|
|
 Fire
Safety
What
is the best way to keep my family safe from a home fire?
One of the
most important steps you can take to protect your family against fire is to
install smoke alarms and keep them in good working order. You can buy smoke
alarms at most home and hardware stores, and they often cost $10 or less.
Check with your fire department to see if they give out and install free smoke
alarms.
-
Install
smoke alarms outside every bedroom or any area where someone sleeps. Also
install them in furnace areas. Be sure there is at least 1 alarm on every
level of your home, including the basement, or at each end of a mobile home.
-
Place
smoke alarms away from the kitchen and bathroom. False alarms can occur
while cooking or even showering.
-
Test
smoke alarms every month by pushing the test button. It is best to use smoke
alarms that have long-life batteries, but if you do not, change the batteries
at least once a year, such as when you change your clocks in the fall.
-
Replace
smoke alarms every 10 years.
-
Never
paint a smoke alarm.
-
Clean
(dust or vacuum) smoke alarms once a month.
-
Use
smoke alarms equipped with a flashing light and an alarm in homes with children
or adults who are hard of hearing or deaf .
Fire drills
- be prepared!
Even young
children (3 and older) can begin to learn what to do in case of a fire.
-
Install
at least 1 smoke alarm on every level of your home.
-
Have
an escape plan and practice it with your family. This will help you
and your family reach safety when it counts. When a fire occurs, there will
be no time for planning an escape.
-
Draw
a floor plan of your home. Discuss with your family 2 ways to exit every
room. Make sure everyone knows how to get out and that doors and windows
can be easily opened to permit escape. If you live in an apartment building,
never use an elevator during a fire. Use the stairs!
-
Agree
on a meeting place. Choose a spot outside your home near a tree, street
corner, or fence where everyone can meet after escaping. Teach your children
that the sound of a smoke alarm means to go outside right away to the chosen
place.
-
Know
how to call the fire department. The fire department should be called
from outside using a portable phone or from a neighbor's home. Whether the
number is 911 or a regular phone number, everyone in the family should know
it by heart. Make sure your children know your home address, too. Teach
your children that firefighters are friends and never to hide from them.
-
Practice,
practice, practice. Practice your exit drill at least twice a year.
Remember that fire drills are not a race. Get out quickly, but calmly and
carefully. Try practicing realistic situations. Pretend that some exits
or doorways are blocked or that the lights are out. The more prepared your
family is, the better your chances of surviving a fire.
Note: Parents of
very young children or children with special needs should have a safety plan
that fits their child's needs and abilities. For example, a child who is hard
of hearing or deaf may need a smoke alarm with a flashing strobe-light feature.
Parents with children younger than 5 years must plan on an adult rescuing
them in the case of a house fire; they are too young to be able to reliably
rescue themselves.
Know what to do in
a fire
-
Test
any closed doors with the back of your hand for heat. Do not open the
door if you feel heat or see smoke. Close all doors as you leave each room
to keep the fire from spreading.
-
Crawl
low under smoke. Choose the safest exit. If you must escape through
a smoky area, remember that cleaner air is always near the floor. Teach
your child to crawl on her hands and knees, keeping her head less than 2
feet above the floor, as she makes her way to the nearest exit.
-
Don't
stop. Don't go back. In case of fire, do not try to rescue pets or possessions.
Once you are out, do not go back in for any reason. Firefighters have the
best chance of rescuing people who are trapped. Let firefighters know right
away if anyone is missing.
-
Stop,
drop, and roll! Cool and call. Make sure your child knows what to do
if his clothes catch fire.
-
Stop!
- Do not run.
-
Drop!
- Drop to the ground right where you are.
-
Roll!
- Roll over and over to put out the flames. Cover your face with your
hands.
-
Cool
- Cool the burned area with water.
-
Call
- Call for help.
For your
sitters
When you
are away from home and someone else cares for your children, make sure that
your children and the sitter will be just as safe as when you are there.
-
Let your
sitter know about your family's escape plan.
-
Remind
sitters never to leave the children alone.
-
Remind
sitters that you do not allow smoking in or around your home.
Leave emergency
information near the phone. Include the local fire department phone number,
your full home address and phone number, and a neighbor's name and phone number.
Published online: 9/07
Source: Keep Your Family Safe: Fire Safety and Burn Prevention at Home
(Copyright © 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics)
Healthcare professionals
may order
this publication in multi-copy packs.
Parents can find more information on this topic in Caring for Your Baby and
Young Child: Birth to Age 5. To order a copy of this book visit the AAP
Bookstore.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information contained
in this publication should not be used as a substitute for the medical care
and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your
pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
|
|
|
