Fire Safety at Home: Protecting Yourself and Your Family

Safety does not stop when we leave the workplace. Many of the same practices we use at work—hazard recognition, equipment inspection, emergency planning, and training—are equally important at home.

Today’s topic focuses on preventing fires at home, maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and making sure every family member, especially children, knows what to do during an emergency.

1. Recognizing Fire Hazards at Home

Home fires can start from cooking, heating equipment, electrical problems, candles, smoking materials, appliances, and improperly used extension cords or power strips.

Employees should regularly inspect their homes for the following conditions:

• Damaged, cracked, loose, or overheated electrical cords.

• Extension cords being used as permanent wiring.

• Extension cords placed under carpets, rugs, doors, or furniture.

• Overloaded receptacles or power strips.

• Major appliances connected through extension cords or power strips.

• Portable heaters located too close to furniture, curtains, bedding, paper, or other combustible materials.

• Cooking left unattended.

• Lint buildup in clothes-dryer filters, ducts, or vents.

• Candles, matches, and lighters within reach of children.

Major appliances should be plugged directly into wall receptacles. Power strips should have internal overload protection, damaged cords should be removed from service, and cords should never be placed where they can be pinched or damaged.

Home-Office Reminder

Because many corporate employees occasionally work from home, take a few minutes to inspect your home-office area. Look for overloaded power strips, daisy-chained power strips, damaged charging cords, covered ventilation openings, and paper or other combustible materials placed against electrical equipment.

2. Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms provide an early warning that allows occupants to begin escaping before smoke, heat, and fire conditions become worse.

Smoke alarms should be installed:

• On every level of the home, including the basement.

• Inside every bedroom.

• Outside each separate sleeping area.

• In locations where everyone can hear them.

• In accordance with the manufacturer’s installation instructions.

Interconnected alarms provide additional protection because when one alarm activates, all connected alarms sound.

How to Test a Smoke Alarm

Smoke alarms should be tested every month.

1. Tell everyone in the home that you are conducting a test.

2. Locate the test button on the alarm.

3. Press and hold the test button until the alarm sounds.

4. Confirm that the sound is loud and can be heard from sleeping areas.

5. If the home has interconnected alarms, confirm that the other alarms also sound.

6. If the alarm does not sound, replace the battery if it has a replaceable battery and test it again.

7. If it still does not sound, replace the alarm immediately.

8. Check the manufacture date on the back or side of the alarm.

Smoke alarms should generally be replaced when they are 10 years old. Replaceable batteries should be changed at least annually or whenever the alarm gives a low-battery warning. Do not remove a battery simply because the alarm activates during cooking. 

The National Fire Protection Association recommends checking your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms twice a year and they recommend doing this at Easter and Thanksgiving as an easy way to remember when do it. 

Important Reminder

A smoke alarm with a missing, disconnected, or dead battery provides no protection. Never disable an alarm without immediately correcting the condition that caused the problem.

3. Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Carbon monoxide, commonly called CO, is a colorless and odorless gas that can cause sudden illness or death. It can be produced by fuel-burning furnaces, fireplaces, gas ranges, water heaters, generators, grills, vehicles, and other engines or appliances.

CO alarms should be installed:

• On every level of the home.

• Outside sleeping areas.

• Near sleeping areas as directed by the manufacturer.

• In accordance with the alarm manufacturer’s instructions.

• With battery backup when the alarm is hardwired or plug-in powered.

Smoke and CO alarms serve different purposes. A smoke alarm does not necessarily detect carbon monoxide unless it is specifically listed as a combination smoke and CO alarm.

How to Test a Carbon Monoxide Alarm

CO alarms should also be tested every month.

1. Notify everyone that you are testing the alarm.

2. Locate the test or test/reset button.

3. Press and hold the button as directed by the manufacturer.

4. Confirm that the alarm sounds.

5. Check interconnected alarms, if installed.

6. Replace weak batteries immediately.

7. Review the alarm’s instructions so everyone understands the difference between an emergency alarm, a low-battery chirp, and an end-of-life signal.

8. Check the replacement date printed on the alarm or in the manufacturer’s instructions.

CO alarm service life varies by manufacturer and model. Replace the alarm according to its instructions and replace it immediately if it fails a test or displays an end-of-life warning.

If a CO Alarm Sounds

Never assume a CO alarm is malfunctioning.

• Immediately move everyone outside into fresh air.

• Call 911 or the fire department from outside.

• Account for every person in the household.

• Do not reenter the home until emergency responders say it is safe.

• Do not use a suspected appliance again until it has been inspected and repaired by qualified personnel.

Possible symptoms of CO exposure include headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, confusion, and unusual sleepiness. Anyone experiencing symptoms should get outside and seek emergency assistance immediately.

4. Make a Home Fire-Escape Plan

Every household should have a written and practiced fire-escape plan.

The plan should include:

• A floor plan showing doors and windows.

• Two possible ways out of every room, when available.

• Clear and usable doors, windows, hallways, and stairs.

• An outside meeting place a safe distance in front of the home.

• A plan for calling 911 after everyone is outside.

• Assistance for infants, young children, older adults, people with disabilities, and anyone who may need help.

• A rule that no one goes back inside for people, pets, belongings, phones, or valuables.

The family should practice its escape plan at least twice each year. The National Fire Protection Association also recommends reviewing and practicing escape plans with the family at Easter and Thanksgiving weekends.  Use the smoke alarm’s test button to begin the drill and have everyone report to the designated meeting place.

5. Teaching Children What to Do

Children may become frightened, hide, wait for an adult, or fail to recognize the smoke alarm. Parents and caregivers must teach and practice the correct response before an emergency occurs.

Every Child Should Know

1. Recognize the alarm.

   
   

   Let children hear the smoke alarm during a planned monthly test. Explain that the loud sound means they must leave immediately.

2. Know two ways out.

   
   

   Show children the normal exit and an alternate exit from their bedrooms and other frequently occupied rooms.

3. Get low and go.

   
   

   Teach children to stay low and move toward the exit when there is smoke.

4. Check the door.

   
   

   Teach children not to open a door that feels hot. They should use their second exit when possible.

5. Do not hide.

   
   

   Children must never hide in a closet, under a bed, in a bathroom, or behind furniture.

6. Go to the meeting place.

   
   

   Everyone should report to the same outdoor location, such as a mailbox, tree, fence, or neighbor’s driveway.

7. Stay outside.

   
   

   Children must understand that they are never to go back inside for toys, pets, phones, or other belongings.

8. Call 911 from outside.

   
   

   Teach children how to call 911 and provide their home address, but only after they have escaped.

9. Stop, drop, and roll.

   
   

   Explain that this action is used only when clothing catches fire: stop moving, drop to the ground, cover the face, and roll until the flames are out.

Young children, infants, and family members who cannot escape independently must be assigned to a specific responsible adult. Families should also create a backup assignment in case the first adult cannot reach the child.

Practice Without Creating Fear

Keep fire drills calm and educational. Explain that practicing a fire drill is similar to practicing an emergency procedure at work or school. Practice during both daytime and nighttime conditions, and make sure children can open appropriate doors or windows and reach the meeting place.

6. Additional Home Fire-Prevention Practices

• Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, boiling, or broiling food.

• Turn off the burner if you must leave the kitchen.

• Keep combustible materials away from stovetops.

• Keep a lid or baking sheet nearby to cover a pan fire.

• Never carry a burning pan outside.

• Keep portable heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn.

• Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to sleep.

• Clean the dryer lint filter after every load and inspect the exhaust vent regularly.

• Store matches and lighters in a secured location away from children.

• Never operate a generator inside a home, basement, garage, or enclosed area.

• Have fuel-burning appliances, heating systems, vents, and chimneys inspected as recommended.

Unattended equipment is a major factor in home cooking fires, and combustible materials should be kept away from cooking and heating equipment.

7. Weekly Safety Commitment

Before the end of this week, each employee is encouraged to:

• Test every smoke and CO alarm in the home.

• Check alarm manufacture and replacement dates.

• Replace missing or weak batteries.

• Inspect power strips, cords, receptacles, heaters, and appliances.

• Identify two exits from every sleeping room.

• Select or confirm an outside meeting place.

• Review and practice the escape plan with all household members.

Closing Message

At work, we rely on planning, inspections, alarms, training, and emergency procedures to keep people safe. The same principles protect our families at home.

A working alarm can provide a warning, but everyone must know how to respond. Test your alarms, correct fire hazards, practice your escape plan, and make sure every child knows:

Hear the alarm. Get low. Get out. Go to the meeting place. Stay outside.