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Fire
Prevention
Recently,
a new national study reveals that for most Americans,
home fires rank highest on the list of top disaster
concerns, along with terrorist attacks and natural
disasters.
The
"2006 Fire Safety Census," released by Liberty
Mutual and the International Association of Fire
Fighters (IAFF), reports that of those polled the
biggest concerned were in the following order; fire in
the home, terrorist attacks, tornados, hurricanes,
earthquakes and finally floods. The telephone
survey interviewed more than 1,000 Americans 25 years
old and older during August 2006. The results are
profiled online at www.befiresmart.com,
Liberty Mutual's new interactive fire safety and
prevention website.
Despite
this high anxiety around home fires, the survey further
reveals that many Americans are dangerously negligent
when it comes to taking fire precautions and are largely
uninformed about what to do if a fire occurs - steps
that can dramatically impact their chances of surviving
a fire.
Based
on the survey results, Liberty Mutual and the IAFF have
developed fire safety recommendations for families to
stay safe and be prepared. Top tips are:
- Test
smoke alarms once a month.
- Change
smoke alarm batteries once a year - at an
easy-to-remember time, such as when clocks are
changed.
- Replace
a smoke alarm that's more than 10 years old.
- Buy
a fire extinguisher, mount it, and learn how to use
it.
- Never
leave burning candles unattended or near combustible
materials.
- If
a fire alarm sounds, or smoke is visible, evacuate
first and then call the fire department.
- Close
doors behind you when leaving the room and building
to slow the spread of fire and smoke.
- Plan
an escape route that shows two ways out of each
room.
- Identify
a meeting place near the home.
- Practice
an escape plan - during the day and night - at least
twice a year.
- Talk
to children frequently about preventing fires and
escaping fires.
- Do
not leave a stove or oven on unattended.
- Keep
portable heaters at least three feet away from all
combustible materials and never leave them on
unattended.
- Never
disable a smoke alarm.
- Do
not overload power strips.
If you would like to become a
member of Warwick Fire Department -click
here- or stop by
any our local firehouses for an application.
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