Fire Safety and Burn Prevention

· Install smoke detectors on every floor of your home, especially outside your bedrooms so you will hear when you are sleeping.

· Test your smoke detectors monthly.

· Replace the batteries in smoke detectors twice a year. A good way to remember is to change them when you change your clocks in the spring and fall.

· Keep matches and lighters in a secured drawer or cabinet.

· Store flammables (paint, thinner, kerosene) outside of your home in a shed.

· Have your furnace inspected regularly and change the filter every year.

· Supplemental heaters such as space heaters, should be unplugged or turned off while your family is sleeping.

· Do not burn anything but logs in your fireplace. Put a screen on your fireplace to protect the room from sparks. Have your chimney cleaned and inspected once a year.

· Never smoke in bed, and stop smoking if you feel sleepy.

· Have a fire extinguisher on each floor of your home, and know how to use it. Most fire extinguisher can be operated by the PASS method (Pull pin, Aim at base of fire, Squeeze handle, and Sweep from side to side). Keep fire extinguishers away from young children. Older children should be taught how to use the fire extinguisher.

· Keep hot foods away from the edges of counters and tables.

· Avoid using tablecloths or placemats. A child could pull it on them and be burned by spilling hot foods and drinks.

· Use the back burners of the stove first and turn all pot handles toward the rear of the stove. You also might want to use a stove guard.

· Keep appliances clean. Grease buildup catches fire easily.

· Unplug toasters and other electrical appliances when they aren’t in use.

· While you are cooking, keep your child in a safe place away from the stove, like in a playpen or secured in a high chair.

· Do not carry your child and a hot drink or food at the same time.

· Test microwaved foods and drinks before giving them to your child. The outside of the container may feel warm, but the inside can be hot enough to burn.

· Do not heat baby formula in the microwave. Instead, heat a cup of water and place the bottle in the cup of hot water to warm it.

· Be sure to open containers away from you and your child. Steam can burn too!

· Keep hot water heater thermostats below 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

· Always check bath water with your wrist, elbow, or a bath thermometer before placing a child in bath water. Maximum safe temperatures are between 90-100 degrees. The best temperature is 96 degrees Fahrenheit.

· Never leave your child alone in the tub. A child can drown or turn on the hot water and get burned very quickly.

· Keep curling irons, hot rollers, and other heated appliances and their cords out of your child’s reach.

· Keep all electrical appliances such as hair dryers, toasters, and blenders away from the sink and tub.

· Use ground fault circuit interrupters in areas near water (for example the kitchen, bathroom, or outside) to deep a deadly amount of electricity from reaching a person.

· Children can get shocked by chewing or sucking on an electrical cord or an extension cord. Unplug cords you are not using, and keep them out of your child’s reach.

· Never overload all outlets or extension cords.

· Cover unused electrical outlets with single-panel covers that cover both outlets at once. (Your child can choke on the smaller, individual outlet covers.)

· Apply sunscreen of at least 15 SPF when your child is in the sun. Apply 30 minutes before going outdoors.

· Do not use sunscreen on babies under 6 months old without consulting a health professional.

· Wear a hat and t-shirt during the hottest hours of the day (10am-4pm).

· Make a list of all exits from your home, including two usable exits from each bedroom: the door and a window.

· Buy a chain ladder for every upstairs bedroom and practice using it with older children. It should be stored within the bedroom.

· Draw the floor plan of your home and draw arrows to indicate each escape route. Post a copy in each bedroom and teach your family how to escape.

1. Get out fast

· You may have just a minute to get out before smoke, gas, or fire kills you.

· You do not have time to call the fire department or to gather valuables.

· Teach your children to get out quickly. Children sometimes hide when they are scared.

· Keep a key in or near deadbolt locks at night so that you don’t get locked in.

2. Crawl- never walk or run.

· The poisonous smoke and extreme heat of a fire can kill you.

· Stay low to avoid the rising smoke and heat.

3. Feel the door with the back of your hand to see if it is hot before you open it.

· Never open a hot door (the fire is on the other side).

· Open a cool door slowly and crawl out of the house, if there is no smoke or fire in your way.

· If there is smoke or fire in your way, escape through a window instead.

4. If the door is hot, put a sheet or clothes under it to seal the room from smoke.

· Crawl through the window to escape.

5. Know how to escape from a window.

· Stay low to the ground and open the window.

· Climb out if you can safely reach the ground.

· Use a chain ladder to escape from an upstairs bedroom.

· If the window won’t open, break it by throwing a heavy object at it. (Protect yourself from broken glass.)

6. Choose a safe meeting place outside.

· A meeting place such as the mailbox helps in making sure that everyone is out.

· Do not go back in to the burning house for any reason.

· Go to a neighbor’s house to call the fire department.

· Have your address clearly marked on your mailbox to help firefighters find your home.

· Run cold water over the skin for 20 minutes, then gently wash the burned area and loosely bandage it. (Do not use ice or butter, and do not break the blisters.)

· All second-degree burns larger than a quarter, or burns that remain red, painful, or swollen, should be seen by a doctor.

· Any burns on a baby (birth to 1 year), even sunburns, should be checked by a doctor right away.

· If the skin is whitish or charred and does not hurt, your child probably has a third-degree burn. This is serious.

· Third-degree burns do not hurt because the nerves have been damaged. Call 911 or your local emergency number.

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