Important Facts

• Most fire fatalities and injuries in the U.S. occur in the victim's own home.
• Two-thirds of all home-fire victims die of smoke inhalation, poisonous gases, or lack of oxygen; not severe burns.
• Cooking is the leading cause of all residential fires and fire injuries.
• Heating equipment is the second leading cause of residential fires.
• More that 40% of fatal home cooking fires occur while the victims are asleep.
• Careless use of smoking materials is the leading cause of residential fires that result in death.
• SURVIVAL TIPS
  

Survival Tips

• Make sure your family has an escape plan. Contact the Fire Prevention office of your neighborhood fire station for more information on developing a plan.
• Sleep with the bedroom door closed. Closed doors provide protection against heat and smoke.
• Teach everyone in your household to recognize the sound of your smoke alarm.
• Test doors before opening them. You can easily be overcome by heat, smoke or flames when you open a door to an area where a fire has spread.
• Use windows as alternate exits.
• Crawl low under smoke. During a fire, super heated air and toxic gases fill the room from the top down. This leaves a "safety zone" of breathable air about 12 to 24 inches above the floor.
• Call 9-1-1. Unless you are trapped inside, it's too dangerous to call from a burning home.
• Once you have escaped and reported to your meeting place, call 9-1-1 on a neighbor's telephone.
• If your clothes catch on fire: Stop, Drop, and Roll!
• Learn Not To Burn! Fire Smart Equals Fire Safe!!!
• Fire destroys more property and claims more lives annually than any natural disaster. It is also the most preventable disaster.
• Please help us reduce the senseless loss of property and lives in our community by making a conscious effort to maintain a home free of fire hazards. Share this information with relatives and friends. Remember that fire prevention begins with education.
• Should you have any questions regarding fire safety, or want more information on any of these topics, please call or Fire Prevention Division at (731) 425-8347 or E-mail Us.