1.  Install smoke alarms

  Smoke alarms warn you about fire.  Alarms should be on every floor of your home and outside of each sleeping area.  They should be tested once each month and the batteries should be replaced twice each year.  Replace alarms that are more than 10 years old.

2.  Plan your escape

  Having a plan makes escaping from fire easier.  Draw a floor plan of your home and label two exits for each room.  Discuss the plan with your family and designate a safe meeting place outside of your home.  Practice your escape plan by having a fire drill at your house twice each year.

  During a fire the cleanest air is near the floor because smoke and heat rises.  Crawl on your hands and knees with your head 1 to 2 feet above the floor to avoid inhaling smoke during fire.

  More fatal fires start from smoking than any other cause.  Don’t smoke in bed or when you are tired.  Smokers should use a deep ashtray that won’t tip and soak cigarette butts and ashes before dumping them.  Better yet, help others quit smoking and eliminate the hazard altogether!

5.  Cook Safely

  Be a safe cook by staying with the food you are cooking, wearing snug or rolled up sleeves to avoid catching your clothes on fire, and turning off the burners when you are done.  Also, be sure to turn pot handles inward so you don’t bump them and keep children at least 3 feet away from the cooking area.

6.  Keep matches and lighters out of sight

  Keep matches and lighters away from children by putting them up high and out of sight.  Matches are tools not toys and should be used by adults only.

8.  In case of fire - Get Out and Stay Out!

9.  Know your emergency phone numbers

  When you have a fire emergency, get out of your house and call 9-1-1 from a neighbor’s house.  Tell the operator your name and address and what your emergency is so that the operator can make sure that help is on the way. In case of any type of emergency, don’t forget to have house numbers visible from the street.

10.  Stop, drop, and roll

  If your clothes or hair catches on fire then you should stop, drop, and roll.  Stop where you are.  Drop to the ground and cover your face.  Roll around until the fire is out.  Cool the burned areas as soon as possible with cool water and call for help.