COOKING SAFETY • Never leave cooking unattended. • Always wear short or tight-fitting sleeves when you cook. • Keep towels, pot holders and curtains away from flames • Never use the range or oven to heat your home.

 ESCAPING THE FIRE • Have an escape plan. Review escape routes with your family. • Make sure windows are not nailed or painted shut. • Teach family members to stay low to the floor, where the air is safer, when escaping from a fire. • In high-rise, never lock fire exits or doorways, halls or stairways. Never prop stairway or other fire doors open.

 HEATING SOURCE 

• Place space heaters at least three feet away from flammable/combustible materials. • Use only the type of fuel designated for your space heater.

 MATCHES/LIGHTERS AND SMOKING

 • Keep matches/lighters away from children. • Never smoke in bed or when drowsy or medicated. • If you must smoke, do it responsibly.

ELECTRICAL WIRING • Inspect extension cords for frayed or exposed wires or loose plugs • Make sure outlets have cover plates and no exposed wiring. • Make sure wiring does not run under rugs, over nails, or across high traffic areas. • Do not overload extension cords or outlets.

 ASK THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO INSPECT YOUR HOME FOR FIRE SAFETY AND PREVENTION DURING A FIRE If your clothes catch on fire, you should: • Stop, drop, and roll until the fire is extinguished.

 DO NOT PANIC • Do not assume someone else already called the fire department get out of the house then call the Fire Department.

 ESCAPE A FIRE • Check closed doors with the back of your hand to feel for heat before you open them. • If the door is hot do not open it. Find a second way out, such as a window. If you cannot escape through a window, hang a white sheet outside the window to alert firefighters to your presence. • Stuff the cracks around the door with towels, rags, bedding or tape and cover vents to keep smoke out. • If there is a phone in the room where you are trapped, call the fire department again and tell them exactly where you are. • If the door is cold slowly open it and ensure that fire and/or smoke is not blocking your escape route. If your escape route is blocked, shut the door and use another escape route. • If clear, leave immediately and close the door behind you. Be prepared to crawl. 

AFTER A FIRE • Once you are out of the building,

 STAY OUT! Do not go back inside for any reason. • If you are with a burn victim or are a burn victim yourself call 911, cool and cover your burns until emergency units arrive. • If you are a tenant contact the landlord. • Tell the fire department if you know of anyone trapped in the building. • Only enter when the fire department tells you it is safe to do so