Be Prepared for House Fires

CONCORD - October 4, 2006 - Your local chapter of the American Red Cross urges families to prepare for a home fire.

House fires are the most common disaster in the United States. To prevent house fires like this recent one in Allenstown, prepare a plan for your family, including the steps recommended by the American Red Cross.

According to a recent poll by the Red Cross, four out of five Americans are unaware that home fires are the most common disaster in the United States, but only 26 percent of families have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan. Since fires kill more Americans each year than all natural disasters combined, the Red Cross Concord Area Chapter and Greater White Mountain service unit urges families to use Red Cross resources to develop a fire escape plan and to take steps toward fire prevention and safety.

Simple Steps to Prevent Fires

• Keep all sources of fuel (paper, clothing, bedding, and carpets or rugs) at least three feet away from all heat sources when cooking, or using alternative heating like a space heater.
• Provide constant adult supervision during cooking or in rooms with lit candles or fires. Do not leave burning candles unattended.
• Keep matches and lighters away and out of reach of children.
• Teach young children to tell an adult if they see matches and lighters and not to touch them.
• Teach adolescents to resist peer pressure and not to play with fire if curious or bored.

Simple Steps to Make Your Home Safer

• Smoke alarms save lives. Install a smoke alarm outside each sleeping area and on each additional level of your home. If people sleep with doors closed, install smoke alarms inside sleeping areas. Use the test button to check each smoke alarm once a month. When necessary, replace batteries immediately. Replace all batteries at least once a year. Smoke alarms become less sensitive over time, so replace your smoke alarm every 10 years.
• Consider having one or more working fire extinguishers in your home. Get training from the fire department in proper use of your extinguishers.
• Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system in your home.
• Determine at least two ways to escape from every room of your home. Consider escape ladders for sleeping areas on the second or third floors. Learn how to use escape ladders and store them near windows.
• Select a location outside your home where everyone would meet after escaping.
• Practice your escape plan, especially with children and older adults, at least twice a year and revise as necessary.

Safety Tips During a Home Fire

• Once you are out, stay out! Call the fire department from a neighbor's home.
• If you see smoke or fire in your first escape route, use your second way out. If you must exit through smoke, crawl low under the smoke to your exit. If you are escaping through a closed door, feel the door before opening it. If the door is warm, use your second way out.
• If smoke, heat, or flames block your exit routes, stay in the room with the door closed. Signal for help using a brightly colored cloth at the window. If there is a telephone in the room, call the fire department and tell them where you are.

To prevent kitchen fires, the Red Cross recommends that you keep all potential fuel sources, including potholders and food wrappers, at least three feet away from heat sources while cooking. In addition, stoves and ranges should be turned off if the responsible adult leaves the kitchen.

"Preparing for a home fire doesn't require a lot of expensive equipment or training. Fire Prevention Week is a great time for families to plan for a potential fire," said Dan Brennan, the Chapter's Director of Emergency Services . "In addition to smoke alarms, one of the easiest ways you can prepare is to develop and practice a home fire escape plan so that every family member can escape quickly and safely."

The Red Cross suggests that a fire escape plan include at least two escape routes for every room in the home, and a convenient meeting place at a safe distance from the fire. Families are encouraged to pay particular attention to developing and regularly practicing escape plans for children and the elderly because of their increased risk of injury or death from fire. According to the NFPA, children and adults 65 and older are twice as likely to die in a home fire as the American population at large.

Last year the Red Cross responded to 67,000 fires nationwide by providing immediate emergency assistance to fire victims. Each of the 800 local Red Cross chapters uses donations to provide assistance for food, clothing, prescription medications, temporary shelter and other special needs an affected family might have.

During the month of October, the American Red Cross partnered with The Home Depot to host Family Fire Safety Clinics in Concord and Tilton.

For more information about Red Cross fire safety and preparedness, visit www.redcross.org or contact your local Red Cross chapter at 1 (800) 464-6692 or (603) 225-6697.

The Concord Area Chapter and Greater White Mountain service unit serve the Concord area, the Lakes Region and the North Country. Specially trained chapter volunteers respond to disasters, including home fires, providing help and support for immediate needs of the affected families. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.

For more information, contact your chapter at 1 (800) 464-6692 or (603) 225-6697.

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