Handbooks and Publications - Fire Prevention | Page 7

Fire Prevention Tips

BEDROOMS
Fires which occur in the home often take place during the night when its occupants
are asleep. You will not smell the smoke and wake up! It is for this reason that
smoke detectors are crucial in giving you and your family the extra time necessary
to safely escape from a fire. Smoke detectors should be installed outside bedrooms,
inside bedrooms, and at the top of the stairs. The following is a list of other
suggestions for bedroom fire safety:
1. Closed doors usually offer some protection against both fire and smoke from
the outside of the room. If bedroom doors are normally closed at night, smoke
detector locations within each bedroom should be considered. A closed
bedroom door can keep smoke produced by a fire in the bedroom from
reaching a detector located in the hall.
2. In a single floor home, the detector should be placed in the hallway near the
bedrooms. In a house where bed rooms are upstairs, one detector should be
near the top of the stairs to the bedroom area. The simplest rule for locating
the basic (or only) smoke detector in your home should be "between the
bedrooms and the rest of the house, but closer to the bedrooms". Remember,
it is smoke, NOT flames, which is the primary cause of death in a fire. Of
those who die in fires, 80% are asphyxiated by toxic fumes.
3. Smoke rises! Therefore, when attempting an escape from a bedroom, be sure
to crawl under it. The entire family should regularly practice sliding out of bed
and crawling to an exit.
4. If you are awakened by your smoke detector, feel the bedroom door before
opening it to see if it is hot. If it is, DO NOT attempt an escape through this
door. Instead, you should try to escape from a window. If this is not possible
then a bedsheet or rug should be jammed into the cracks around the door to
prevent smoke from coming in. Then, wait for help to arrive. Hang a sheet out
a window as a flag to indicate that you are trapped.
5. NEVER smoke in bed:
6. DO NOT fold or roll an electric blanket. Heat will build up in the wires and
ignite the blanket. Unplug the blanket and lay it flat when not in use.

LIVINGROOMS
Many fires which begin in the livingroom are the result of a careless smoker. In
fact, smoking is the number one cause of fire fatalities. If there are smokers in your
family, be sure they use ashtrays with a centre stand that holds the cigarette set on
a nearby table, NOT on the arm of a chair or on their lap. Also, make sure
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