Common causes of fires at home include: smoking, leaving the stove on without anyone watching, burning candles and incense, and faulty electrical wiring. So how do you prevent that?!

Here are 7 tips to prevent a fire: 

-Keep lighters, candles, and matches out of children’s reach.

-Don’t leave burning candles alone, even if the flame is almost out. 

-Don’t leave a fire place burning unattended unless you have fire safety doors that are shut.

-Make sure that cigarettes, or anything being smoked, are put out completely.

-Don’t walk away from food cooking on the stove. (Sometimes people forget that they even have food on the stove even when in the kitchen, so one trick is to set a timer to remind you food is cooking.)

-Follow instructions when using electric blankets, space heaters, etc., because they can have faulty wiring that may spark a fire.

-Be aware of rodents living in the house. Squirrels and mice often break into walls and can chew on wiring, causing fires as well. 

The truth is that even when we are careful, a fire may break out. So, make sure you have at least one fire extinguisher in your house and that each person in the house knows where it is and how to use it. 

Smoke alarms are another important fire safety tool. Each floor in a house should have at least one, as well as one near the kitchen (where most fires start) and near the bedrooms (because when sleeping a fire may spread so quickly that when the fire alarm wakes you, you may not have the chance to make it to the kitchen to grab that extinguisher!) Also remember to test your smoke alarms monthly. You have to make sure they still work. And, consider changing the batteries twice a year even if the batteries still have power. 

When was the last time your family went over a fire escape plan? Here is what should be included in your family’s fire escape plan:  

1. Plan a getaway route with a path from each room of your home. 
2. Be sure to pick a spot outside of your house to meet up with your family after you escape the fire. 
3. Once out, have someone call 911 immediately. Don’t waste time doing it inside, even small fires can cause a lot of damage. Just get out!

When you are escaping from a fire: 

1. Remain close to the ground so that you are under the smoke – this makes it easier to breathe. (Smoke rises.)
2. If you can’t see through the smoke, try to follow a wall.  If the wall is getting hotter, then you are moving towards the fire. 
3. Carefully touch any doors before opening. If it feels hot, don’t open it. A hot door means that the door is probably standing between you and the fire.
4. If smoke is seeping in and you can’t get out, wet a towel with as much water as possible and use it to cover your mouth, head and body if it’s big enough. If you have enough towels and water, place a wet towel in the crack of the door.
5. If your clothing catches on fire, remember to stop, drop and roll – preferably outside of the fire.
6. Do NOT lose time by gathering valuable items. Nothing is worth losing a life, and a fire can escalate (grow) from lots of smoke to raging flames in under a minute. Heavy smoke is an indication that huge flames are about to erupt. Get out while you still can!

And try really hard not to panic. When people panic they make poor decisions!