temperature indicator, such as a drain plug that changes color to indicate too hot, too cold, and just right. If you're using a thermometer with a read-out, infant bath water should be no more than 100 degrees. Even when using a thermometer use your wrist, elbow, or the back of your hand as your main guide.
Cool a Burn
Treat a burn right away. Put it in cool water for three to five minutes. Cover with a clean, dry cloth.
If the burn is bigger than your fist or if you have any questions, get medical help right away.
Remove all clothing, diapers, jewelry and metal from the burned areas.
Cooking with Caution
The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.
Pay attention to what you are cooking. Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food.
When you are simmering, boiling, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, stay in the home, and use a timer to remind you.
If you must leave the room even for a short time, turn off the stove.
If you have young children, use the stove's back burners whenever possible.
Keep children and pets at least 3 feet away from the stove.
When you cook, wear clothing with tight-fitting or short sleeves.
Allow food cooked in a microwave oven to cool for a few minutes before you take it out.
Open microwaved food slowly. Hot steam from the container can cause burns.
The Heat is On...
Have a 3 foot kid-free zone around open fires and heaters.
Use a fireplace screen to keep sparks inside the fireplace.
Turn portable space heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room.
Keep things that can burn, such as paper, bedding, or furniture, at least 3 feet from heaters.
Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected each year by a professional.
Make sure your portable space heater has an auto shut-off so if it is tipped over, it will shut off.
Have your chimneys cleaned and inspected before each heating season.
Take it Outside
Ask smokers to smoke outside.
Give smokers deep, sturdy ashtrays.
Never smoke if you are tired, have taken medicine, drugs, or alcohol that makes you sleepy.
Keep smoking materials away from things that can burn, like bedding, furniture, and clothing.
Stay Grounded
Keep lamps, light fixtures, and light bulbs away from anything that can burn, such as lamp shades, bedding, curtains, and clothing.
Replace cracked and damaged electrical cords.
Use extension cords for temporary wiring only. Consider having additional circuits or receptacles added by a qualified electrician.
If you have young children in your home have tamper-resistant electrical receptacles.
Call a qualified electrician or landlord if you have recurring problems with blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers, discolored or warm wall outlets, flickering lights or a burning or rubbery small coming form an appliance.
Neighborhood Watch
With the economic downturn, it is important to keep a watchful eye on your neighborhood. Encourage your community to implement an anti-arson program.
Keep trash from collecting on your property.
Remove abandoned vehicles from your property.
Remove dead branches that could be used as a fuel source.
Fire-Safety Basics
Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. For the best protection, interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
For best protection use both photoelectric and ionization technology. You can use individual ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or combination units that contain both technologies in the same unit.
Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button.
Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.
Make sure everyone can hear the sound of the smoke alarms.
Have a home fire escape plan. Know at least two ways out of every room, if possible, and a meeting place outside. Practice your escape plan twice a year.
When the smoke alarm sounds, get out and stay out.
If you are building or remodeling your home, consider a home fire sprinkler system.