(Courtesy of Marian Showacre)

October is fire safety month and Marian Showacre, our local Allstate agent, was nice enough to send over some helpful tips to make sure everyone is prepared in case disaster strikes. Marian is very experienced with fires and how they can turn someones life upside down; the picture in this story is one that she experienced firsthand. “Fire Safety Month” might sound kind of corny but it’s no laughing matter when something happens and you have no plan in place to ensure your family is safe and sound. Here are some simple tips that can help prepare you and your family:


General Fire Safety & Protection Tips

  1. Make sure all family members know what to do in case of a fire. Draw out a floor plan and make everyone identify at least two different ways of escaping each area of the house.
  2. Choose a safe meeting place outside the house so everyone can be quickly accounted for.

Conduct A Family Meeting

  1. Make sure everyone knows to sleep with their bedroom doors closed to keep heat and smoke out in case of a dire. This will provide some extra escape time.
  2. Educate the familt to warn others by yelling, pounding on walls, or any means necessary to alert others in the house.
  3. Make sure everyone knows not to waste time getting out of the house. They should not worry about pets or other valuables.
  4. In case of fire train everyone to stay low to avoid breathing in harmful smoke.
  5. Instruct everyone to feel all doors to see if they are hot before ever opening them. If they are hot tell them to find another way out.
  6. Teach everyone to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches on fire

Additional Tips

  1. Install smoke detectors and make sure to change the batteries once a year. There should be at least one smoke detector on each level of a structure.
  2. Do NOT call 911 from the house if it is on fire. Go to a neighbor’s house or somewhere close by to alert emergency services.
  3. Keep space heaters at least 3 feet from anything that may burn. Never leave the heaters on when you are away from home or asleep.
  4. In the kitchen, if grease catches fire slide a lid over the pan and smother the fire. You can also use baking soda, but DO NOT use water!

 

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