Fire Safety at Home
A few simple habits, and the right equipment, protect the people you love.
#1Cooking is the leading cause of home fires.
½Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire roughly in half.
2Ways out of every room. Know both before you need them.
Detectors
- Smoke detectors on every level, outside sleeping areas and in each bedroom.
- Carbon monoxide detectors near sleeping areas and fuel-burning appliances.
- Test them monthly and replace them about every 10 years.
In the kitchen
- Stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling or broiling.
- For a pan fire, slide a lid over it and turn off the heat. Never use water on grease.
- Keep towels, oven mitts and packaging away from the stovetop.
A fire extinguisher
- Keep an ABC extinguisher in the kitchen area, near an exit, not right next to the stove.
- Check the gauge is in the green each month.
- Remember PASS: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep. Only fight a small fire with a clear way out.
Have a plan
- Know two ways out of every room, and keep them clear.
- Pick a meeting place outside and practice twice a year.
- Get out, stay out, and call 911 from outside.
Your 1-minute monthly check
Pick a day each month, like the first Saturday, and run through this list.
- Press the test button on every smoke and CO detector
- Extinguisher gauge in the green, pin and seal in place
- Exits, hallways and windows clear
- Nothing stored near the furnace, water heater or stove
- Everyone at home knows the meeting place