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Fires
Each year, more than 4,000 Americans die and more than 25,000 are injured in fires, many of which could be prevented. Direct property loss due to fires is estimated at $8.6 billion annually.
To protect yourself, it is important to understand the basic characteristics of fire. Fire spreads quickly; there is no time to gather valuables or make a phone call. In just two minutes, a fire can become life-threatening. In five minutes, a residence can be engulfed in flames.
Heat and smoke from fire can be more dangerous than the flames. Inhaling the super-hot air can sear your lungs. Fire produces poisonous gases that make you disoriented and drowsy. Instead of being awakened by a fire, you may fall into a deeper sleep. Asphyxiation is the leading cause of fire deaths, exceeding burns by a three-to-one ratio.
Install smoke alarms.
- Properly working smoke alarms
decrease your chances of dying in a fire by half.
- Place smoke alarms on every level
of your residence.
- Place them outside bedrooms on
the ceiling or high on the wall (4 to 12 inches from ceiling), at the top
of open stairways, or at the bottom of enclosed stairs and near (but not
in) the kitchen.
- Test and clean smoke alarms once
a month and replace batteries at least once a year.
- Replace smoke alarms once every
10 years.
- For more information on Smoke Alarms, visit United States Fire Administration.
Review escape routes with your family.
- Practice escaping from each room.
- Make sure windows are not nailed
or painted shut. Make sure security gratings on windows have a fire safety
opening feature so they can be easily opened from the inside.
- Consider escape ladders if your
residence has more than one level, and ensure that burglar bars and other
antitheft mechanisms that block outside window entry are easily opened
from the inside.
- Teach family members to stay low
to the floor (where the air is safer in a fire) when escaping from a fire.
- Clean out storage areas. Do not
let trash, such as old newspapers and magazines, accumulate.
- For more information on escape planning, visit United States Fire Administration.
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