Fire Prevention

There are many things that can cause fires within your home. Here are a few tips to help reduce the risk of a fire in your home

Cooking

Cooking fires are the leading cause of house fires. According to NFPA cooking causes 62% of all house fires.
Keep area clear of flammable materials and kept clean of dirt and grease.
Double check to make sure everything is off when finished.
If your oven has self clean feature, make sure everything is out before using it.
Never use a cooking stove to heat your home or dry your clothes.

Keep Candles away from curtains and other flammable objects.
Never leave a candle burning while no one is home, especially if you have animals.

When disposing of ashes from the woodstove, never place ashes into a plastic bucket.
Never leave the ashes bucket on your porch, or any flammable area in your house.
Always water down the disposed ashes. They can stay hot for up to 96 hours after fire has gone "out".

Power Strip overloading is a common cause of fires.
Make sure that you do not have extension cords or multiple power strips off of one another.
Limit no more than 4 cords per power strip

Always try to smoke outside.
Smoking on the bed or couch, hot falling ashes can burn into the couch and smolder.
Make sure your cigarette is completely out before discarding.
Never smoke if you are on constant oxygen.

When using fireworks, make sure you keep an eye out for possible grass fires from embers.
Use fire works far enough away from your house the embers can not land on it.
Be sure to water down used fire works before disposing of them as they can relight up to a few hours later.

If using real candles in your jack-o-lanterns be sure you are home, and the candles are out if you leave. Try to use glow sticks or battery powered candles.
Dried flowers, corn stalks and other decorations catch fire easily.

Use turkey fryer outdoors away from buildings and all combustible material.
Make sure fryer is on a flat non-combustible surface. Never leave fryer unattended. Most units do not have thermostat controls. The oil will continue to heat until it catches fire.
Keep children and pets away from fryer even when you are done using the fryer. The oil can remain dangerously hot for hours after use.
Make sure turkey has completely thawed. Oil and water do not mix; water causes oil to spill over causing a fire. To avoid oil spillover, do not overfill the fryer.
Have an ABC rated fire extinguisher on hand when using the fryer.

Place the Hanukkah menorah out of the reach of small children and curious pets. The flames from lighted candles and oils can not only burn tots and pets, but can create a fire hazard threatening the safety of other members in the household.
If you place a lighted menorah near a window, pull back draperies and remove other flammable objects.
Keep a fire extinguisher handy near the menorah

Check all holiday light cords to ensure they aren’t frayed or broken. Don’t string too many strands of lights together — no more than three per extension cord. Turn off all holiday lights when going to bed or leaving the house.
Look for the fire-resistant label when buying an artificial tree. Keep it away from fireplaces, radiators and other sources of heat. If getting a live tree, make sure it’s fresh and keep it watered. A dry tree catches fire in seconds.
Do not put your tree, boxes or gift wrap into your fireplace. This creates way too much heat way too fast possibly causing a chimney fire.

Place the Kwanzaa Kinara out of the reach of small children and curious pets. The flames from lighted candles and oils can not only burn tots and pets, but can create a fire hazard threatening the safety of other members in the household.
If you place a lighted Kinara near a window, pull back draperies and remove other flammable objects.
Keep a fire extinguisher handy near the Kinara