Increased Home Fires Highlights Importance Of Prevention
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MEDFORD, Mass. — Over the past ten days Red Cross volunteers have responded to home fire across Massachusetts and assisted 84 people displaced or affected by 39 fires.
Daily, the Red Cross assists people affected by disaster with direct financial assistance, case work to ensure fire victims find new housing, and mental health counseling to ensure all family members can restart their lives and make progress toward recovery.
Home fires can affect anyone, and as weather turns colder, home fires surge. These safety guidelines can help keep you, your family and your home safe:
Cooking Safety
- "Keep an eye on what you fry." Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or using an open flame.
Fireplaces, Space Heaters, Baseboards, etc.
- "3 feet from the heat." Furniture, curtains, dish towels and anything that could catch fire are at least 3 feet from any type of heat source.
Smoking Safety
- Never smoke in bed.
Electrical and Appliance Safety
- Large and small appliances are plugged directly into wall outlets.
Children Playing
- Matches and lighters are locked away.
Smoke Alarms
- Make sure you have working smoke alarms. Different types of smoke alarms, ionization and photoelectric, detect fire in different ways. Experts recommend having both types in your home.
- Change smoke alarm batteries every year unless it has a long-life battery.
- Replace smoke alarms every ten years.
- A combination of working smoke alarms and fire sprinklers decreases the risk of dying in a home fire.
Heat your home safely
- All heating equipment needs at least three feet of space. Keep away children, pets and things that can burn, such as paper, matches, bedding, furniture, clothing, carpets and rugs.
- If you must use a space heater, look for a model that shuts off automatically if the heater falls over. Place it on a level, hard and nonflammable surface, such as a ceramic tile floor. Don’t place it on rugs and carpets, or near bedding and drapes.
- Plug power cords directly into outlets and never into an extension cord.
- Turn off portable space heaters every time you leave the room or go to sleep.
- Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces and chimneys inspected annually by a professional and cleaned if necessary.
- Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended. Use a glass or metal fire screen to keep fire and embers in the fireplace.
- Never use a cooking range or oven to heat your home.
- Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless and silent killer that claims hundreds of lives each year in the U.S. When a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, treat the alert as a real emergency each time.
- Know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, which include headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness and confusion.
- If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, get quickly to fresh air, and then call 9-1-1.
Prepare for home fires
- Fire experts agree that you may have as little as two minutes to escape a home fire — which is the nation’s most frequent disaster. You can help your family stay safe by practicing your escape plan at least twice a year until everyone can escape in two minutes or less, as well as to test your smoke alarms monthly. Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half.
For free home fire safety resources, visit redcross.org/homefires or download the free Red Cross Emergency App (search "American Red Cross" in app stores). In addition, the free Monster Guard: Prepare for Emergencies App provides 7- to 11-year-olds with a fun, gaming environment to learn how to prevent emergencies, including home fires.
