Safety and Preparedness

• Careless smoking is the leading cause or residential fire details.
  
  
• Twenty five percent of all fires with child fatalities are caused by children playing with fire!
  
  
• Household fire hazards include overloaded electrical circuit, faulty wiring, unsafe appliances, wood an coal burning furnaces and stoves, space heating unattended fireplaces and the careless use of lighters and matches, especially by children.

• Exercise great care with all flammable material near all high heat sources and especially combustible liquids.
  
  
• Don't overload electrical circuits or put too great a burden on individual outlets. This can cause overheating which leads to wire fatigue and a possible fire.
  
  
• Don't use bulbs with a higher wattage than a lamp or fixture is rated for because the texture can overheat. You will find the recommended bulb wattage for that fixture on a label on the lamp.
  
  
• Keep an eye out for faulty electronic equipment, frayed electronic cords or flickering lights, as they are all potential fire hazards.
  
  
• Don't smoke in bed or when you are hired or lying down.
  
  
• Keep space heaters way form flammable items. Buy units with tip over shut off switches and never operate one while sleeping.

• Battery operated- these units can be installed everywhere and anywhere. They require frequent inspection to determine the condition of the battery.
  
  
• AC powered- these units can be installed by an electrician and are much more dependable in the long term than the battery operated units. Some high-end models even have lights that come on when the alarm is activated.