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Fire Safety TipsFire is one of the most common disasters. Fire causes more deaths than any other type of disaster. But fire doesn’t have to deadly if you have early warning from a smoke detector and everyone in your family knows how to escape calmly.
Please be serious about the responsibility of planning for and practicing what to do in case of a fire. Be prepared by having various household members do each of the items on the checklist below. Then get together and discuss and finalize your personal Fire Plan.
Here is what you can do to prepare for a fire emergency:
Make your home fire-safe
Smoke alarms save lives. Install a smoke alarm outside each sleeping area and on each additional level of your home. If people sleep with doors closed, install smoke alarms inside sleeping areas, too. Use the test button to check each smoke alarm once a month. When necessary, replace batteries immediately. Replace all batteries at least once a year. Vacuum away cobwebs and dust from your smoke alarms monthly. Smoke alarms become less sensitive over time. Replace your smoke alarms every ten years. Consider having one or more working fire extinguishers in your home. Get training from the fire department in how to use them. Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system in your home.Plan your escape routes
Determine at least two ways to escape from every room of your home. Consider escape ladders for sleeping areas on the second or third floor. Learn how to use them and store them near the window. Select a location outside your home where everyone would meet after escaping. Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.Escape safely
Once you are out, stay out! Call the fire department from a neighbor’s home. If you see smoke or fire in your first escape route, use your second way out. If you must exit through smoke, crawl low under the smoke to your exit. If you are escaping through a closed door, feel the door before opening it. If it is warm, use your second way out. If smoke, heat, or flames block your exit routes, stay in the room with the door closed. Signal for help using a bright-colored cloth at the window. If there is a telephone in the room, call the fire department and tell them where you are.601 N. Golden Circle Drive, Santa Ana, CA, 92705
Phone: (714) 481-5300 Website: www.oc-redcross.org
