The Simple Life

Work/Life Tools

Family and Friends

• Keep in mind that most fire deaths are caused by smoke inhalation. The importance of smoke detectors cannot be overemphasized. In recent years, roughly three-fifths of home fire deaths have occurred in homes without smoke detectors.
• Put a smoke detector outside every bedroom (more than half of all fatal home fires happen at night) and on every level of the house, including the basement. If you have hearing-impaired individuals in your home, place an additional alarm with a signaling light inside the bedroom as well.
• Make sure the detector carries the label of an independent inspecting agency.
• Test your smoke alarms once a month to make sure they are functioning correctly. All smoke detectors designed for home use in the United States have a button or tab on the outside of the detector for testing detector operation. Check the manual for details.
• Change the smoke-alarm batteries regularly. Some experts recommend doing this twice a year on the days that daylight-saving time changes.
• Don't install a smoke detector near a window, door or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with the detector's operation.
• Never paint a smoke detector.
• Never "borrow" batteries from the smoke detector for another use.

 

• Turn off coffee pots, irons and other electrical appliances as soon as you've used them. Before you leave the house, check to make sure everything is turned off.
• Use surge protectors whenever several devices are plugged into a single wall socket, especially energy-eaters like computers, color televisions, stereos and cordless phones. In addition to preventing damage to electrical equipment, surge protectors keep circuits and appliances from becoming suddenly overloaded. Overloaded circuits and cords may cause fires.
• Read the label on extension cords to make sure you've got the right cord for your needs. The cord should be able to handle the voltage of your appliances. Check labels to be sure how much voltage it can take. Too much current going through a too-small cord can damage the cord and start a fire.
• Make sure your electrical system is up to code and able to pass a city inspection. If your house was built before the '50s you should have it inspected. To determine when your electrical system was last inspected, check the door and cover of your electrical panel(s). Do not remove this panel. The panel should contain a label or tag with a date of the last inspection and a signature or initials.
• If your fuses and circuit breakers blow frequently, you probably need to update your electrical system. The wiring in old houses can't always cope with the heavy electrical demands of modern households. An electrician can install circuits to accommodate computers, washer and dryers, internal vacuum systems, kitchen appliances and other heavy users of electricity.
• If you are renting a house or apartment with an outdated or unsafe electrical system, ask the landlord to update the circuitry. Generally, property owners are eager to protect their investment and will do this willingly. However, if the landlord balks, remind him or her that, by law, the property must be up to code.

 

• Keep a multi-purpose dry chemical fire extinguisher on each floor of the house in an easily accessible spot. Though there are specialized extinguishers for different types of fires, it's less complicated to have multi-purpose extinguishers that work well on wood, grease, flammable liquid and electrical fires.
• It's especially important to have a fire extinguisher in the basement where furnaces and water heaters are located.
• Read the instruction manual so you know how to use the fire extinguishers. Make sure everyone in the house knows when and how to use them.
• Keep a fire extinguisher in your vehicle. Even minor accidents can cause car fires.
• Inspect your fire extinguishers monthly. Check to make sure that each extinguisher:
  • Is easy to get to
  • Has instructions facing toward the user
  • Is full (lift and feel the weight)
  • Has no physical damage or obvious leaks, and has intact tamper indicators
  • Has the pressure gauge in the operable position.

 

• Plan an escape route from every room in the house. Family members should get out first and then phone the fire department from a neighbor's house.
• Hold regular family drills to make sure everyone knows how to get out of the house in case of fire. This is especially important if there are young children in the household. Youngsters who haven't been taught how to escape often hide under a bed or in a closet during a fire.
• Practice the exit plan so that everyone can do it in the dark.
• Set up a specific spot away from the house, such as outside a neighbor's home, where the family should assemble after escaping the fire. Be sure to include this step in your family fire drills.
• If you live in an apartment building, use the stairways to leave the building. Do not use the elevator.
• Go down stairs backward on hands and knees. Smoke rises, so the two feet nearest the floor contain the freshest air and the best visibility.
• Never run back into a burning house. Emphasize this point during your family fire drills.
• Value your life above your possessions. Get out of the house as quickly as possible rather than taking time to rescue items.
• People who wear prescription eyeglasses or dentures should keep these items near their bed for easy retrieval before leaving the house during a fire.

 

• Clean and inspect fireplaces on a regular basis.
• Keep flues clean, including those on fireplaces, furnaces and water heaters. Not only does this reduce fire danger, it helps prevent release of carbon monoxide into the house.
• Do not use hibachis or other non-electrical portable heating units indoors.
• Turn off space heaters when you leave the room.