Fire Prevention at Work

Fire Facts

The leading cause of home fires are cooking (which leads to the most fires and the most injuries, smoking (which leads to the most deaths), heating, electrical equipment and intentionally set fires.
In 2005, U.S. fire departments responded to 1.6 million fires - 24% were residential fires.
A fire department responded to a fire every 20 seconds.
One home fire was reported every 83 seconds.
In 2005, residential fires killed 3,050 people.
One civilian died in a fire every 2 hours and 23 minutes.
In 2005, 13,300 fire injuries from home fires (not including firefighter injuries) were reported to U.S. fire departments.
As 0f 2004, 96% of all homes have at least one smoke detector.
Operating smoke detectors were present in only half of the home fires reported from 2000-2004.
65% of home-fire deaths occurred in homes with no working smoke detectors.
Only 23% of households have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan.

Cooking Safety Tips

Pay attention to your cooking. Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food.
If you must leave the room, even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.
When you are simmering, baking, boiling or roasting food, check it regularly. Stay in the home and use a timer to remind you.
If you have young children, use the stove's back burners whenever possible.
Keep children and pets at least 3 feet away from the stove.
When you cook, wear clothing with tight-fitting sleeves.
Allow food cooked in a microwave oven to cool for a minute or more before you remove it from the oven and use an oven mitt.
Open microwaved food slowly. Hot steam escaping from the container can cause painful burns.
Let food cool before eating.

Heating Safety Tips

Keep space heaters at least 3 feet from people and from anything that can burn, such as curtains, bedding, or papers.
Turn space heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room.

Candle Safety Tips

A candle is an open flame. It can easily ignite combustibules nearby. Candles caused 4% of the home fires from 2000-2004, 7% of the associated deaths, and 12% of the associated injuries. More than half started when something that could burn was too close to the candle. An earlier study found that candles used for lighting caused 1/3 of the fatal fires involving candles.

Extinguish candles when you leave the room or go to bed.
Use flashlights, not lit candles, during power outages.
Keep candles at least one foot away from things that can burn, such as curtains, bedding or papers.
Never leave a child unattended in a room with a lit candle.

Smoking Safety Tips

Smoking materials are the leading cause of fire deaths in the U.S. The most common things that first ignited in home smoking fires are mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture and trash.

Designate a smoking area outside the home.
Provide smokers with deep, sturdy ashtrays.
Keep smoking materials away from anything that can burn.
Choose fire-safe cigarettes.

Seasonal Safety Tips

The year-end holiday season - Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanz, New Years - is a prime time for residential fires. Decoratice lights, candles, parties where people drink and smoke, and especially the onset of the heating season all increase the likelihood of a fire. Make sure your home is safe for the holidays by practicing fire safety before, during and after the celebration.

Watch children. Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children. Teach your children to stay away from candles. fireplaces and space heaters.
When buying toys for children, avoid those that could be highly flammable. Make sure all electric toys bear a fire safety label from an independant testing laboratory. Keep electric toys away from Christmas trees and paper decorations.
Use only flame-retardant or non-combustible materials for costumes and decorations.
Be sure all decorative lights, both indoor and outdoor, bear the label of an independent testing laboratory. Replace any light sets that have cracked or frayed cords, or have loose connections. Do not overload outlets or run extension cords under carpets, across doorways, on or under heaters or pinched behind furniture. Unplug all decorative lights before leaving home or going to bed. Never use electric lights on a metal Christmas tree.
Choose a fresh Christmas tree. If you are not cutting your tree yourself, buy one that is not shedding its' needles. Cut the tree trunk at an angle and put it securely in a large, deep, non-tip stand. Set up your tree away from exits, fireplaces and heat sources. Be sure your tree has water constantly. If you use an artificial tree, be sure that it is labeled as being flame-retardant.