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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:
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Test
smoke alarms once a month.
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Change
smoke alarm batteries once a year - at an
easy-to-remember time, such as when clocks are changed.
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Replace
a smoke alarm that's more than 10 years old.
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Buy a
fire extinguisher, mount it, and learn how to use it.
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Never
leave burning candles unattended or near combustible
materials.
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If a
fire alarm sounds, or smoke is visible, evacuate first
and then call the fire department.
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Close
doors behind you when leaving the room and building to
slow the spread of fire and smoke.
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Plan an
escape route that shows two ways out of each room.
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Identify
a meeting place near the home.
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Practice
an escape plan - during the day and night - at least
twice a year.
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Talk to
children frequently about preventing fires and escaping
fires.
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Do not
leave a stove or oven on unattended.
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Keep
portable heaters at least three feet away from all
combustible materials and never leave them on
unattended.
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Never
disable a smoke alarm.
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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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