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Home fire safety tips

October 28, 2010 - October is National Fire Prevention month and a good time for people to reflect on home repair and maintenance, especially fire safety in their homes.

A recent national survey from the nonprofit Home Safety Council (HSC) found that only 37 percent of respondents had taken any actions at home to prevent fires.

The HSC, working with the National Fire Sprinkler Association, advised that the three best ways to protect a family against a fire in the home is to have working smoke alarms on each floor of the house, a fire escape plan that the entire family has practiced and an installed home fire sprinkler system.

Many Americans are not even aware that it is possible to have a sprinkler system in their homes. The survey revealed that only 8 percent of adults in major urban areas of the U.S. live in a home with fire sprinklers.

There are many things that people can do to prevent a fire in their home, notes the HSC. Among them, put smoke alarms in or near every bedroom and test them once a month, keep BBQ grills at least ten feet away from other objects and stay in the kitchen while cooking.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking equipment is the leading cause of home structure fires. In 2005, these fires caused 480 civilian deaths and 4,690 civilian fire injuries. Thanksgiving is also cited as the peak time of year for cooking equipment fires to occur.

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