SERVICES &
PREVENTION

Working smoke alarms save lives and can cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half. 

Be sure that you install smoke alarms in your home and that you maintain and test them regularly.

Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.

Make sure everyone in your home knows the sound of a smoke alarm and what to do if it goes off.

Test ALL smoke alarms at least once a month by pressing the test button.

Use caution with electrical equipment.

Always plug appliances directly into wall outlets. Extension cords are for short-term use.

Check power cords. Make sure they are not across doorways or under carpets where they might get pinched or wear out.

Have all electrical work done by a certified electrician.

1. Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Stay in the kitchen and closely monitor your meal anytime you are cooking. Keep an eye on what you fry!

2. Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stove.

3. Install and learn how to use a fire extinguisher. Contact your local fire department for training.

4. If you have a small cooking fire: - On a stovetop, smother the flames by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the burner. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled. - For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed. - If in doubt, just get out! If flames spread to objects beyond the stove or oven, evacuate immediately. When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.

5. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number from outside the home.

Children “playing” with fire is dangerous. Each year these types of fires cause many preventable injuries and deaths.

Store matches and lighters out of children’s reach and sight.

Teach young children to never touch matches or lighters.

Smoking is a leading cause of home fire deaths.

If you smoke, do so outside. Make sure to extinguish smoking materials in a deep and sturdy ashtray.

Never smoke or allow anyone to smoke where medical oxygen is used.

Never smoke in bed.

Use e-cigarettes with caution. Serious fires and injuries can occur when e-cigarettes are being used, charged or transported.

Avoid using candles because of the fire risk. Use battery-powered lights and flashlights instead.

If you must use a candle, use extreme caution and never leave it unattended.

1. Teach children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do when they hear one. 

2. Ensure that all household members know two ways to escape from every room of your home and know the family meeting spot outside of your home.

3. Establish a family emergency communications plan and ensure that all household members know who to contact if they cannot find one another.

4. Practice escaping from your home at least twice a year. Press the smoke alarm test button or yell “Fire“ to alert everyone that they must get out.

5. Make sure everyone knows how to call 9-1-1.

6. Teach household members to STOP, DROP and ROLL if their clothes catch on fire.

1. Learn before you burn:

2. Check the conditions.  Don't burn when it's windy or when vegetation is very dry.

3. Check local regulations.  In your area, a permit may be required.

4. Burn this, not that.  You can burn dry, natural vegetation, grown on the property, unless prohibited by local ordinances.  Household trash, plastic or tires are not good to burn and are illegal to burn in some areas.  Check your local ordinances.

5. Look up.  Choose a safe burning site away from powerlines, overhanging limbs, buildings, vehicles, and equipment.  You'll need at least three times the height of the pile of vertical clearance.

6. Look around.  The site should be surrounded by gravel or mineral soil (dirt) at least 10 feet in all directions.  Keep the surroundings watered down during the burn and have a shovel close by.

7. Prepare your pile.  Keep your piles small and manageable.  Add additional debris as the fire burns down.

8. Whether it's a requirement in your area or not, always stay with your fire until it is completely out.  Drown the fire with water, turn over the ashes with a shovel and drown it again.  Repeat several times.

9. Check the burn area regularly over the next several days and up to several weeks following the burn, especially if the weather is warm, dry, and windy.

1. Check the conditions.  Do not build a campfire in hazardous, dry conditions.

2. Choose a site at least 15 feet from flammable objects.

3. Make sure you have a source of water, a bucket, and a shovel nearby at all times.

4. Keep the fire small and under control.

5. Don't burn dangerous things that could explode, shatter and/or create harmful fumes or dust.

6. Never leave your campfire unattended.  Make sure children and pets are supervised.

7. Allow the wood to burn completely to ash, if possible.  Pour lots of water on the fire to extinguish.  Drown ALL embers, not just red ones.  Pour until hissing sound stops.  If you do not have water, stir dirt or sand into the embers with a shovel to bury the fire.  Stir until all martial is cool

8. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave.