| North
Lauderdale Fire Department | | Fire
Safety Tips | Big or small, treat all forms of fire
with respect. Did you know that smoke is responsible for three out of four fire-related
deaths? Knowing what to expect and preparing for a fire before it happens can
save your life. So plan ahead. Please click on links below for more information
on safety tips.
| | Fire
Safety Checklist | Change Your Smoke
Detector Batteries
The IAFC and fire experts nationwide encourage
people to change smoke detector batteries at least annually. An easy way to remember
to change your batteries is when you turn your clock back in the fall. Replace
old batteries with fresh, high quality alkaline batteries, such as energizer brand
batteries, to keep your smoke detector going year-long.
Check
Your Smoke Detectors
After inserting a fresh battery in your smoke
detector, check to make sure the smoke detector itself is working by pushing the
safety test button.
Count Your Smoke Detectors
Install at least one smoke detector on every level of your home, including the
basement and family room and, most important, outside all bedrooms.
Vacuum Your Smoke Detectors
Each month, clean your smoke
detectors of dust and cobwebs to ensure their sensitivity.
Change
Your Flashlight Batteries
To make sure your emergency flashlights
work when you need them, use high-quality alkaline batteries. Note: Keep a working
flashlight near your bed, in the kitchen, basement and family room, andd use it
to signal for help in the event of a fire.
Install Fire Extinguishers
Install a fire extinguisher in or near your kitchen and know how to use it. Should
you need to purchase one, the IAFC recommends a multi-or all-purpose fire extinguisher
that is listed by an accredited testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratory.
Plan and Practice Your Escape
Create at least two
different escape routes and practice them with the entire family. Children are
at double the risk of dying in a home fire because they often become scared and
confused during fires. Make sure your children understand that a smoke detector
signals a home fire and that they recognize its alarm. | | | Kids
Safety | Kids will be kids.
They're curious about all sorts of things. And there's nothing more tempting
than those things in the home that mom or dad uses or that they're told they should
stay out of. Curious minds need to understand. Teach your children well. It's
not that you're trying to take their fun away. You're just ensuring that they'll
have much more fun to come.
Safety tips, advice, and resources found
in this section have been recommended by a number of reputable organizations devoted
to child safety.
Chemicals and kids don't mix.
Keep all drugs, poisons, and household products safely locked away.Keep all medicine
(including vitamins) securely locked in a medicine cabinet. Be especially careful
while using these products, and remember to replace child-resistant caps after
use.
Poisons can crawl into your food.
Keep
all household cleaners away from your pantry and foodstuffs.
Monkey
see, monkey do.
Avoid taking medication, in front of your children.
Find out first. Contact your pediatrician before giving any medicine to your child.
Follow instructions.
Flush it.
Leftovers
are OK when it comes to pizza, but not when it comes to medicine. Flush old medication
down the toilet.
Keep an eye on them.
When
visiting others, pay attention to your kids. Someone else's house may not be as
child proof as your own.
Be prepared for an emergency.
Post the number to your Poison Control Center by every phone. If poisoning occurs,
take the poison with you to the hospital.
Plants can be poisonous,
too.
That plant you are so proud of could do harm if ingested.
Know which plants are poisonous and which are nontoxic.
Lead
is deadly.
Decorated china, water pipes, fishing tackle, fine
crystal, and old comic books can contain lead.
Here are
some precautions: Check crystal and china, if they contain lead don't
use for serving. If you live in an older home, check paint for lead. Test your
water supply for lead content. Use cold water to make baby formula. Throw away
old comics or properly store them. | | | Fire
Safety Tips for the Barbecue | There are
three types of grills on the market.
1. Charcoal grills which use
charcoal briquettes and lighter fluid.
2. Propane gas grills which use propane
tanks.
3. Natural gas grills which uses gas piped in from your house.
CAUTION: These two types of grills are not interchangeable. Make sure all
fittings are tight, and there is adequate ventilation.
Ten
Safety Tips
1. Read all instructions before using your
grill. Note safety, operation and handling instructions.
2. Clean grill
thoroughly before and after using. This is to avoid grease build up that can cause
flare-ups and/or fire. NEVER put lighter fluid directly on flames!
3. Keep
all grilling activities away from buildings, houses and garages.
4. Use
all grills outdoors. Never grill inside houses, garages or on wooden porches.
5. Store all lighting fluids away from children.
6. Have a multipurpose
A-B-C fire extinguisher, a garden hose, bucket of water or sand nearby.
7. Keep all children and pets away from grilling area (at least 5 feet in all
directions).
8. Never leave cooking unattended.
9. Use proper grilling
utensils for safe handling. | | | Poison
Safety Checklist | It is important to
keep poisonous products out of the reach of children so they are not played with
or ingested. Kitchen____All cleaners, household products and medications are stored
out of reach in a locked cabinet.
All cleaners, household products
and medicines are in original containers and properly labeled.
All
cleaners, household products and medicines are stored away from food products.
Items to consider in the kitchen:
Vitamins
especially iron-containing preparations.
Medications
especially those taken by children like
antibiotics, cough and cold products.
Cleaning products
drain cleaners, oven cleaners, antibacterial cleaners, powdered cleansers, automatic
dishwashing detergents.
Insecticides
ant traps,
boric acid, rat killers Items to consider in the
Bathroom: Personal care products
toners,
hair coloring kits, hair removal lotions, after-shave lotion, hairspray, baby
powder, shampoo, bath oil, nail polish and removers.
Oral
care products
toothpaste, mouth wash, dental rinses.
First-aid items
hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, anti-itch
creams/lotions, thermometers.
Medications
cough and cold products, analgesics (like aspirin and acetaminophen), pain rubs,
decongestant ointments, eye drops, nasal sprays.
Cleaning
products
tub and tile cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, disinfectants,
window cleaners, powdered cleansers.
Laundry Area
All bleaches, soaps and detergents are stored out of children's reach. All products
are in original containers.
Items to
Consider in the Laundry Room:
Cleaning products
laundry detergent, ammonia, bleach, combination of bleach and ammonia; combinations
of bleach and acid.
Items to consider
in the Bedroom:
All perfumes, cosmetics and powders
are out of reach.
No medicines are in or on dresser or bedside table.
Cosmetics, fingernail polish, perfumes.
Baby products
diaper rash ointment, baby powder, diaper pail deodorizers.
General
Areas of the House:
Room deodorizers.
Liquor.
Poisonous Plants.
General Household: Plants
are out of reach and labeled.
Ashtrays are empty.
Alcoholic beverages
are out of reach.
Fuel-burning sources are properly ventilated.Garage
All herbicides, insecticides, paint and solvents are stored in a locked area.
Gasoline and car products are in a locked area.
All products are in original
containers and properly labeled.
Items to Consider
in the Garage/Basement:
Carbon monoxide.
Paints (lead-containing),
stripping agents, rust removers, mineral spirits.
Gardening supplies: fertilizers,
insecticides.
Fuels such as gasoline, lighter fluid, propane.
Automotive
supplies: windshield washer fluid, antifreeze, car waxes.
Daily
Checklist
Inspect all incoming mail and shopping containers
as soon as they arrive. Sort and properly store any prescription drugs, samples
of over-the-counter medicines and any other non-food items.
Be sure
that visiting relatives and friends do not leave purses and other packages that
may contain medicines within easy reach of children.
Be sure that
places children visit, such as cars, day care centers and grandparents homes,
are also safe. | | | Home
Fire Safety Checklist | | How many of these
hazards can you eliminate in your home. If you answer "NO" to at least
one of these questions, then the time for action is NOW. 1. Have you removed
all combustible rubbish, leaves, and debris from your yard?
2. Have you
removed all waste, debris, and litter from your garage?
3. If you store
paint, varnish, etc., in your garage, are the containers tightly closed?
4. Is there an approved safety can for the storing of gasoline for the lawn mowers?
5. Do you keep your basement, storerooms, and attic free from rubbish, oily rags,
old papers, mattresses, and broken furniture?
6. Is there a sufficient number
of metal cans with lids for rubbish and combustible debris?
7. Are stoves,
broilers, and other cooking equipment kept clean and free of grease?
8.
Are curtains near stoves arranged to prevent their blowing over the burners or
flames?
9. Are members of the family forbidden to start fires in stoves
or fireplaces with kerosene or other flammable liquids?
10. Do you always
see that your portable space heater is placed well away from curtains, drapes,
furniture, etc.?
11. Are all of your electrical appliances including irons,
mixers, heaters, lamps, fans, radios, television sets, and other devices "UL"
listed?
12. Do all rooms have an adequate number of outlets to take care
of electrical appliances?
13. Have you done away with all multiple attachment
plugs?
14. Are all flexible electrical extension and lamp cords in your
home in the open? ( None placed under rugs, over hooks, through partitions or
door openings)
15. Do you keep matches in a metal container away from heat
and away from children?
16. Do you extinguish all matches, cigarettes, and
cigar butts carefully before disposing of them?
17. Do you see to it that
there are plenty of noncombustible ash trays in all rooms throughout the house?
18. Are all members of the family instructed not to smoke in bed?
19. Do
you know that the number to theNorth Lauderdale Fire Department is 911?
20. Do you have a home escape plan in case of a fire?
21. Do you hold home
fire drills at least once a month?
22. When you employ babysitters, do you
instruct them what to do in case of a fire?
23. Did your entire family take
part in completing this checklist?
24. Do you at least have a smoke detector
on every level of your home, and within 15 feet of your bedrooms? |
|
| Miscellaneous
Safety Tips | ConsiderThe Following:
Big or small, treat all formsof fire with respect
Each day,
an average of three kids die in home fires - 1,100 children each year. About 3,600
children are injured in house fires each year. 90 percent of child fire deaths
occur in homes without working smoke detectors.
Although smoke detectors
are in 92 percent of American homes, nearly one-third don't work because of old
or missing batteries.
A working smoke detector reduces the risk of
dying in a home fire by nearly half.
Did you
know that smoke is responsible for three out of four fire-related deaths?
Knowing what to expect and preparing for a fire before it happens can save your
life. So plan ahead. Develop a fire safety plan with your family that includes
a review of fire hazards, an escape plan, installing smoke detectors and fire
extinguishers, and teaching your children about fire safety. By following these
fire safety strategies you might just save lives.
ADDED
SAFETY TIPS
Fires don't discriminate. Neither does safety.
There are detectors available for people with impaired hearing.Teach your children
well. Make sure they know how to dial 911.Make sure you're ready for anything.
Check the batteries in your phone; many phones use a battery to retain memory
when power is lost. Practice makes perfect. Create a floor plan of your home showing
two ways out of each room. There should be a way to get out of each bedroom without
opening the door. Have fire drills regularly. Practice your escape at different
times of the year.Privacy can also mean added safety. Sleeping with your bedroom
door closed can give you extra time in case of a fire.
FIRE
EXTINGUISHERS
An extinguisher in hand is worth two fire-trucks
coming. A trusty extinguisher is your best bet against a small fire becoming a
big one.Cover your bases. Purchase an "ABC" type extinguisher for extinguishing
all types of fires. Mount them and let people know where they are.Fire extinguishers
should be put in the kitchen, bedroom, garage, and workshop.Check the pedigree.
Your fire extinguishers should display the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) or the
Underwriters Laboratory of Canada (ULC) label. Learn how to use it before you
need it!Older children should also be taught how to operate fire extinguishers.Keep
fire extinguishers away from young children. Use only on small fires. If there
is a large fire, get out of the area immediately and call 911 from another location.
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