Safeguard Your Home From Fire

Ways to safeguard your home from fire from the American Red Cross:

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside every sleeping area.
• Install a carbon monoxide alarm in a central location outside each separate sleeping area.
• Make sure your house number is easily readable from the street, even at night.
• Make sure your home heating sources are clean and in working order. Many home fires are started by poorly maintained furnaces or stoves, cracked or rusted furnace parts, or chimneys with creosote buildup.
• Use kerosene heaters only if permitted by law. Refuel kerosene heaters only outdoors and after they have cooled.
• Check electrical wiring in your home:
  • Replace extension cords that are frayed, have exposed wires, or loose plugs.
  • Make sure wiring is not under rugs, attached by nails, or in high traffic areas.
  • Make sure electrical outlets have cover plates and no exposed wiring.
  • Avoid overloading outlets or extension cords.
• Purchase only appliances and electrical devices (including space heaters) that bear the label of an independent testing laboratory.
• Store combustible materials in open areas away from heat sources. Place rags used to apply flammable household chemicals in metal containers with tight-fitting lids.

The author of this content cannot be liable for any use or misuse of the contents. This is a guideline and is meant for information only.