Safety Tips

Carbon Monoxide Tips
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death if inhaled.

When power outages occur during emergencies such as hurricanes or winter storms, the use of alternative sources of fuel or electricity for heating, cooling, or cooking can cause CO to build up in a home, garage, or camper and to poison the people and animals inside.

Every year, more than 500 people die in the U. S. from accidental CO poisoning.

CO is found in combustion fumes, such as those produced by small gasoline engines, stoves, generators, lanterns, and gas ranges, or by burning charcoal and wood. CO from these sources can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces. People and animals in these spaces can be poisoned and can die from breathing CO.

 

How to Recognize CO Poisoning

Exposure to CO can cause loss of consciousness and death. The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. People who are sleeping or who have been drinking alcohol can die from CO poisoning before ever having symptoms.

Important CO Poisoning Prevention Tips
  • Never use a gas range or oven to heat a home.
  • Never use a charcoal grill, hibachi, lantern, or portable camping stove inside a home, tent, or camper.
  • Never run a generator, pressure washer, or any gasoline-powered engine inside a basement, garage, or other enclosed structure, even if the doors or windows are open, unless the equipment is professionally installed and vented. Keep vents and flues free of debris, especially if winds are high. Flying debris can block ventilation lines.
  • Never run a motor vehicle, generator, pressure washer, or any gasoline-powered engine outside an open window, door, or vent where exhaust can vent into an enclosed area.
  • Never leave the motor running in a vehicle parked in an enclosed or partially enclosed space, such as a garage.
  • If conditions are too hot or too cold, seek shelter with friends or at a community shelter.
  • If CO poisoning is suspected, consult a health care professional right away.
* For this and other information regarding CO Emergencies check out the CDC's website

 

Safety Tips to Follow
  • Get out as quickly and as safely as possible.
  • Use the stairs to escape. (Not elevators)
  • When evacuating, stay low to the ground. If possible, cover mouth with a cloth to avoid inhaling smoke and gases.
  • Close doors in each room after escaping to delay the spread of the fire.
  • If in a room with a closed door.
  • If smoke is pouring in around the bottom of the door or it feels hot, keep the door closed.
  • Open a window to escape or for fresh air while awaiting rescue.
  • If there is no smoke at the bottom or top and the door is not hot, then open the door slowly.
  • If there is too much smoke or fire in the hall, slam the door shut.
  • Call the fire department from a location outside the house.

 

10 Tips for Fire Safety
1.

Install Smoke Detectors

Working smoke detectors can alert you to a fire in your home in time for you to escape, even if you are sleeping. Install smoke detectors on every level of your home, including the basement, and outside each sleeping area. If you sleep with the door closed, install one inside your sleeping area as well.Test detectors every month, following the manufacturers directions, and replace batteries once a year, at the time of daylight savings, or whenever a detector "chirps" to signal low battery power. Never "borrow" a smoke detectors battery for another use - a disabled detector can't save your life. Replace detectors that are more than 10 years old.
For complete protection, consider installing automatic fire sprinklers in addition to smoke detectors.
6.

Remember: Matches And Lighters Are Tools, Not Toys

In a child's hands, matches and lighters can be deadly. Use only child-resistant lighters and store all matches and lighters up high, where kids can't see or reach them, preferably in a locked cabinet. Teach young children that matches and lighters are tools, not toys, and should be used by adults only or with adult supervision. Teach young children not to touch them and to tell a grown up if they find matches or lighters; older children should bring matches and lighters to an adult immediately.
2.

Keep An Eye On Smokers

Careless smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths in North America. Smoking in bed or when you are drowsy could be fatal. Provide smokers with large, deep, non-tip ashtrays, and soak butts with water before discarding them. Before going to bed or leaving the home after someone has been smoking, check under and around cushions and upholstered furniture for smoldering cigarettes.
7.

Cool A Burn

Run cool water over a burn for about 10 to 15 minutes. Never apply ice. It is dangerous to put butter or any other grease on a burn because it seals in the heat and can damage the tissue further. If the burned skin blisters or is charred, see a doctor immediately.
3.

Cook Carefully Never leave cooking unattended

Keep cooking areas clear of combustibles, wear clothes with short, rolled-up, or tight-fitting sleeves when you cook. Turn pot handles inward on the stove where you can't bump them and children can't grab them. enforce a "kid-free zone" that is three feet (one meter) around your kitchen stove. If grease catches fire in a pan, slide a lid over the pan to smother the flames and turn off the heat source. Leave the lid on until the pan is completely cool.
8.

Use Electricity Safely

If an electric appliance smokes or has an unusual smell, unplug it immediately, and have it serviced before using it again. Replace any electrical cord that is cracked or frayed. Don't overload extension cords or run them under rugs. Don't tamper with your fuse box or use improperly sized fuses.
4.

Plan Your Escape From Fire

If a fire breaks out in your home, you have to get out fast. Prepare for a fire emergency by sitting down with your family and designing an escape plan. Be sure that everyone knows at least two unobstructed ways out - doors and windows - from every room. (If you live in an apartment building, use the stairs - do not include elevators in your escape plan.) Decide on a meeting place outside where everyone will gather after they escape. Have your entire household practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
9.

Crawl Low Under Smoke

During a fire, smoke and poisonous gases rise with the heat. The air is cleaner near the floor. If you encounter smoke or flames while you are escaping from a fire, use an alternative escape route. If you must escape through smoke, crawl on your hands and knees, keeping your head 12 to 14 inches (30 to 60 centimeters) above the floor.
5.

Give Space Heaters Space

Keep portable heaters and space heaters at least three feet (one meter) away from anything that can burn. Keep children and pets away from heaters, and never leave heaters on when you leave home or go to bed.
10.

Stop, Drop and Roll

If your clothes catch fire, don't run. Stop where you are, drop to the ground, cover your face with your hands, and roll over and over to smother the flames.

 

Are you Prepared?


Be prepared by installing smoke detectors and checking them once a month to ensure that they work & changing the batteries at least once a year.
  • Be prepared by Conducting fire drills in your home. Make sure all family members know what to do in a fire. Draw a floor plan with at least two ways of escaping every room. Choose a safe meeting place outside the house. You may never have to face an uncontrolled fire, but knowing what to do at the time can save your life.

 
Practice the following actions in your fire drills.
  1. Practice alerting other household members. It is a good idea to keep a bell and a flashlight in each bedroom for this purpose.

  2. Practice evacuating the building blindfolded. In a real fire situation,the amount of smoke generated by a fire will most likely make it impossible to see.

  3. Purchase collapsible ladders at hardware stores and practice using them.

  4. Install A-B-C type fire extinguishers in the home and teach family members how to use them.

  5. Practice staying low to the ground when escaping.

Go to your door and feel it to see if it's hot.
If the door isn't hot:
  • Then leave the room and then the building. Leave immediately and don't come back. If you encounter smoke while leaving, drop down to the floor and crawl out.
If the door is hot when you feel it:
  • Go out through the window or take another route. If you have no way out, keep your door closed so that smoke can't get into the room. Drop down to the floor, where the fresher air is, and crawl over to the window. Open it and hang a sheet or blanket out the window to alert firefighters you are in the room.
Once out of your building:
  • Do not return for any reason. Call the fire department from a location that is a safe distance from the fire.