NEW HOME SAFETY COUNCIL® RESEARCH FINDS FIRES TOP THE LIST OF HOME SAFETY CONCERNS, YET FEW FAMILIES TAKE ACTION TO PREVENT THE DANGER

National Nonprofit Helps Families Prepare for and Prevent Fires during Fire Safety Month

Released today during Fire Safety Month, a new Home Safety Council survey finds the majority of adults rank fires and burns as their leading home safety concern, yet many neglect to take basic safety steps to prepare for and prevent home fire emergencies.

The survey was commissioned by the Home Safety Council and polled adults in 20 metropolitan cities to better understand the home safety perceptions and practices in place across the nation. When asked about fire prevention practices, more than 90 percent of respondents said they had not conducted a home fire drill at night – a key step in testing each family member’s ability to wake up and respond properly to the sound of the smoke alarm. Also causing alarm, the survey found that nearly 80 percent of adults did not know to test their smoke alarms once a month – the frequency recommended by the Home Safety Council.

“Unfortunately our research shows that families are not taking the steps needed to protect themselves against fire dangers at home,” said Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council. “With less than three minutes to escape if a fire occurs, it’s critical that every home is equipped with working smoke alarms and every family has a well-rehearsed fire escape plan.”

According to Home Safety Council research*, fires and burns are the third leading cause of home injury-related death, causing an average of more than 3,400 fatalities each year. During Fire Safety Month in October, the Home Safety Council is offering simple tips to help families take action to prepare their homes and protect family members before a fire occurs.

Installing and Testing Smoke Alarms

Having working smoke alarms on every level of the home is the most effective way to alert the entire family when a fire strikes. The Home Safety Council offers the following guidelines for installing and testing smoke alarms at home:

• Only purchase smoke alarms that are listed by a national testing laboratory, such as UL; look for the listing mark on packaging.
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement. Make sure there is an alarm near every sleeping area.
• HSC recommends installing additional smoke alarms inside all bedrooms. For the best detection and notification protection, install both ionization- and photoelectric-type smoke alarms. Some models provide dual coverage. The type will be printed on the box or package.
• Smoke rises, so smoke alarms should be mounted high on walls or ceilings. Ceiling mounted alarms should be installed at least four inches away from the nearest wall; wall-mounted alarms should be installed four to 12 inches away from the ceiling.
• Choose an installation location that is well away from the path of steam from bathrooms and cooking vapors from the kitchen, which can result in nuisance alarms.
• Don't install smoke alarms near windows, doors, or ducts where drafts might interfere with their operation.
• Test each smoke alarm every month. Push the test button until you hear the alarm.
• Put new batteries in your smoke alarms at least one time each year, and any time the alarm signals low battery power (typically a chirping noise).
• HSC recommends using interconnected smoke alarms. These alarms are available with wireless connection and hard-wired with battery back-up. Interconnected alarms are linked together so that if one alarm detects a fire, they all signal together. Some models provide dual coverage (both ionization and photoelectric sensing technology).
• If your smoke alarms are more than 10 years old, get new smoke alarms.

Home Fire Sprinkler Systems

Having a home fire sprinkler system in addition to working smoke alarms and a fire escape plan is the best way to stay protected from fire. Home fire sprinklers detect the high heat from a fire and put water on the flames as soon as a fire starts, which limits the smoke and poison gases that a fire produces. Sprinklers will put the fire out or keep it small until firefighters arrive; giving people more time to escape. Fire sprinklers also protect property and belongings.

If you are buying a home or moving to a new apartment, choose one with a fire sprinkler system. If you are building a new home or remodeling your existing home, consider having a home fire sprinkler system installed. Talk to your local fire department for help finding a qualified home fire sprinkler installer.

Plan and Practice a Family Fire Drill

Fire safety and survival begin with every member of the household being prepared and knowing what to do in a fire emergency. The Home Safety Council recommends the following guidelines for developing and practicing a home fire escape plan to ensure a quick and safe escape:

• Make a fire escape plan for your family. Sketch out a map of your home, including all rooms, windows, interior and exterior doors, stairways, fire escapes and smoke alarms. Make sure that every family member is familiar with the layout.
• Make sure windows and doorways open easily. Make sure stairs and doorways are never blocked. Look for things that could slow down your escape. Move or fix them.
• If you have security bars on doors and windows, have a “quick-release” latch on the inside. This makes it easy to get outside in an emergency. Make sure everyone in your family knows how to use the latch.
• Find two ways out of every room – the door and maybe the window. You might need an escape ladder to get out of upstairs bedroom windows. If so, they should be part of your fire drill. Practice hooking the ladder onto the window sill, and simulate deploying it out the window. Only release the rungs during an actual emergency. Select two escape routes from each room and mark them clearly on the plan.
• Children and many older adults will need help escaping a fire. Plan for this. Know who needs help and pick someone to help them. If anyone in the household has a hearing impairment, purchase special smoke alarms that use strobes and/or vibrations to signal a fire.
• Have a place to meet in front of your home. Use a portable phone or a neighbor’s phone to call 911. Once you get out, stay out. Do not go back inside for any reason.
• Make copies of the escape plan sketches and post them in each room until everyone becomes familiar with them.
• Practice makes perfect. Every second counts during a real fire. Hold family fire drills frequently and at various times until the escape plans become second nature. Once you’ve mastered the escape process, hold a drill when family members are sleeping so you can test each family member’s ability to waken and respond to the smoke alarm.
• Young children might sleep through the sound of the smoke alarm. Be prepared and assign a family member to wake children for fire drills and in a real emergency.

For free resources to help you stay fire safe in and around your home, please visit www.homesafetycouncil.org/firesafetymonth.

*State of Home Safety in America™ report (2004) .