Fire & Building - FIRE Division - Fire EDUCATION
Fire Department  |  Building Department
 

Phone: (530) 458-7721
 FIRE EDUCATION
Install smoke detectors. A working smoke detector can alert you if there is a fire in your home. This provides early warning in time to escape a fire. Smoke detectors should be on every level of your home, outside each sleeping area and in each bedroom. Test your detectors monthly and change the battery twice a year. Any smoke detector that is more than 10 years old should be replaced.

Plan your fire escape - if fire breaks out you have to get out fast. Prepare for a fire emergency by sitting down with your family and agreeing on an escape plan. Be sure that everyone knows at least two ways out from every room - doors and windows. Decide on a meeting place outside where everyone will meet after they escape. Practice these plans every 6 months.

Keep an eye on smokers - careless smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths in North America. Smoking in bed when you are drowsy can be deadly. Provide smokers with ashtrays and soak butts with water before discarding them. Before going to bed or leaving home after someone has been smoking, check under and around cushions and upholstered furniture for smoldering cigarettes. Ashes from cigarettes can retain heat for 48 hrs.

Cook carefully - never leave food unattended. Keep cooking areas clear of combustibles and wear clothes with short or rolled-up sleeves when you cook. Turn pot handles inward on the stove where you cannot bump them or children cannot grab them. If grease catches fire in a pan, slide a lid over the pan to smother the flames and turn off the heat. Leave the lid on until it is cool.

Give space heaters space - keep portable heaters and space heaters at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn. Keep children and pets away from heaters and never leave heaters on when you leave home or go to bed. Never refill kerosene heaters inside the house. The fumes are combustible and could catch fire.

Remember, matches and lighters are tools, not toys - in a child's hands, matches and lighters can be deadly. Use only child-resistant lighters and store all matches and lighters up high, where small children can't see or reach them. Teach your children that matches and lighters are tools, not toys, and should only be used by adults or with adult supervision. Teach young children that they should always tell a grown-up if they find matches or lighters.

Cool a burn - run cool water over a burn for 10 to 15 minutes. Never put butter or any other grease or ointment on a burn. If the burned skin blisters or is charred, see a doctor immediately. Never use ice.

Use electricity safely - if an electrical appliance smokes or has an unusual smell, unplug it immediately, then have it serviced before using it again. Replace any electrical cords that are frayed or cracked. Don't overload extension cords or run them under rugs. Don't tamper with your fuse box or use improper size fuses.

Crawl low under smoke - during a fire, smoke and poisonous gases rise with the heat. The air is cleaner near the floor. If you find smoke while you are escaping from a fire, find an alternate escape route.

Stop, Drop and Roll - if your clothes catch fire, don't run. Stop where you are, drop to the ground, covering your face with your hands, and roll side to side, over and over to smother the flames.

Exit Drills in the Home

Once a fire starts, it can spread rapidly. Halls and stairways may become filled with
intense heat; poisonous gases and blinding smoke. Exits may be blocked, trapping you
or your family. Protect your family by developing and practicing exit drills in the home
starting today. Most fire deaths occur late at night while people are sleeping, you should
practice your plan during the day and also practice one at night. Everyone should know
exactly what to do if a fire occurs in your home.

Plan Your Escape

  • Gather your family together to discuss your plan.
  • Draw a floor plan of your entire house. Include the doors, windows, stairs, halls, and
    balconies.
  • Show two ways out of every room. One exit is your primary or normal route out of
    your home. A secondary or emergency exit should be identified in the event your
    primary exit is blocked. You may need to include safety ladders for second story
    windows. Check at your local hardware store.
  • Have a method of alerting the entire family when a fire is detected. Every home
    should have a working smoke detector.
  • Plan a meeting place outside and away from the home. Make sure everyone is
    accounted for and that no one goes back into a burning house. Once out, stay out!
     
  • Call the fire department from a neighbor's phone. Dial 9-1-1.
Practice Your Plan
  • Have every member in your family participate.
  • Everyone should be in the bedroom with the door closed. A closed door will hold
    back deadly smoke and hot gases.
  • Sound the smoke detector, to alert the family.
  • Roll out of your bed and crawl on the floor to the door. Remember smoke and heat
    rises, stay low to the ground.
  • Feel the door with the backside of your hand. Pretend it feels hot. If hot, crawl to
    your secondary emergency exit. Practice a second time and pretend it feels cool. If
    your door feels cool to the touch, brace your shoulder against the door and open it
    cautiously. If hot heat and smoke rush in, closed the door immediately and go to
    your emergency exit.
     
  • Everyone should meet outside at the assigned family meeting place.
  • Discuss who will go the neighbor's house to use the phone and call 9-1-1.
     
  • Practice your plan at least twice a year.