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Help Your Firefighter:
If you wake in bed with smoke in the room:
Follow the same rules and include the following: Take the stairs when exiting. Close the door behind you and take your keys. Do not use the elevator. Elevators may open at a floor on fire or stop working, trapping you inside.
Plan two or more escape routes from every room. Remember, a fire can prevent you from reaching other rooms.
Don't forget to include a special meeting place to make sure everybody is out and safe! Don't waste time getting dressed or gathering valuables - every second counts...Get Out!
Contact your insurance company or owner immediately.
Provide your agent with documented items lost in the fire. Make your home checklist now if you don't have one, and include the following:
Keep these documents in a safe place. They will speed up your recovery process:
How can you safeguard important documents?
But most people don't understand fire. Only when we know the true nature of fire can we prepare ourselves and our families. Each year more than 4,000 Americans die and more than 25,000 are injured in fires, many of which could be prevented.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA), a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), believes that fire deaths can be reduced by teaching people the basic facts about fire. Below are some simple facts that explain the particular characteristics of fire.
There is little time!
In less than 30 seconds a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire. It only takes minutes for thick black smoke to fill a house. In minutes, a house can be engulfed in flames. Most fires occur in the home when people are asleep. If you wake up to a fire, you won't have time to grab valuables because fire spreads too quickly and the smoke is too thick. There is only time to escape.
Heat is more threatening than flames.
A fire's heat alone can kill. Room temperatures in a fire can be 100 degrees at floor level and rise to 600 degrees at eye level. Inhaling this super hot air will scorch your lungs. This heat can melt clothes to your skin. In five minutes a room can get so hot that everything in it ignites at once: this is called flashover.
Fire isn't bright, it's pitch black.
Fire starts bright, but quickly produces black smoke and complete darkness. If you wake up to a fire you may be blinded, disoriented and unable to find your way around the home you've lived in for years.
Smoke and toxic gases kill more people than flames do.
Fire uses up the oxygen you need and produces smoke and poisonous gases that kill. Breathing even small amounts of smoke and toxic gases can make you drowsy, disoriented and short of breath. The odorless, colorless fumes can lull you into a deep sleep before the flames reach your door. You may not wake up in time to escape.
In the event of a fire, remember time is the biggest enemy and every second counts!
Escape first, then call for help. Develop a home fire escape plan and designate a meeting place outside. Make sure everyone in the family knows two ways to escape from every room. Practice feeling your way out with your eyes closed. Never stand up in a fire, always crawl low under the smoke and try to keep your mouth covered. Never return to a burning building for any reason; it may cost you your life.
Finally, having a working smoke alarm dramatically increases your chances of surviving a fire. And remember to practice a home escape plan frequently with your family.
The members of Rolla Fire & Rescue would like to offer the following helpful safety suggestions for a safe winter season.
Every year someone will put hot ashes into their trash container not realizing the ashes are still smoldering. Hours later, a fire is raging tn their garage or has ignited the side of their house. Don't let it happen to you. Be sure to completely cool the ashes before putting them into a container. Ashes should never be disposed of loosely, but should be bagged and wetted.
Never leave portable electric heaters plugged in when no one is in the room or house. Never place portable heaters close to combustibles such as furniture, walls, drapes etc. as these materials could catch fire. Heaters are not dryers or tables! Don't dry or store objects on top or in front of the heater.
Inspect your chimney for creosote build-up and call in a qualified chimney sweep prior to using your fireplace. Never build a fire in your fireplace without having a screen or glass doors. When emptying the ashes always use a metal container, never plastic pails or paper bags. Be sure to store ashes outdoors, not in your garage, as the ashes could start a fire if they are not properly stored. Burn only seasoned wood, never garbage or green wood, Christmas wrappings or painted wood.
The United States Fire Administration
Office of Fire Management Programs
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
or
City of Rolla Fire & Rescue
Ron Smith
Training Officer
573-364-3989
For More Information Call:
Ron Smith, Training Officer
(573) 364-3989
U.S. Fire Administration Offers Ways to Stay Fire Safe This Summer Washington, DC - Every year Americans look forward to summer vacations, camping, family reunions, picnics, and the Fourth of July. Summertime, however, also brings fires and injuries due to fireworks and outdoor grills. Annually more than 8,000 Americans are injured by fireworks and grill fires. More than half these injuries occur during the first week of July.
"Fireworks and barbecues can be very dangerous, even deadly, if not used properly," said U.S. Fire Administrator Carrye B. Brown. "Before cooking out or lighting fireworks, review fire safety precautions with your family."
The National Fire Data Center estimates in 1998 outside cooking grills caused 6,000 fires, 5 fatalities, 170 injuries, and $35 million in property loss. Gas grills alone caused 2,700 fires, 80 injuries, and $11 million dollars damage. Most of the gas grill fires and explosions were caused by gas leaks, blocked tubes, and overfilled propane tanks.
In addition to outdoor cooking, improper use of fireworks causes more than 6,000 fires and more than $8 million in damage. "Summertime should be a time for fun and making happy memories. Knowing a few fire safety tips and following instructions will help everyone have a safe summer," said Brown.
Families also enjoy camping in the summer. It is important to follow the park's rules for the use and extinguishing of campfires.
USFA, part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, serves the American public and the nation's fire services through training, data collection and analysis, public fire education, and fire protection technology research. For more information, including national fire statistics visit the USFA web site at www.usfa.fema.gov
Media Contact: Release No.: 00-095
Marc Wolfson Release Date: June 21, 2000
(202) 646-4600
Follow these simple rules to spot possible safety problems
Check all household items to prevent shock or fire.
Electrical Cords
Electrical Appliances
Lightbulbs
Cooking fires are the leading cause of fires in the home, and the second most frequent cause of death to the elderly.
Microwaves can cause scalding burns if used improperly.
Did you know that hot water burns more children and adults than any other accident?
The length of time to receive a third-degree burn:
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