Fire Preparedness

Are You and Your Family Prepared for a Fire?

	Are You Ready For a Fire? Fire is one of the most common disasters. Fire causes more deaths than any other type of disaster. But fire doesn't have to be deadly if you have early warning from a smoke detector and everyone in your family knows how to escape calmly. Please be serious about the responsibility of planning for and practicing what to do in case of a fire.
	Make your home fire safe Smoke detectors save lives. Install a battery-powered smoke detector outside each sleeping area and on each additional level of your home. Use the test button to check each smoke detector once a month. When necessary, replace batteries immediately. Replace batteries at least once a year. Have a working fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Get training from the fire department in how to use it. Plan your escape routes Determine at least two ways to escape from every room of your home. If you must use an escape ladder, be sure everyone knows how to use it. Select a location outside your home where everyone would meet after escaping Practice your escape plan at least twice a year. Once you are out, stay out! Carbon Monoxide Detectors Just as every home should have a smoke alarms, CO detectors should also be present in many places throughout the home. Carbon Monoxide and other gases can often be undetectable to the human senses until it is too late. Carbon Monoxide will bond to the Hemoglobin in the blood much easier than oxygen. This means that it will displace the o2 in you blood stream and starve your vital organs of oxygen. If you do not catch it early death is not far away.