HOME FIRES - SILENT DISASTERS
Every year, the Red Cross
responds to tens of thousands of home fires.
The total number of house
fires this year = 63,111 The American Red Cross responds to an
average of 64,000 home fires each year.
HOME FIRES are the
MOST COMMON and the MOST PREVENTABLE local disaster!
A home fire, can
happen anywhere to anyone, yet it is highly preventable. With the
approach of winter and increased use of wood stoves, candles and
dried evergreens, the local Granite Chapter of the American Red
Cross urges New Hampshire families to review steps for home fire
prevention. It's easy to take a few minutes to prevent a fire in
your home. Here are important
safety tips:
Make
Your Home “Fire Safe”
Ö
Smoke alarms save lives. Install a smoke alarm outside
each sleeping area and on each additional level of your home.
Ö
If people sleep with doors closed, install smoke
alarms inside sleeping areas, too.
Ö
Use the test button to check each smoke alarm once a
month. When necessary, replace batteries immediately. Replace all
batteries once a year.
Ö
Vacuum away cobwebs and dust from your smoke alarms
monthly.
Ö
Smoke alarms become less sensitive over time. Replace
your smoke alarms every ten years.
Ö
Consider having one or more working fire extinguishers
in your home. Get training from the fire department in how to use
them.
Ö
Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system
in your home.
Plan
Your Escape Routes
Ö
Determine at least two ways to escape from every room
of your home.
Ö
Consider escape ladders for sleeping areas on the
second or third floor. Learn how to use them and store them near the
window.
Ö
Select a location outside your home where everyone
would meet after escaping.
Ö
Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
Escape
Safely
Ö
Once you are out, stay out! Call the fire department
from a neighbor’s home.
Ö
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.
Ö
If you are escaping through a closed door, feel the
door before opening it. If it is warm, use your second way out.
Ö
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.
For more safety tips from the American
Red Cross,
click here.
The Red Cross is there to help when the tragedy of home fires
touches our communities.
All
Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by
voluntary donations of time and money from your friends and
neighbors in Wharton County. | 
.gif){kind=small}
.gif){kind=small}
