Fire Prevention is a function of many fire departments. The goal of fire prevention is to educate the public to take precautions to prevent fires, and be educated about surviving them. It is a proactive method of reducing emergencies and the damage caused by them.
Charge into Fire Safety!
It is important to BUY, CHARGE, and RECYCLE safely when it comes to lithium-ion batteries!! https://www.nfpa.org/events/fire-prevention-week
Buy only listed products. When buying a product that uses a lithium-ion battery look for a safety certification mark such as UL, ETL, or CSA. This means it meets important safety standards.
Charge devices safely. Always use the cables that came with the product to charge. Follow the instructions from the manufacturer. Buy new chargers from the manufacturer or one that the manufacturer has approved. Charge your device on a hard surface. Don’t overcharge your device. Unplug it or remove the battery when it’s fully charged.
Recycle batteries responsibly. Don’t throw lithium-ion batteries in the trash or regular recycling bins because they could start a fire. Recycle your device or battery at a safe battery recycling location.
Stop, drop and roll
If your clothing catches on fire, the most effective method of extinguishing the fire is to stop, drop to the ground, and roll back and forth to smother the flame.
Don't run around because it fans the flames giving more oxygen to feed off.
Smoke detectors save lives
- Working smoke detectors reduce the chances of death in a fire by half.
- Nearly 900 lives could be saved annually if every home had working smoke detectors.
- Nearly half of all fire survivors remember hearing their smoke alarm.
- Deaths due to fire have decreased by half since the invention of the smoke detector.
- Most deaths due to fire occur at night when people are sleeping
Smoke detector maintenance
- The most common cause of smoke detector failure is missing or disconnected batteries.
- Nuisance alarms are the most common reason for deliberately disconnecting batteries.
- Missing, disconnected, or dead batteries account for 73% of smoke detector failures.
- Smoke detectors should be installed on every level of your home.
- Change your batteries twice a year.
- Clean your detectors also.
- Replace the entire unit every ten years.
Smoke detectors are just a start
- Smoke detectors only wake you up.
- Never assume that someone has already called the fire department, or that it was automatically notified.
- Know tonight what you will do if you are ever woken up by your smoke detectors.
- Make sure your family and friends know also.
Don't Just Leave to Do Something Else
One of the most common reasons for fires is how people often leave stoves, ovens, toasters, clothing irons, barbecues, and candles unattended. Therefore one must always be aware when using the aforementioned appliances.
Get out and stay out
Each year, many people are injured or killed because they reenter their burning homes. If you are lucky enough to have escaped, stay out.
Firefighters are your friends
One of the most critical jobs of a firefighter is search and rescue. For young children, it is important that firefighters are seen as people they can follow and trust. A firefighter in firefighting gear breathing out of an air tank can be scary. One way a child can get use to or trust a firefighter is seeing a firefighter dress up step by step seeing that it is a person inside. Also being able to walk up and touch him can reassure them that he is a real person. (which is a step that has already been implemented by many fire departments across the world during fire prevention week).
Don’t play with fire
Playing with fire causes many unnecessary emergencies, and hurts and kills many people, and is a leading cause of forest fires.
For more information on Fire Prevention, refer to the following websites or contact the St.Paul Fire Department:
- http://www.areavibes.com/library/fire-safety-for-kids/
- www.firepreventionweek.org
- www.sparky.org
- http://homesecurity.net/fire-safety-for-kids/
- https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire.html
- https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/fire.html
- https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Preparedness/Escape-planning