Home Safety Checklist

Check for these possible fire hazards in your home.

All Rooms

• Remove or replace any worn or frayed appliance or extension cords
• Store matches and lighters out of reach of children
• Remove plugs from overloaded outlets and extension cords
  

Living Room, Family Room, Den, Bedrooms

• Use large ashtrays, and empty them frequently (after running under water)
• Keep the fireplace screened and cleaned regularly
• Do not put extension cords under rugs or carpets or looped over nails or other sharp objects.
• Allow sufficient air space (at least one foot) around TV, stereo and other electronic equipment to avoid overheating
• Keep heating equipment at least three feet away from curtains, furniture and papers

Kitchen

• Move any curtains or towel racks hanging close to the stove
• Store flammable liquids (cleaning fluids, contact adhesives, etc.) or aerosols away from the range or other heat source (Remember, even a pilot light can set vapors on fire.)
• Move any tempting or frequently used items stored above the range - where someone could get burned reaching for them, especially children in search of cookies or other goodies - to a safer location.

Basement, Garage, Storage Areas

• Keep newspapers and other rubbish away from the furnace, water heater or other heat source
• Store oily, greasy rags in labeled, sealed metal containers - Even better, clean or remove them
• Keep flammable liquids away from work bench or pilot lights
• Store flammable liquids in labeled, sealed metal containers (This includes varnish, paint, paint remover, paint thinner, contact adhesives and cleaning fluids)
• Check that all fuses are the correct sizes

Dangerous Actions - Do you allow unsafe habits?

• Wear close-fitting clothes while cooking (No loose sleeves, shirts, blouses or skirts that may catch fire easily.)
• Always watch cooking food - Never leave cooking food unattended
• Never play with matches or lighters - Make sure children are not allowed to play with matches or lighters
• Never use gasoline to start a fire - and don't add lighter fluid to an already started fire
• Make sure no one smokes in bed, or when tired, drinking or under medication
• Spray aerosols a safe distance from a space heater, range or other ignition source
• Never spray aerosols while smoking
• Clean immediately after spilling flammable liquid on your hands or clothing
• Never reach over the stove or climb on top of the stove to get something stored above it
• Never lean against a range for warmth or stand too close to a heater or fireplace
• Run water over a match after blowing it out - Never let a small child blow out a match
• Use a flashlight to illuminate a dark area, such as a closet - Never use a lighted match, lighter or candle

Safety Measures - Do you have these safety items in your home?

• Working smoke alarms on all levels and outside sleeping areas (each story or wing, basement, etc.) Test your smoke alarms now and each month. Change the batteries each year (Change them now if you cannot remember when they were changed last.)
• ABC or ABCD fire extinguisher in the kitchen and/or workshop
• Emergency exit plan, with two ways out of each room and a meeting place outdoors
• Fire exit drill in the home every six month