House Fire Ready

Each year, household fires cause more than 4,000 Americans deaths and more than 25,000 injuries. Many residential fire-related deaths remain preventable and continue to pose a significant public health problem.

Prepare
Install Smoke Alarms

• Properly working smoke alarms decrease your chances of dying in a fire by half.
• Place smoke alarms on every level of your residence. Place them outside bedrooms on the ceiling or high on the wall (4 to 12 inches from ceiling), at the top of open stairways, or at the bottom of enclosed stairs and near (but not in) the kitchen.
• Test and clean smoke alarms once a month and replace batteries at least once a year when you change your clocks back to Standard Time each Fall. Replace smoke alarms once every 10 years.

Plan
Plan Your Escape

• Review escape routes with your family. Practice escaping from each room.
• Make sure windows are not nailed or painted shut. Make sure security gratings on windows have a fire safety opening feature so they can be easily opened from the inside.
• Consider escape ladders if your residence has more than one level, and ensure that burglar bars and other antitheft mechanisms that block outside window entry are easily opened from the inside.
• Teach family members to stay low to the floor when escaping from a fire.

Stay Informed
During a Fire

To escape a fire, you should:

• Check closed doors for heat before you open them.
• If you are escaping through a closed door, use the back of your hand to feel the top of the door, the doorknob, and the crack between the door and the door frame before you open it.
• Never use the palm of your hand or fingers to test for heat – burning those areas could impair your ability to escape a fire (i.e., ladders and crawling).
  • Hot Door
    Do not open. Escape through a window. If you cannot escape, hang a white or light-colored sheet outside the window, alerting firefighters to your presence.
  • Cool Door
    Open slowly and ensure fire and/or smoke is not blocking your escape route. If your escape route is blocked, shut the door immediately and use an alternate escape route, such as a window. If clear, leave immediately through the door and close it behind you. Be prepared to crawl. Smoke and heat rise. The air is clearer and cooler near the floor.
• Crawl low under any smoke to your exit – heavy smoke and poisonous gases collect first along the ceiling.
• Close doors behind you as you escape to delay the spread of the fire.
• Stay out once you are safely out. Do not reenter. Call 9-1-1.

After a Fire

• If you are with burn victims or are a burn victim yourself, call 9-1-1; cool and cover burns to reduce the chance of further injury or infection.
• If you detect heat or smoke when entering a damaged building, evacuate immediately.
• If you have a safe or strong box, do not try to open it. It can hold intense heat for several hours. If the door is opened before the box has cooled, the contents could burst into flames.
• If you must leave your home because a building inspector says the building is unsafe, ask someone you trust to watch the property during your absence