Fire Safety Checklist
- Have you installed fire detectors in bedrooms and hallways, and on each level of your house? Fire alarms double your chance of survival in a home fire!
- Do you check fire alarm batteries every month and change them at least twice a year?
- Do you keep emergency numbers by the phone? Have you taught your children and babysitters how to use them?
- Do you have family fire drills (using the alarm) to prepare the family for a real emergency?
- Have you informed family members to get out of the house immediately if there is a fire and call the fire department from a neighbor's house?
- Does everyone in your family know the number one rule in case of fire? Get everyone out of the house and do not go back inside!
- Do your children have two methods of exit from your house and know how to use them?
- Have you cleared debris and furniture from all exit routes?
- Does your family know to feel all doors before exiting a room? If the door is hot, move out of the way and use an alternate exit.
- In the event of a home fire, do you have an outdoor location where family members can meet?
- Do children understand the concept of "stop, drop and roll"? (When clothes are on fire, stop, drop and roll back and forth, shielding face from fire with hands.)
- In a fire, does your family know to "drop" to the ground and stay low, where air contains less smoke and is cooler?
- Do you always stay nearby when you are cooking food? Careless cooking is the number one cause of house fires.
- Is a fire extinguisher located near the stove? Ten feet away is ideal.
- Do your children understand not to play with matches? One-quarter of all fire deaths occur because of a fire started by a child.
- Do you periodically check and replace all worn electrical cords?
- Have you removed all electrical cords from underneath rugs?
- Are all flammable liquids stored away from the house and away from heat sources?
- Do you always start lawn equipment at least 10 feet away from the place where it was refueled?
- Do you have the fireplace and chimney checked annually to prevent a fire hazard?
- Do you use dried wood in the fireplace? Damp wood causes creosote to build up, which can result in a chimney fire.
- Do you know to never use liquid fuel in a fireplace or wood stove?
- Do you always shut off space heaters before leaving the house, never use extension cords with heaters and make certain that the heaters are three feet away from anything that might burn?
- If you have a child who repeatedly plays with fire, have you called your fire department? They can help.