Fire Prevention Tips for News Stories:
Bedroom Fire Prevention and Home Fire Safety
About 3,500 Americans die each year in fires and about 18,300 are injured. You can stop the fire before it starts. Use this fact sheet to learn how to prevent a fire in your home and know what to do if you have a fire.
Stop a bedroom fire before it starts:
- NEVER smoke in bed.
- Replace mattresses made before the 2007 Federal Mattress Flammability Standard.
- Keep lighters and matches in a locked drawer or cabinet out of reach of children. Children are one of the highest risk groups for death in home fires.
- Do not run electrical cords under your bed or trap them against a wall where heat can build up. Never put too many plugs into an extension cord.
- Keep lit candles away from bedding, curtains, papers, and anything else that can catch fire easily.
- Take extra care when using space heaters. Keep bedding, clothes, curtains, and other flammable items at least three (3) feet away from them.
- Only use laboratory approved electric blankets and warmers. Check to make sure the cords are not worn away or coming apart.
Be prepared for a fire:
- One of the best ways to protect yourself and your family is to have a working smoke alarm that can sound fast for both a fire that has flames, and a smoky fire that has fumes without flames. It is called a "Dual Sensor Smoke Alarm." A smoke alarm greatly reduces your chances of dying in a fire.
- Make sure everyone in your family knows at least two (2) escape routes from their bedrooms.
- Make and practice a home fire escape plan and set a meeting place outside.
- In case of a fire, stay low to the ground beneath the smoke. Get out, stay out.