IF THERE IS A FIRE: ifsm.in

IF THERE IS A FIRE:

Do not try to fight the fire yourself.

• Get out and stay out. Do not try to gather personal possessions.

• Close the door on your way out!

• If smoke is present, exit as low to the ground as possible and keep

your mouth covered.

• If you are trapped, close all the doors between you and the fire and

call the Fire Department (911). Tell them where you are located.

• Do not use the elevator.

• Call 911 once you reach a safe location.

IF ANY PART OF YOU OR YOUR CLOTHING CATCHES FIRE:

• Do not run or try to put out the fire with your hands.

• Cover your face with your hands.

• Drop to the ground and roll over and over.

If physical limitations prevent

you from taking these steps, try to smother the flames with a

fire-resistant wool blanket or rug.

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FOLLOW THESE SAFETY TIPS TO ENSURE THAT YOU WILL HAVE AN EARLYWARNING IN CASE OF FIRE:

FOLLOW THESE SAFETY TIPS TO ENSURE THAT YOU

WILL HAVE AN EARLYWARNING IN CASE OF FIRE:

• Have at least one operable smoke alarm installed on each level of
your home and outside each sleeping area.


• Chirping alarms are warnings that the battery is low. Replace batteries
twice a year, in spring and fall, when clocks are changed for daylightsaving
time.


• Purchase alarms with a 10-year lithium battery to eliminate the need
to change the batteries every six months. Lithium batteries are more
expensive than typical 9-volt batteries; however, they are designed to
last the life of the alarm. This will eliminate the need to change your
smoke alarm battery every six months. However, the alarm battery
still must be tested once a month.


• If you are hearing-impaired, install smoke alarms with strobe (flashing)
lights. These alarms feature a special, high-density light that can
wake a sleeping person.


• Install smoke alarms with a hush or silence button feature for nuisance
alarms due to cooking vapors or steam. This feature allows
you to silence the unit for 10 to 15 minutes while you clear the air,
rather than removing the battery. Some smoke alarms can be temporarily
silenced and tested by using a TV remote.


• Install photoelectric-type smoke alarms, which are the most reliable
for smoldering fires, which often occur in bedrooms or sitting rooms.


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BE PREPARED BY HAVING AN ESCAPE PLAN

BE PREPARED BY HAVING AN ESCAPE PLAN. IT IS ONE OF

THE MOST IMPORTANT STEPS YOU CAN TAKE

TO SAVE YOUR OWN LIFE!

• If you live in a multi-story home, consider sleeping on the ground

floor near an exit.

• Know at least two exits from every room.

• If you live in an apartment building, know where the exit stairwells

are located.

• Make sure a phone is next to your bed and within reach

(or a TTY/TDD device, if you use one).

• Keep your eyeglasses and hearing aids (if necessary)

within reach next to your bed.

• Make sure lamp or light switches are within reach.

• If your fire escape window has security bars or a gate, make sure

it is FDNY approved for fire escape windows.

(Approved gates are stamped with the FDNY approval number.)

• Practice unlocking and opening the windows, security gates and doors.

• Keep stairways and exits clear of clutter and storage. Do not store

anything on building fire escapes.

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Carbon Monoxide safety- Fire and Safety

What is Carbon Monoxide (CO) Carbon Monoxide (also known as CO) is a colourless, odourless poisonous gas. Approximately half of the deaths from unintentional CO poisonings result from the inhalation of smoke from fire.


 However, if there is a lack of air for the combustion process or a heating appliance is faulty, Carbon Monoxide can be produced.
1. Signs of carbon monoxide: The following indicators may be noted around the house and in rooms where there is a heating or cooking appliance:

• Staining, sooting or discolouration around the heating appliance and around vents.

• Condensation on walls and windows, and a strange smell when the appliance is on.

• A yellow or orange flame where normally blue for a gas appliance.

• Blockages in chimneys and flues.

• Any damage to or around appliances and flues.

2. Regular servicing and maintenance: The most common cause of carbon monoxide is from faulty or poorly maintained appliances and blocked vents, flues and chimneys. It is essential to service your oil and gas boilers annually using a Registered Installer. Ask your service technician to check all air vents, chimneys and flues to make sure they are clear of obstruction, both inside and out, and to increase fresh air circulation in rooms. 3. Carbon Monoxide alarms: The installation of Carbon Monoxide Alarms should be in line with the manufacturer's instructions for installation and positioning. CO alarms are a warning device and do not eliminate CO. Replace the CO alarm once it has reached its expiry date, detailed on the product by the manufacturer.

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Carry out a ‘last thing at night’ routine Fire Safety

• Before you go to bed at night:

 • Check your ways out /exits are clear before you go to bed.

 • If your front and back doors need keys to open, ensure the keys are kept in a readily accessible place, known to everyone in the home, close to the doors.

 • Make sure fires are well down and place spark guards in front of open fires.

• Do not leave your television, radio or music system on standby. Only appliances designed for 24 hour use should be left plugged in at night-time e.g. fridges, freezers, etc.

• Plug out the mobile phone charger when your mobile phone is charged or when you go out or when you go to bed.

 • Switch off and plug out your electric blanket before you go to sleep.

 • Empty ashtrays properly and put out candles, before you go to bed.


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Check for fire dangers in your home and correct them

Prevention is the best way to fight fire 


• Check your home room by room for fire dangers and correct them. Remember: most fires in the home start in the living room, bedroom and kitchen at night while we are sleeping.

 • Kitchen

• Put a fire blanket and working fire extinguisher within easy reach in the kitchen and learn how to use them. When cooking, always use the back rings first. Turn in saucepan handles and make sure they are not over other rings.

 • Keep your cooker clean – grease is a fire risk.

• Turn off the cooker when you are not using it.

• Never use your cooker for drying clothes.

• Check the cooker is switched off properly before you go to bed.

 • Clean or replace filters in the extractor fan regularly.

 • Chip pans are a fire risk – consider using an alternative cooking method.

Chip pans are a fire risk – preferably, don’t use them. If you use a chip pan, exercise extreme care.

 • Never fill the chip pan more than one third full of oil or fat.

 • Test the oil temperature by placing a small piece of bread in the pan. If it crisps quickly, it is ready.

 • If the oil smokes then it is too hot. Turn the heat off and let it cool down before starting again.

 • Never leave the room when the chip pan is on.

• Never move a hot chip pan.

 • If using an electric deep fat fryer, empty it and store away when plugged out and completely cooled down. Electrical items – use carefully and store them properly when you are not using them.

 • Don’t overload sockets. This is a major fire risk.

• Don’t run electric cables across cookers.

• Switch off and plug out electrical items when you are not using them.

• If any electrical cables or plugs are damaged, worn or frayed, do not use the electrical item and call a qualified electrician. Living room open fires

• Place a proper fitting spark guard and fire guard in front of an open fire.

• Don’t put anything on the fire guard


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Make a fire escape plan and practise it often

Keep your ways out/exits clear at all times
• Whether you discover the fire or your smoke alarm warns you, stay calm and put your fire escape plan into action.
 • Raise the alarm. Wake everyone up and get everyone out by the quickest way, assisting or collecting the very young or vulnerable in the household.
 • Check doors with the back of your hand – don’t open them if they are warm. This means the fire is on the other side. Only open the doors that you need to get out of the house.
 • If there is smoke, crawl along near to the floor where the air will be cleaner.
• Do not look for the cause of the fire.
 • Meet at an assembly point outside your home and make sure everyone is out.
 • Call the Fire Service at 999 or 112 from a call box, mobile phone or neighbour's house.
• Do not go back in until the Fire Service tells you it is safe.


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