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Every year, the Red Cross
responds to tens of thousands of home fires. THIS
MAP shows details the home fires each of our chapters responded to between
July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009.
The total number of house
fires this year = 63,111 The American Red Cross responds to an average of 64,000
home fires each year.
HOME FIRES are the MOST
COMMON and the MOST PREVENTABLE local disaster!
A home fire, can happen anywhere
to anyone, yet it is highly preventable. With the approach of winter and
increased use of wood stoves, candles and dried evergreens, the local Granite
Chapter of the American Red Cross urges New Hampshire families to review steps
for home fire prevention. It's easy to take a few minutes to prevent a fire in
your home. Here are important
safety tips:
Make Your Home “Fire Safe”
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Smoke alarms save lives. Install a smoke alarm outside each
sleeping area and on each additional level of your home.
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If people sleep with doors closed, install smoke alarms inside
sleeping areas, too.
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Use the test button to check each smoke alarm once a month. When
necessary, replace batteries immediately. Replace all batteries once a year.
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Vacuum away cobwebs and dust from your smoke alarms monthly.
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Smoke alarms become less sensitive over time. Replace your smoke
alarms every ten years.
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Consider having one or more working fire extinguishers in your
home. Get training from the fire department in how to use them.
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Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system in your
home.
Plan Your Escape Routes
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Determine at least two ways to escape from every room of your
home.
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Consider escape ladders for sleeping areas on the second or third
floor. Learn how to use them and store them near the window.
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Select a location outside your home where everyone would meet
after escaping.
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Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
Escape Safely
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Once you are out, stay out! Call the fire department from a
neighbor’s home.
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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.
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If you are escaping through a closed door, feel the door before
opening it. If it is warm, use your second way out.
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If smoke, heat, or flames block your exit routes, stay in the room
with the door closed. Signal for help using a bright-colored cloth at the
window. If there is a telephone in the room, call the fire department and tell
them where you are.
For
more safety tips from the American Red Cross,
click here.
The Red Cross is there to help when the tragedy of home fires touches our
communities.
All Red Cross disaster assistance
is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from
the American people.
If you wish to assist those
displaced by home fires or other disasters, send a donation to the Granite
Chapter, American Red Cross, 2 Maitland St., Concord, NH 03301 or contact the
Chapter at 1-800-464-6692.
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