Tips for home and business fire prevention and safety

It’s easy to not give much thought to fire safety in our everyday lives, but it’s crucial that we do. Fires can cause major damage to our property and claim lives. They can also ignite suddenly and spread rapidly; if you’re not prepared, a small spark or flame can turn into a life-altering emergency in mere moments. Designing and using our homes and offices with an eye toward fire prevention can help greatly reduce the odds of a disaster, and so can educating yourself about how to respond if a fire does occur.

Here are a few tips, drawn from the resources listed below, to help make homes and workplace safer from fire.

Home fire safety

• Make sure that your home has working smoke alarms on every floor and outside of every bedroom. Test them routinely and change the batteries at least once a year to make sure that they’ll be able to alert you if a fire breaks out. You should also replace the entire device every 10 years.

• Keep the handles of pots and pans on the stove turned inward, so that people are less likely to bump into them and knock them over, and never leave your cooking unattended. Also, keep a fire extinguisher near the stove and know how to use it.

• Create a family fire safety plan, outlining how to escape from each room in case of a fire and where everyone should meet outside.

Workplace fire safety

• Conduct regular fire drills to make sure that everyone knows the proper procedure to evacuate the building.

• Place fire extinguishers throughout the office, and train employees on how to use them.

• Appoint an employee who is responsible for checking all safety equipment, like fire sprinklers, smoke detectors and fire alarms, to make sure they are working properly.

• Make sure that electronics and heavy machinery are kept in a place with adequate ventilation to prevent them from overheating, which can lead to a fire.

Fire safety and prevention resources

• Fire Safety in the Kitchen: Cooking is the most common cause of fires at home, so it’s important to stay safe in the kitchen.

• Home Fire Preparedness: The Red Cross provides tips for keeping your home and yourself safe from fires.

• High-Rise Apartment and Condominium Fire Safety: If you live in an apartment or condo, it’s important to know both how to escape in a fire and what to do if you can’t escape.

• Be Ready for Home Fires: Learn about the dangers of a fire and how you can escape from one safely.

• Take Sparky’s Fire Safety Pledge: Kids can learn how to be a fire-safety hero.

• How to Prevent a Fire in Your Home: Electronics, cooking and unattended flames are all potential sources of a fire.

• Electrical Safety in the Home: Learn tips for making sure that the electrical devices in your home are safe to use.

• Make a Home Fire Escape Plan: Families can use these worksheets to make sure that their home is as safe as possible and that they know what to do if a fire does occur.

• Reduce Your Risk of Having a Fire at Home: Read about some of the biggest fire risks and what you can do to keep yourself safe.

• Five Essential Workplace Fire Safety Tips: Everyone in your workplace should be trained on what to do if there’s a fire, including evacuating promptly and calling 911.

• Office Fire Prevention Strategies: Keeping your workplace tidy can go a long way toward keeping it safe.

• What to Do in a Fire: This resource for kids explains how they should react if there’s a fire in your house.

• Cooking Fire and Burn Safety: The kitchen is a major source of fires, but you can take precautions to keep yourself and your home safe.

• Preventing Fires Is Everyone’s Job: Learn about what you and your coworkers can do to keep your workplace safe.

• Fire Safety Tips: Find out ways that you can remove fire hazards in your home.

• How to Put Out a Grease Fire: If you’re cooking with oil or grease and it catches on fire, don’t move the pan, and don’t put water on it.

• Fire Safety in the Workplace: The Occupational Health and Safety Administration offers guidance to employers on fire safety.

• How to Use a Fire Extinguisher: Follow these simple instructions to put out a fire with an extinguisher.

• Fire Safe Kids Activity Book: Share this coloring book with your kids to help them learn about fire safety. It’s written in both English and Spanish.

• Fire Safety Facts and Tips: Planning ahead and being prepared can protect your family if a fire strikes.

• Fire Safety for Children: Parents should read these tips to make sure that their children are as safe as possible.

• How and When to Test Your Smoke Detectors: It’s crucial to make sure that these important pieces of safety equipment are in good working order.

• Junior Firefighter Safety: Stop, Drop and Roll: Kids can watch this video to learn when and how to stop, drop and roll.

• How to Install a Hardwired Smoke Detector: Installing a hard-wired smoke detector is easier than you think.

• The Fire Dangers of Having Too Much Stuff: Either at home or at the office, clutter can be a significant fire hazard.

• Fire Drills in the Workplace: A How-To Guide: Read this to learn how to plan and conduct a workplace fire drill.

• Workplace Fire Safety: Find out how you can make your workplace safer and what to do if a fire does happen.