Of course the best way to practice Fire Safety is to prevent fires
from occuring in the first place.


Start by keeping these tips in mind:
-Check that all electrical appliances, cords and outlets are in good working condition.
-Are your electrical appliances in good condition, without loose or frayed cords or plugs?
-Are your outlets overloaded with plugs from the TV, computer, printer, video game system, and stereo?
-Are you overusing an extension cord?
-Do the light fixtures in your home contain bulbs that are the correct wattage?
-Does your home contain GFCIs (ground-fault circuit interrupters) and/or AFCIs (arc-fault circuit interrupters), that prevent electrical shock and fire by shutting off faulty circuits?

Look around your house for potential problems.
Unless you're a trained electrician, be careful about do-it-yourself electrical projects. Studies have shown that many home fires are caused by improper installation of electrical devices.

Other Tips:
-Replace or professionally repair any appliances that spark, smell unusual, or overheat.
-Don't run electrical wires under rugs.
-Make sure lamps and night-lights are not touching bedspreads, drapes, or other fabrics.
-Use caution when using electric blankets.
-Don't let kids use kitchen appliances by themselves and supervise any art or science projects that involve electrical devices.
-Cover any outlets that are not in use with plastic safety covers if you have toddlers or young children in your home.

Be especially vigilant about portable heaters.
The number of residential fires greatly increases during colder months, peaking between December and February. Portable space heaters substantially contribute to this increase.

Before plugging in your space heater, make sure you know how to use it safely:
-Carefully read the directions for its use.
-Never place a space heater where a child or pet could accidentally knock it over.
-Never place a space heater too close to a bed, especially a child's bed.
-Keep newspapers, magazines, and fabrics from curtains, clothes, or bedding away from space heaters, radiators, and fireplaces.
-Heaters should be at least 3 feet from anything flammable.

Make sure you clean our dryer lint filter after every load and clean out the dryer vent hose at least once a year. Dryer lint is very flammable and many homes have burned due to dryer lint fires.

 

Plan your Escape Route in case of a fire before you need to use it!

Planned escape routes are a necessity, especially if a fire were to occur during the night. Go through each room in your house and think about the possible exits. You should have in your mind two escape routes from each room, in case one is blocked by fire. Inspect the room to make sure that furniture and other objects are not blocking doorways or windows. Make sure that the windows in every room are easy to open and are not painted over or nailed shut — remember, these may be your only way out in a fire. Choose a meeting place that is safely away from your home and make sure that every family member knows where this spot is. Practice fire drills often, especially with young children to make sure they remember. Practicing with each season change is a good idea in order to reinforce the routine.

If you live in an apartment building, make sure that any safety bars on windows are removable in an emergency. Be sure that you know the locations of the closest stairwells or fire escapes and where they lead.

If your house is more than one story tall or if you live above the ground floor of an apartment building, an escape ladder is an important safety feature. You should have one escape ladder made of fire-safe material (aluminum, not rope) in each upper-story bedroom that is occupied by a person who is capable of using it.

Like fire extinguishers, escape ladders should be operated by adults only. The ladder must be approved by an independent testing laboratory, its length must be appropriate for your home, and it must support the weight of the heaviest adult in the house.

Be sure any babysitters in your home know all escape routes
and plans in case of a fire.

Hi Kids, Meet Patches the Robot Fire Dog!

The Robertson Fire Protection District is proud to announce a new addition, Patches the Fire Dog Robot. Patches is a new interactive tool will assist with fire and safety awareness. The target audience for Patches is 3 to 12 year olds, but adults will be amazed by his interaction as well. Patches is a fully animated dog and remote control fire truck. Patches can move, speak, listen, play audio, wink, blink, and move his eyes right to left all by remote control. As he talks, his mouth is synchronized with the words. The fire truck has headlights, flashing emergency lights, and a siren which all help to capture the audience’s attention. Patches will be used in schools, assemblies, station tours, mall exhibits, parades and any other setting where a fire safety message may be presented. Keep your eyes out for Patches as he is entertaining by presenting safety and fire awareness in a fun and interesting way.

Kids,
Patches and the firefighters want you and your families to be safe. Please don't play with matches, electrical items, or appliances. Ask your parents for help.

To learn more about Fire Safety, have your parents look at the websites below and let you play the games to teach you about Fire Safety, and you can even print out pages to color - or even color some of them online and print them out!

From Your Friend,
Patches

Change the batteries in your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors twice a year
when you change your clocks for daylight savings time.

It's a fact that having a smoke alarm in the house cuts your risk of dying in a fire in half. Almost 60% of all fatal residential fires occur in homes that don't have smoke alarms, so this may be the single most important thing you can do to keep your family safe from fires.

If your home doesn't have smoke alarms, now is the time to install them on every level of your home and in each bedroom. If possible, choose one with a 10-year lithium battery. If your smoke alarm uses regular batteries, remember to replace them every year (hint: change your batteries when you change your clock back from Daylight Saving Time in the fall).

Test your smoke alarms monthly, and be sure your kids are familiar with the sound of the alarm and what they should do if they hear it.

Because smoke rises, smoke detectors should always be placed on ceilings or high on walls. If a smoke detector near the kitchen goes off while you're cooking, do not take the battery out of it — you may forget to replace it. Open the doors and windows instead. Or you might consider installing a rate-of-rise heat detector for places like the kitchen, where smoke or steam from cooking are likely to cause false alarms. These alarms can sense when the temperature reaches a set critical point or when it rises by more than a certain number of degrees a minute.

Carbon monoxide (sometimes referred to as CO) is a colorless, odorless gas produced by the burning of material containing carbon. Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause brain damage and death. You can't see it, smell it, or taste it; but carbon monoxide can kill you.

Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America. This odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas is known as the "Silent Killer." The Centers for Disease Control estimates that carbon monoxide poisoning claims nearly 500 lives, and causes more than 15,000 visits to hospital emergency departments annually.

Carbon monoxide is produced by common household appliances. When not properly ventilated, carbon monoxide emitted by these appliances can build up. See below for a list of appliances that can emit carbon monoxide.

Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning such as headaches, nausea, and fatigue, are quite often mistaken for the flu because the deadly gas goes undetected in a home. Prolonged exposure can lead to brain damage and even death. If you think you may have carbon monoxide poisoning, do not hesitate to call 911!

If you're having a new home built or remodeling an older home, you may want to consider adding a home sprinkler system. These are already found in many apartment buildings and dormitories.

Be prepared for any accidents by having fire extinguishers strategically placed
around your house.

You should have at least one extinguisher on each floor and one in the kitchen (this one should be an all-purpose extinguisher, meaning it can be used on grease and electrical fires), and one in the basement, the garage, or workshop area. Keep them out of the reach of children.

Fire extinguishers are best used when a fire is contained to a small area, like a wastebasket, and when the fire department has already been called.

The NFPA says to remember the word PASS when operating an extinguisher:

Pull the pin. Release the lock with the nozzle pointing away from you.

Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire.

Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.

Sweep the nozzle from side to side.

Mouse over image to see proper extinguisher use.

The best time to learn how to use the fire extinguisher is now, before you ever need it (if you have any questions, the local fire department can help). Fire extinguishers have gauges on them indicating when they need to be replaced and should be checked regularly to make sure they're still functional.

If you're ever in doubt about whether to use an extinguisher on a fire, don't try it. Instead, leave the house immediately and call the fire department.