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The National Fire Protection Association recently reported that there were 366,600 home structure fires between 2007 and 2011.
Seven people in the U.S. died each day in home fires during that time. To help reduce these numbers, the NFPA has developed 10 safety tips to reduce the number of fires and fire deaths:
- Watch your cooking — Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave, even for a short time, turn off the stove. If you are simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food, check it regularly, and remain in the home while the food is cooking. Use a timer.
- Give space heaters space — Keep fixed and portable space heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn. Turn of the heaters when you leave the room or go to sleep.
- Smoke outside — Ask smokers to smoke outside. Have sturdy, noncombustible, deep ashtrays for smokers.
- Keep matches and lighters out of reach — Keep matches and lighters up high, out of reach of children, preferably in a cabinet with a child lock.
- Inspect electrical cords — Replace cords that are cracked, damaged, have broken plugs or loose connections.
- Be careful when using candles — Keep candles at least one foot from anything that can burn. Blow out candles when you leave the room or go to sleep.
- Have a home fire escape plan — Make a home fire escape plan and practice it at least twice a year.
- Install smoke alarms — Install smoke detectors on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Interconnect the alarms throughout the home. When one sounds they all will sound. For best protection, both ionization and photoelectric alarms or a combination detector are recommended.
- Test smoke alarms — Test the alarms at least once a month and replace conventional batteries twice a year. Replace any detector that is more than 10 years old.
- Install sprinklers — If you are building or remodeling your home, install residential fire sprinklers. They can contain, and may even extinguish a fire, in less time that it would take the fire department to arrive.
To learn more about fire safety, visit www.nfpa.org/safetytips or call the Everett Fire Department at
(617) 387-7198. |
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