Home Fire Safety Tips!
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Working smoke and CO alarms in your home that are tested regularly and less than 10 years old
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Have a practiced home escape plan with a singular meeting place outside of the front of your home.
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Never go back in if your house is on fire. Items within your home are replaceable, you are not.
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Practice fire safety in the kitchen and never leave your cooking unattended.
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Do not store your fire extinguishers under the kitchen sink, store them in easily accessible areas in the event you should have a fire. Remember, never put yourself between your exit and the fire.
- Keep your BBQ or fire pits a safe distance from your home or things that can burn.
Know The Sounds Of Your Alarms
- The best way to understand the sounds your smoke and CO alarms make is to get out the manual that came with the alarm and read through it.
- For most smoke alarms, a continuously sounding alarm means smoke or fire. Hearing this, you should get out, call 9-1-1 and stay out.
- If you hear a single chirp, or a series of three rapid beeps, every 30 or 60 seconds, that means the battery is low and must be changed. Chirping that continues after switching the battery means the alarm is at the end of its life and must be replaced.
- CO alarms have a similar pattern of sounds. A constant set of four loud beeps means carbon monoxide is in your home. Go outside, call 9-1-1 and stay out. A single chirp every 30 or 60 seconds means the battery needs replacing, and if the chirping continues after that, it’s time to buy a new alarm.
- All smoke alarms have a date of manufacture on them and expire every 10 years. Replace CO alarms every seven to ten years or as stated in the manufacturer’s instructions.