• Install smoke detectors on every level of your home, including the basement, attic, garage, and outside of each sleeping area.
• If you sleep with the door closed, install one inside your sleeping area as well.
• Test smoke alarms once a month and replace batteries twice a year when you change the time on your clocks.
• Never “borrow” a smoke detector’s battery for another use – a disabled detector can’t save your life.
• Replace detectors that are more than 10 years old.

• Install a carbon monoxide detector on every level of your home.
• Make sure your carbon monoxide detector is working properly – it can provide an early warning of accumulating carbon monoxide, but is no substitute for proper maintenance of heating and cooking equipment.
• Use detectors that have battery backup in case there is a power failure and test the battery monthy.
• Replace faulty detectors or detectors more than 10 years old.

Have your chimney inspected by a professional before the start of every heating season and have it cleaned if necessary. Creosote, a chemical substance that forms when wood burns, builds up in chimneys and can cause a chimney fire if not removed.

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 agreeing on an escape plan. Be sure that everyone knows at least two unobstructed exits – doors and windows – from every room. Decide on a meeting place outside where everyone will meet after they escape. Have your entire household practice your escape plan at least twice a year.

Never leave your stove unattended. Keep cooking areas clear of combustibles such as curtains, pot holders, or towels and 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” three feet 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. Leave the lid on until cool. NEVER USE WATER ON A GREASE FIRE. IT WILL CAUSE THE FIRE TO SPREAD.

In a child’s hand, matches and lighters can be deadly. Use only child-resistant lighters and store all matches and lighters up high where small children cannot see or reach them, preferably in a locked cabinet. Teach your children that matches and lighters should only be used by adults or with adult supervision. Teach young children to tell a grown-up if they find matches and lighters; older children should bring matches or lighters to an adult immediately.

If an electrical 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 improper size fuses.

Select heating equipment that bears the UL Mark. The UL Mark on a product means that UL engineers have tested representative samples of the product for foreseeable safety hazards.

If your clothing catches fire, don’t run.
STOP where you are.
DROP to the ground and cover your face with your hands.
ROLL over and over from side to side to smother the flames until they are extinguished.