Smoke kills the most. 3 out of 4 deaths are caused by the smoke. Put a smoke detector on every level of the house and outside the bedrooms. Keep them clean of dust and replace the batteries.I always check the batteries once a year when the clocks are changed.Its just something that helps me remember.Also, there are inexpensive smoke detectors available for the hearing impaired.If the detector is wired into the electrical system, check for the blinking light. That lets you know it is active.
Have a fire extinguisher handy. If you are right there when a fire begins, they are your best bet.But use them on small fires only. If its a large one, get out and call 911.They should be located in the kitchen, the garage and workshop. An ABC type extinguisher is best for ALL types of fires.Learn how to use the extinguisher before a fire. You certainly don't want to be reading directions for its use after a fire has started.

THE KITCHEN
#1 cause of house fires starts in the kitchen with careless cooking. Never leave cooking unattended. Have a fire extinguisher near but 10 feet away from the stove on the exit side of the room. Don't wear loose clothing while cooking.Never pour water on a grease fire, cover it with a lid or close the oven door.Keep pot handles pointing back.Be sure the stove is not located near a window with curtains hanging too close.Clean the exhaust hood and the duct over the stove regularly.Wipe spilled grease as soon as it cools.Keep the kitchen appliances in good condition and disconnected when not in use.Use the microwave only when there is food in it.

FURNACE
Have the furnace cleaned before the heating season begins.
Don't store combustible materials near it.

SPACE HEATERS
If you have to have one, well, you have to have one but a space heater can be the most dangerous appliance in your house. Turn it off if you are not in the room. Keep it at least 3 feet away from anything that might burn, including the WALL! Don't use extension cords with electrical space heaters. They require a high amount of current and could melt the cord and start a fire. Again, if its a gas heater, strike the match first, then turn on the gas.

CLOTHES DRYER
Don't leave it on when you leave the house.
Vent it outside.
Clean the lint screen often. I use to forget about this. Sometimes when I finally got around to cleaning it, it looked like some poor creature died inside my dryer and the only evidence left was in the lint filter! A months worth of lint can look that way. Then a friend of mine nearly lost her house all from a lint build up in her dryer. Needless to say, I'm checking it often now.

SMOKING
Its hard to stop. I know, I smoked for years and its not easy to give it up. So if you can't and its ok to keep your fingers crossed every time you go for a chest Xray, at least don't burn the house down. Turn off your oxygen tank before striking up! Don't smoke in bed. Don't smoke when you are extremely tired. Use a large, deep ashtray and empty it often. Wet those butts before dumping them into the trash.

ELECTRICITY
Its fast and clean and without proper use can be fast and deadly. Don't use extension cords.If you must, make sure they are not worn and don't run them under a rug. Never overload a socket. Make sure all electrical equipment has the UL label on it. If you own an older home, make sure its wiring system can keep up with todays appliances.Give the TV plenty of air space to prevent over heating. If a fuse blows,a circuit is tripped or if the lights dim, cut down on the number of appliances on that line. Make sure the wattage of the light bulbs is not too high for the fixture. Take the time to check for loose wall receptacles and wires. repair loose lighting fixtures or get new ones. If they spark, they are dangerous.

THE KIDS
They start 1/4 of all fires.
They are normally curious about fire. If they repeatedly play with fire or are morbidly facinated by it, seek professional help.
Never leave children alone with fire, candles, or space heaters. Make sure all children who live with you or visit often know how to escape each room.

FIREPLACE
Its pretty and romantic but beware, when you light it up, you are bringing a fire right into your house. Make sure you keep the fireplace screen on to prevent sparks from flying out. Install a chimney spark arrester to prevent roof fires. Have the chimney inspected before each heating season and have it cleaned. Combustible creosote may build up and will have to be removed. Don't put newspapers, kindling or matches near the fireplace or have an exposed rug or wood flooring near the front. And if its a gas fireplace, strike the match first, then turn on the gas!

First of all, to avoid a need for an escape plan in the first place, get rid of all unnecessary items. Clean out the closets, the attic, the basement and garage.Have at least 2 ways out of each room.
Sleep with the bedroom door closed. This will help keep fire and smoke out longer. Don't open the door if it feels hot. Have escape ladders available. Sometimes the second way out is the second story window. Meet in a planned location outside the house, take a head count and get away from the fire and then call 911. No one goes back for any reason. If a pet is left behind, its a hard call but let the firemen attempt to rescue the animal. I had a nurse friend whose apartment building caught fire. She was out of the building but could not locate her cat. Thinking the animal was caught inside, she ran back into the burning building and perished. She was 26 years old. The cat was found outside, safe and unharmed.

36% of candle- caused fires occur because the candle was left unattended. I'm guilty of this one too. It was just too much trouble to blow out the candle everytime I left the room and then have to light it when I returned. And many times I returned within minutes...BUT, sometimes I didn't. I was 5 miles up the street when I remembered and had to return to blow the darn thing out! Of course,I could have kept going and prayed my house would be standing when I returned but I'm certain I would not have enjoyed my shopping trip! So I just don't do candles, except to top birthday cakes.

Read More About the Product that Smells Great and Won't Burn Your Home Down

"There's no such thing as a perfectly safe candle," says Jim Shannon of the National Fire Prevention Association. "The most recent statistics we have, for one year: about 190 people killed from candle fires in the United States, and almost 1,500 injured."

Anne Arundel Co. House Fire Caused By Candles
is urging Anne Arundel County residents to exercise caution when using candles for lighting in the wake of a devastating house fire that destroyed a Pasadena home.

NEW YORK -- The fire department said candles were to blame for a raging fire in Harlem that led a boy and a man to plunge to their deaths to escape the flames.

A candle caused an extra-alarm fire that left eight families homeless in Grayslake Wednesday night, officials determined Thursday.

No one was hurt in the blaze at the eight-unit apartment complex. The fire started about 10:35 p.m. and was under control by about 12:10 a.m., fire officials said. "We don't know all of the circumstances, but we have narrowed it down to being related to the candle," Fire Inspector said.

IF YA GOTTA HAVE THEM

Massachusetts Tries to Snuff Out Candle Fires
By Jennifer L. Mieth, Public Education Manager, Office of the State Fire Marshal
State Fire Marshal Coan

Recognizing that candle fires nearly tripled in Massachusetts during the
nineties, State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan asked the Mass. Public Fire and
Safety Education Task Force to look into the issue and make
recommendations. The Task Force set up a Candle Subcommittee that began
to research the issue by looking at state and national fire data analyses on
candle fires. What room were they starting in? Bedrooms? Dining Rooms?
Bathrooms? How were they starting? Were children playing with fire? Were
pets knocking them over? Were curtains blowing into the flames? Between
the fire data analysis and these firefighters' experience with candle fires in
their own communities, they developed five key candle fire safety messages.
The Department of Fire Services helped them to create a logo that
incorporated the messages into a visually engaging graphic - the candle
Circle of Safety. The five messages are:
· First, and most important, burn
candles inside of a one-foot circle of
safety, free of anything that can burn.
· Extinguish the candle after use.
· Keep candles out of reach of children
and pets.
· Use a saucer or candleholder.
· Never leave burning candles
unattended.
State Fire Marshal Coan met with
executives from a Massachusetts-based
international candle company to discuss
ways they might partner with the
Department of Fire Services. They explored how the company might educate
their customers about candle fire safety and the possibility that they might
use and promote the Circle of Safety logo within Massachusetts and in
national settings.

A Better Choice

July of 2003, two moms who loved candles but didn't want to worry about the danger of open flames decided to design a safe alternative to fragrant wicked candles.

After months of research, a safe, beautiful and creative alternative to a traditional wick and flame candle was born. Aromatic candles, heated in decorative warmers where the wax is melted by the heat of a 25 watt bulb, were the fragrance solution they had been looking for.

Today that safe alternative to wicked candles is being spread by independent consultants of Scentsy Inc., the authentic wickless candle company. The concept is simple, and powerful. The products are heartwarming and current. Above all, they are safe candle warmers.

Candle fires are reported more often during the holiday season than any other time of year. Four out of the 5 days with the highest reported incidences of home fires are Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. (The fifth day is Halloween.)

Be fire safe this holiday and visit our blog:

Safe Candle Warmer Blog
Consultant:

Linda Byers

Plymouth, Ma.