Did you know?

• Most fire deaths occur in the home.
• Most fire deaths occur in homes without a working smoke detector.

Follow these tips to help save your life and property from fire:

Do’s

• For minimum protection, install a smoke detector outside of each sleeping area and on every level of your home.
• Test the detectors once a month, to assure that they are working properly.
• Change the batteries in your smoke detectors every spring and fall when you change your clocks.
• Clean your smoke detectors regularly using a vacuum cleaner without removing the alarm cover.
• If someone in your home is hearing impaired, install smoke detectors that have a flashing light or en extra loud alarm.
• If your smoke detector is 9-10 years old, please replace the detector. Detectors do wear out and most manufactures recommend replacement when they are 10 years old. If you are unsure of the age, it is always safer to replace the unit.

Don’t

• Never remove the battery from a smoke detector for any reason!
• Never place a smoke detector near a kitchen where they will be susceptible to false alarm.
• Do not wait until the smoke detector goes into low battery alarm, (an intermittent chirp), before replacing the battery. However, if the smoke detector begins this slow chirping signal, replace the battery immediately.

As of 2-22-2010 ALL buildings, new or old, with sleeping quarters are now required to have a carbon monoxide detector, and as of 06-27-2015 all commercial buildings and restaurants that have appliances or systems that emit Carbon Monoxide or have an attached garage must have a Carbon Monoxide detector installed.The only exception would be if there is no carbon monoxide source located within or attached to the structure. I will be checking for CO detectors on each remodel permit inspection. Please call the Fire Marshal if you need assistance with placement or with any other questions.

1. Install and Maintain Smoke Detectors: Smoke detectors warn you of a fire in time for you to escape. Install them in each level of your home and outside each sleeping area. Follow the manufacture’s directions and test it once a week. Replace batteries twice a year, and when the detector chirps to signal that the battery is dead. Clean your smoke detectors regularly using a vacuum cleaner without removing the alarm cover. Don’t ever take the battery out for other uses!
2. Space Heaters Need Space: Keep portable space heaters at least 3 feet from paper, curtains, furniture, clothing, bedding, or anything else that can burn. Never leave on when you leave home or go to bed, and keep children and pets well away from them.
3. A Match is a Tool for Adults: In the hands of a child, matches or lighters are extremely dangerous. Store them up high where kids can’t reach them, preferably in a locked cabinet. And teach your children from the start, that matches and lighters are tools for adults, not toys for kids. If children find matches, they should tell an adult immediately.
4. Candles are Dangerous: The use of candles for many reasons is becoming increasingly more and more popular. Along with the increase in candle usage is an increase in candle related fires and fatalities. If you have to use candles, you can limit the risk to yourself and your family by following a few simple safety procedures.

• Never leave a lit candle unattended.
• Never leave candles burning when you go to bed.
• Never leave a child or pet with a lit candle or any open flame, children and pets can knock over a candle causing a fire or possible burns.
• Never use candles near combustible materials such as curtains, drapes, bedding, and or cabinets.
• If you are going to use candles, make sure they sit properly in holders on a flat stable non-flammable surface.

5. Plan and Practice Your Escape: If fire breaks out in your home, you must get out fast. With your family plan two ways out of every room. Choose a meeting place outside where everyone should gather. Once you are out, stay out! Have the whole family practice the escape plan at least twice a year.
6. Crawl Low Under the Smoke: If you encounter smoke using your primary exit, use your alternate route instead. If you must exit through smoke, cleaner air will be down near the floor. Get down on your hands and knees and crawl to the nearest safe exit.
7. Be careful Cooking: Keep cook areas clear of combustibles, and don’t leave items unattended while their cooking. Keep your pot’s handles turned inward so that children won’t knock or pull them over the edge of the stove. If grease catches fire, carefully slide a lid over the pan to smother the flames, then turn off the burner.Use Electricity Safely: If an appliance smokes or begins to smell unusual, unplug it immediately and have it repaired. If you use extension cords, replace any that are cracked and frayed and don’t overload them or run them under rugs or through walls or doorways. Remember that fuses and circuit breakers protect you from fire. Don’t tamper with the fuse box or use fuses that are not the correct size.
8. House Numbers: Very often, Fire, Ambulance and Police agencies receive a call for help only to waste precious moments looking for the correct house. Don’t let this happen to your family. Make sure that your house numbers are at least 5 inches high and clearly visible from the road.
9. Wood Stoves, Fireplaces, Furnaces and Chimneys: Have your chimney and furnace checked and cleaned every year before you use them. Ashes from the fireplace or wood stove should be placed in a metal noncombustible container and placed outside away from the home.

Nobody expects a fire. But it’s very important to have a plan just in case there is one. Fire can happen anywhere, in your home, apartment or place of business. In case of fire, what you don’t know can hurt you. Keep in mind fires don’t always happen to someone else. Having an escape plan could make the difference between life and death for you and your family.

• Have a Fire Escape Plan: Have a family meeting to discuss what to do if there is a fire. Plan two ways out of each room. Practice your plan.
• Decide On a Meeting Place: By deciding on a meeting place, you will know if everyone got out safely.
• Send The Alarm: Dial 911 to report a fire, from a neighbors after you have escaped the fire.
• Don’t Panic, Stay Low And Go: Feel the door on your way out with the back of your hand. If the door is hot, do not open it. If there’s smoke, escape by staying very low to the floor where the air is cooler.
• Open a Window If Your Trapped: Open a window to let out heat and smoke. If you can’t get out, wave a sheet, article of clothing etc. out the window to get help.
• Don’t Go Back: Once you and your family are out, do not go back into a fire for anything! Your life is your most valuable possession. Lives are lost ever year because this important rule is not followed.
• Be Prepared: Provide alternatives for anyone with a disability. Can everyone in your home unlock and open windows?

See Also:

  Uniform Code Fire Notification Form (551 KB)
  Open Burning Law (please follow the link and look for chapter 238)

The following information will help you identify and eliminate potential fire hazards from your home. And in the event of a fire, help you and your family safely escape, and minimize fire damage.

• Remove combustible and flammable materials that are stored near any heat source such as a Furnace, Hot Water Heater, Space Heater or Stove.
• Do not overload electric outlets or extension cords Do not run extension cords under rugs, through holes in the wall or under doors Replace old damaged and frayed extension cords.
• Replace fuses with the correct size. Never use a larger fuse than the one you replaced.
• Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children.
• Have smoke detector on every level of your home and outside every sleeping area.
• Test your smoke detectors regularly and replace the battery twice a year when you change your clocks. Never remove the battery from a smoke detector for any reason.
• Develop an escape plan from every room in your home. Make sure all family members know the plan and practice it.
• If you use candles, be extremely careful. Do not leave them unattended, and do not leave them lit after you go to bed.
• Have your furnace and chimney inspected and cleaned at least annually.
• Never smoke in bed.
• Make sure there are no smoldering butts when you empty ash trays.
• Check furniture after a party for smoldering cigarette butts which could cause a fire while you sleep.
• Properly dispose of ashes from your wood burning stove or fireplace in a metal container stored outside away from the home.
• To stop grease fires on the stove, never use water! Cover the fire with a pan lid and turn off the burner.
• Make sure your house numbers are clearly visible from the road.
• Make sure that any fire hydrants near your home are clear of any snow, weeds and grass.
• If you have to call 911, stay calm and answer all the questions asked of you and do not hang up until the 911 operator hangs up.
• Close doors as you leave the building this will slow the progress of the fire and possibly isolate it for a short time.
• Everyone in your home should sleep with their doors closed to help protect them from the smoke and hot gasses of a fire. This simple act can save your life.
• Place additional smoke detectors in each bedroom so that occupants would be protected with the bedroom door closed.

See Also:

  Uniform Code Fire Notification Form (551 KB)
  Open Burning Law (please follow the link and look for chapter 238)