FIRE & RESCUE
Fire Safety Checklist
For Parents, Guardians, and Caretakers
Because fires are dangerous, it is important that you do all you can to prevent them in your home as well as prepare all members of your household on how to be safe in the event of one. Please use the checklist below to make your home environment safe. If an item cannot be checked off, then do all you can to correct it within a timely manner so you and your family will be prepared!
ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE ESCAPE PLAN—
⬚ Develop and practice a fire escape plan with the entire family.
⬚ Working smoke detectors.
⬚ Two ways out of every room in the home.
⬚ Unobstructed and easy-to-use exits.
⬚ A central meeting place outside the home.
⬚ Members of the household should know what tasks they are responsible for during an escape.
⬚ Practice! Practice! Practice! The plan should be practiced with all members of the household at least twice a year. Appoint a "fire chief" (typically father, mother, adult or caretaker) and hold "realistic" fire drills, remembering to crawl low under smoke. When practicing, pretend some exits are blocked.
⬚ Install smoke detectors on every level of the home and outside all sleeping areas.
⬚ Test detectors every month. Let children help you test them monthly.
⬚ Replace batteries twice a year ("when you change your clocks, change your batteries").
⬚ Detectors should be mounted either high on walls (4" – 12" from ceiling), on ceilings (positioned 4 inches away from nearest wall), or on vaulted ceilings (mounted at highest point of ceiling).
⬚ Replace detectors every 10 years
⬚ Teach children to STOP, DROP (cover face), and ROLL if clothes catch on fire.
⬚ Remember to roll continuously until fire is out.
⬚ Keep all lighters, matches, and chemicals in a locked or secure location.
⬚ Keep all household cleaning agents in a safe place.
⬚ Make sure the kitchen is free of hazards.
⬚ Never leave cooking unattended.
⬚ Turn pot handles toward the back of the stovetop.
⬚ Wear clothes with tight fitting sleeves.
⬚ Don’t hang towels or other combustible materials near the cooking area.
⬚ Use electrical outlets safely.
⬚ Do not overload outlets or plug more than one appliance or extension cord into each outlet.
⬚ If there are very young children in the home, use childproof plugs in all unused outlets.
⬚ Replace all frayed, cracked, or broken electrical cords.
⬚ Unplug large and small appliances when not in use.
⬚ Keep portable heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn.
⬚ Let children know that they shouldn't touch or play near heaters or place anything on them.
⬚ Place fire extinguishers on every level of your home.
⬚ Especially in the kitchen, basement, and garage.
⬚ Keep them in a secure location and easily accessible.