How to Prevent Becoming the Victim of a Home Fire

• Children 4 and under
• Older adults ages 65+
• African Americans and Native American Americans
• The poorest Americans
• Persons living rural areas

What do these groups have in common? If you said that they were the groups most likely to be the victims of a fire, then you would be correct. Of course, these groups are not the only ones affected by home fires. And, while these are sobering facts, consider these additional fire facts collected by the CDC:

• On average, one person dies every 158 minutes due to a fire in the U.S.
• 4 out 5 deaths due to fire occur in the home.
• Most victims of fire die due to smoke or toxic gases and not from burns.
• Males make up 64% of the total costs of fire/burn injuries incurring medical bills of $4.8 billion; females account for $2.7 billion in medical bills due to fire.
• Fatal fire and burn injuries cost an average of $3 billion per year.

It seems like wintertime is one of the most common times of the year to hear about homes being burned. Perhaps it is because people get careless with their fireplace safety or maybe it's because we are so busy, that we overlook simple fire prevention steps. But whatever the cause, the result is always one of despair, distress and grief. And while the numbers of household fires have decreased in recent years, it has not been alleviated. There are many things we can all do to reduce the risk of becoming the victim of a house fire. Here are some basic fire prevention tips from the Center for Disease Control:

• Never leave food unattended on a stove; this is the primary cause of residential fires.
• Keep cooking areas free of flammable objects such as potholders, towels, etc...
• Do not wear long flowing clothes-especially sleeves that are loose- when cooking.
• Do not smoke in bed or leave cigarettes unattended; this is the leading cause of fire related deaths.
• Do not empty smoldering ashes in a trash can and keep ash trays away from upholstered furniture and curtains.
• Do not place portable space heaters near flammable materials such as drapery.
• Keep all matches and lighters out of reach of children!
• Install smoke alarms and sprinklers on every floor of the home and be sure they are in rooms where people sleep.
• Check the batteries in smoke detectors frequently; a good rule of thumb is to check them whenever you adjust your clock for Daylight Savings Time.
• Devise a family escape route and practice it at least monthly. In the plan, have at least 2 different ways each family member can get out from every room and designate a safe place in front of the home for family member to escape to.

Being the victim of a fire-no matter how large or small the fire- is a frightening, traumatic occurrence. Taking time to do all that you can to avoid being part of the statistics is worth it.

To learn more about how to prevent fires, visit Brothers Fire of MN. Article independently authored by Janet Slagell. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Brothers Fire Protection. Click for search engine optimization and search engine marketing or visit WebDrafter.com's Blog.