Fire Prevention & Safety

Protecting Our Community Starts With Prevention

Fire prevention is everyone’s responsibility. Many fires in homes can be prevented by recognizing common hazards, maintaining working smoke alarms, and knowing what to do before an emergency occurs.

Factoryville Fire Company encourages every household to make fire safety part of everyday life. Whether you are teaching a young child about smoke alarms, helping a teenager learn safe cooking habits, or developing an escape plan for an older family member, a few simple precautions can make a significant difference.

Smoke Alarms Save Lives

Working smoke alarms provide an early warning that gives you and your family time to escape.

Every home should have smoke alarms:

• Inside every bedroom.

• Outside each sleeping area.

• On every level of the home, including the basement.

• Interconnected when possible so that when one alarm sounds, they all sound.

Test smoke alarms at least once each month using the test button. Replace batteries as recommended by the manufacturer, and replace smoke alarms when they are 10 years old. Never remove a battery or disable a smoke alarm because of nuisance alarms. 

People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use alarms equipped with features such as strobe lights, vibrating pads, or bed shakers.

Make and Practice a Home Fire Escape Plan

A fire can spread quickly. Every household should know how to get outside safely before an emergency happens.

Create an escape plan that includes:

• Two ways out of every room whenever possible.

• Doors, windows, hallways, and stairs that are kept clear of clutter.

• A designated meeting place outside and a safe distance from the home.

• A plan for helping young children, older adults, and anyone who may need assistance.

• Regular practice so everyone knows what to do when a smoke alarm sounds.

Once you are outside, stay outside. Never return to a burning building for people, pets, medications, valuables, or other belongings. Call 911 from a safe location and tell responding firefighters if someone may still be inside.

Families may have less than two minutes to escape after a smoke alarm sounds, making advance planning especially important.

Fire Safety for Every Age

Young Children

Children should begin learning basic fire safety at an early age in a way that is calm and easy to understand.

Parents and caregivers should teach children to:

• Recognize the sound of a smoke alarm.

• Leave the home immediately when an alarm sounds.

• Follow the family escape plan.

• Go directly to the family's outside meeting place.

• Never hide during a fire.

• Never return inside after escaping.

• Tell an adult if they find matches or lighters.

Keep matches, lighters, candles, and other ignition sources secured and out of children's reach. Children should remain at least three feet away from stoves, space heaters, fireplaces, and other hot surfaces. Very young children may need an adult assigned specifically to help them escape during an emergency.

School-Age Children and Teenagers

As children become more independent, their fire safety education should grow with them.

Teach older children and teenagers to:

• Never play with matches, lighters, fireworks, or open flames.

• Understand the home's escape plan and outside meeting location.

• Practice safe cooking habits.

• Never leave cooking unattended.

• Keep towels, packaging, paper, and other combustible materials away from stovetops.

• Use electrical devices and chargers properly.

• Never use damaged charging cables or electrical equipment.

• Avoid overloading electrical outlets and extension cords.

• Know how and when to call 911.

Teenagers who stay home alone should know where exits are located and understand that getting outside safely is always the priority during a fire.

Adults and Families

Adults set the example for fire-safe behavior in the home.

Make fire prevention part of your routine by:

• Testing smoke alarms monthly.

• Keeping exits and stairways clear.

• Maintaining heating, cooking, and electrical equipment.

• Supervising cooking whenever the stove or oven is in use.

• Keeping combustible materials away from heat sources.

• Using candles only with constant adult supervision and extinguishing them before leaving the room.

• Keeping matches and lighters away from children.

• Creating an escape plan that accounts for every member of the household.

• Practicing that plan with the entire family.

Take a few minutes periodically to walk through your home and look for hazards before they become emergencies.

Older Adults

Older adults may face additional challenges during a fire because of limited mobility, hearing loss, vision limitations, or medical needs. Escape plans should be designed around each person's abilities.

Older adults and caregivers should:

• Keep eyeglasses, hearing aids, mobility devices, and other essential items within easy reach at night.

• Keep pathways to exits clear and well organized.

• Make sure smoke alarms can be heard or otherwise detected from sleeping areas.

• Consider visual or vibrating alarm devices when appropriate.

• Plan for assistance if someone cannot escape independently.

• Make sure walkers and wheelchairs can pass through planned exits.

• Practice the escape plan under realistic conditions.

Caregivers and family members can also help by regularly testing smoke alarms and checking the home for potential hazards.

Prevent Common Home Fires

Cooking Safety

Cooking is a major source of home fires, so the kitchen deserves special attention.

When cooking:

• Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, broiling, or boiling food.

• Keep anything that can burn away from the stovetop.

• Turn pot and pan handles toward the back of the stove.

• Keep children and pets away from the cooking area.

• Keep stovetops, ovens, and cooking surfaces clean.

• Never leave active cooking unattended for extended periods.

If a fire occurs and you cannot safely control it, leave the home, close the door behind you if possible, stay outside, and call 911.

Heating Safety

During colder weather:

• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from space heaters and other heating equipment.

• Place portable heaters on stable surfaces where they cannot easily be knocked over.

• Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to sleep.

• Never use an oven or cooking appliance to heat your home.

• Have fireplaces, chimneys, furnaces, and other heating systems maintained appropriately.

• Use heating equipment according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Electrical Safety

Pay attention to warning signs such as outlets that feel unusually warm, frequent tripped breakers, damaged cords, flickering associated with a particular device, or a burning odor from electrical equipment.

For added safety:

• Do not overload outlets or power strips.

• Replace damaged or frayed electrical cords.

• Use extension cords only as intended.

• Never run electrical cords where they can be pinched or damaged.

• Use chargers designed or approved for the device being charged.

• Keep rechargeable batteries and electronic devices away from excessive heat.

If you suspect an electrical problem, have it evaluated by a qualified professional.

Candles and Open Flames

Candles should never be left unattended.

Keep candles:

• Away from curtains, decorations, bedding, paper, and other combustible materials.

• Out of reach of children and pets.

• On stable, noncombustible surfaces.

• Away from areas where they may be knocked over.

Consider flameless battery-powered candles when possible, particularly in homes with children, pets, or older adults.

Smoking Materials and Medical Oxygen

Never smoke in bed or while drowsy. Use a sturdy ashtray and make sure smoking materials are completely extinguished.

Smoking or using an open flame around medical oxygen is extremely dangerous. Keep cigarettes, candles, lighters, and other ignition sources away from oxygen equipment.

Fire Safety for People With Disabilities

Every fire escape plan should work for the people who actually live in the home.

If someone has mobility, hearing, vision, cognitive, or other accessibility needs:

• Develop the escape plan around that person's abilities.

• Keep mobility equipment accessible.

• Make sure planned exits can accommodate wheelchairs or walkers.

• Identify family members, caregivers, or neighbors who may be able to assist.

• Consider smoke alarm accessories designed for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

• Practice the plan so potential problems can be identified before an emergency.

When a Fire Happens

Remember these priorities:

Get Out. Stay Out. Call 911.

Do not delay your escape to gather belongings or investigate the source of the fire.

Once outside:

• Go to your designated meeting place.

• Account for everyone in your household.

• Call 911 from a safe location.

• Tell the dispatcher if anyone may still be inside.

• Keep driveways and access areas clear for responding emergency vehicles.

• Do not re-enter the building until fire department personnel tell you it is safe.

Take a Few Minutes for Fire Prevention

Fire safety does not have to be complicated. Start with the basics:

Check your smoke alarms.
Plan two ways out.
Choose an outside meeting place.
Remove hazards from your home.
Practice your escape plan with everyone in your household.

Factoryville Fire Company is committed to protecting our community through emergency response, fire prevention, and public education. We encourage residents to talk about fire safety with their families and make prevention a regular part of life at home.

A safer community begins before the alarm sounds.