| Plan
& Prepare › Fires |
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Information provided by Ready.gov |
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According to FEMA, more than 4,000 Americans die and more than 20,000 are injured as a result of fires – many of which could be prevented. Direct property loss due to fires is estimated at $8.6 billion a year.
When there is a fire, do not waste time gathering valuables or making a phone call. Fires can spread quickly, becoming life threatening in two minutes and engulfing a residence in as little as five minutes. While flames are dangerous, heat and smoke can be more dangerous and can sear your lungs. As the fire burns, poisonous gases are emitted that can cause you to become disoriented or drowsy, which could put you into a heavy sleep. The leading cause of fire-related deaths is asphyxiation, outnumbering burns by a three-to-one ratio. It is important to learn about fires in order to protect yourself.
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Step
1: Get A Kit
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Get an Emergency
Supply Kit, which includes items like
non-perishable food, water, a
battery-powered or hand-crank radio, extra
flashlights and batteries. You may want to
prepare a portable kit and keep it in your
car. This kit should include:
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Copies of
prescription medications and medical
supplies; |
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Bedding
and clothing, including sleeping bags
and pillows; |
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Bottled
water, a battery-operated radio and
extra batteries, a first aid kit, a
flashlight; |
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Copies of
important documents: driver’s license,
Social Security card, proof of
residence, insurance policies, wills,
deeds, birth and marriage certificates,
tax records, etc. |
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Step 2:
Make a Plan
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Prepare
your family |
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Make
a Family
Emergency Plan. Your family may
not be together when disaster
strikes, so it is important to know
how you will contact one another,
how you will get back together and
what you will do in case of an
emergency. |
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Plan
places where your family will meet,
both within and outside of your
immediate neighborhood. |
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It
may be easier to make a
long-distance phone call than to
call across town, so an out-of-town
contact may be in a better position
to communicate among separated
family members. |
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You
may also want to inquire about
emergency plans at places where your
family spends time: work, daycare
and school. If no plans exist,
consider volunteering to help create
one. |
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Be
sure to consider the specific needs
of your family members
- Notify
caregivers and babysitters about
your plan.
- Make
plans for your pets
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Take a
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
class. Keep your training
current. |
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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. |
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Step
3: Be Informed
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Prepare
Your Home |
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Install
smoke alarms |
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According to
FEMA, properly working smoke alarms decrease your chances of dying in a fire by 50 percent.
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 – a good way to remember to do this is to replace the batteries during National Preparedness Month which occurs every September. Or, as you set your clock back for daylights saving time, remember to check and replace your smoke detector batteries.
Replace smoke alarms once every 10 years |
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Find out how to keep food safe during and after and emergency by visiting:
http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/emergency/index.html |
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Listen
to Local Officials |
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Learn about the
emergency plans that have been established in
your area by local government. In any emergency,
always listen to the instructions given by local
emergency management officials.
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Additional
Resources |
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For
further information on how to plan and
prepare for fires as well as what to do
during and after a fire, visit: Federal
Emergency Management Agency, NOAA
Watch or American
Red Cross. You may also find helpful
information on the U.S.
Fire Administration Web site. |
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