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In light of the
approaching holiday season, I would like to take this opportunity to
remind my readers about fire safety in their homes.
Since preparation
of home-cooked meals is the leading cause of fires in the home, be
sure to stay in your kitchen while food is cooking. If there are
children in your household, enforce a “kid-free zone” around your
stove to avoid any accidents or injuries. Also, to prevent burns
caused by accidental overturning or spilling, turn pot handles
inward so they face the wall.
If you live in an
apartment without heat, call 311 to report the problem. Do not
attempt to heat your apartment with your oven or burners. Never
leave candles, a space heater or a lit stove or oven unattended,
especially if there are young children or animals in your household.
Also, be aware that space heaters need ample free space around them.
They should always be placed at least three feet away from paper,
fabrics or anything else that can ignite.
If you have
children, teach them that matches and lighters are not toys to be
played with, but rather tools to be used by adults. Tell them that
if they find matches or lighters, they should let an adult know
right away. Keep matches and lighters in places where children
cannot get to them, such as high up or in locked cabinets. Many
television programs that target youngsters have fire prevention
discussions. Watch these programs with your children and review what
was discussed to ensure they understood the content. It is important
to have a fire safety plan for your family and to practice it with
your children. Also, teach your children how to call 911, and keep
your home address near the phone where they can see it.
Make sure you have
working smoke detectors in your house or apartment. If a fire breaks
out, first get out, making sure to close the door behind you, then
call 911. If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself caught in a
fire, remember to crawl low under smoke, check all doors for heat
before opening them, and if your clothes catch fire STOP, DROP, and
ROLL.
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