If your home caught fire, would you know what to do?

Would Your Children?

Exit Drills In The Home (E.D.I.T.H)

1. Prepare a floor plan of your home showing at least two ways out of each room.
   
   
2. Sleep with your bedroom door closed. It helps to hold back heat and smoke.
   
   
3. Agree on a fixed location out-of-doors where family members are to gather for a head count.
   
   
4. Make certain that no one goes back inside.
   
   
5. Practice - Practice - Practice.

Home Fire Safety Checklist

Pre-Fire Planning

• Have you planned at least two ways to get out of every room in your home?
• Do you keep exit routes clear in your home?
• Do you know how to notify your fire department quickly and correctly in case of fire?

Protect your home from Wildland Interface Fires

Find out more about the Partners in Protection FIRE SMART program.

Check out the wildland fire interface booklet.

Especially for Children

• Do you make it a rule never to leave small children alone or unattended?
• Do your baby-sitters (and you) know the first rule of safety in fire emergencies? -- Get everybody out fast, and don't go back in.
• Do you show your baby-sitters the escape routes from your home, and give instructions on the correct way to report a fire?

Good Smoking Habits
While we encourage you to choose a healthy lifestyle, if you must smoke, please keep the following in mind:

• Is smoking in bed strictly against the rule in your home?
• Do you always make sure that cigarette, cigar and pipe ashes are completely extinguished before you dispose of them? Before going to bed, be SURE there are no cigarettes still burning.
• Are matches kept out of the reach of children? Keep matches and lighters above the "strike zone" (too high for children to reach).

Heating and Cooking

• Are furnaces, stoves and smoke pipes kept in good repair and located far enough away from combustible walls and ceilings so that they do not create a hazard? Use a fireplace screen to prevent sparks from flying.
• If you have portable space heaters in your home do you see that they are properly maintained and located? Keep portable space heaters away from people, curtains, and furniture.
• Do you have an annual inspection of your heating system? Have heating equipment checked and cleaned each year.
• Do your sleeves get into things when you cook? Wear tight-fitting clothing when you cook.
• Can you stop a cooking fire safely? Smother a pan fire with a lid. Never use water. If cooking oil starts to smoke, turn down the heat. Don't throw whatever's handy on the counter, such as dumping flower from the bag, on the fire (explosion!)

Electricity

• Do you see that extension cords are never run under rugs or hooked over nails? Avoid using extension cords wherever possible (especially small-wired cords used with high-wattage appliances.)
• When the breaker "trips" or a fuse blows, do you investigate WHY it happened? If a fuse blows (or a breaker "trips"), find the cause. Remove excess appliances (lamps, stereo components, space heaters, etc.) from a breaker circuit that frequently "trips".
• Is the right size fuse (20 amps for lighting circuits) in each socket in the fuse box? Replace the fuse with one of the correct size.
• Is your TV well ventilated? Allow air space around the TV to prevent overheating. If it doesn't work right, it can be a fire danger.

Good Housekeeping

• Do you keep rubbish cleaned out of the attic, basement, closets, garage and yard? Sort and remove rubbish. Don't store things near the furnace or heater.
• Are gasoline and other flammable liquids stored in safety cans, and kept well away from both heat and children?
• Move flammable liquids away from heat. Do not store flammable liquids in the home. Keep them stored outside and away from the house in a separate storage building.
• Don't fill a hot lawn mower or other motor; let it cool first.

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