Fire Safety

Often called the invisible killer, carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane) burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel can be sources of carbon monoxide.

• CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement and mounting height.
• Choose a CO alarm that is listed by a qualified testing laboratory.
• Call your local fire department’s non-emergency number to find out what number to call if the CO alarm sounds.
• Test CO alarms at least once a month; replace them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• If the audible trouble signal sounds, check for low batteries. If the battery is low, replace it. If it still sounds, call the fire department.
• If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay there until emergency personnel declare that it is safe to re-enter the home.
• If you need to warm a vehicle, remove it from the garage immediately after starting it. Do not run a vehicle or other fueled engine or motor indoors, even if garage doors are open. Make sure the exhaust pipe of a running vehicle is not covered with snow.
• During and after a snowstorm, make sure vents for the dryer, furnace, stove, and fireplace are clear of snow build-up.
• A generator should be used in a well-ventilated location outdoors away from windows, doors and vent openings.
• Gas or charcoal grills can produce CO — only use outside.

Home Heating Equipment

Have fuel-burning heating equipment and chimneys inspected by a professional every year before cold weather sets in. When using a fireplace, open the flue for adequate ventilation. Never use your oven to heat your home.

Facts

• A person can be poisoned by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter amount of time.
• In 2010, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 80,100 non-fire CO incidents in which carbon monoxide was found, or an average of nine calls per hour.

College students living away from home should take a few minutes to make sure they are living in a fire-safe environment. Educating students on what they can do to stay safe during the school year is important and often overlooked.

SAFETY TIPS

• Look for fully sprinklered housing when choosing a dorm or off-campus housing.
• Make sure you can hear the building alarm system when you are in your dorm room.
• If you live in a dormitory, make sure your sleeping room has a smoke alarm, or your dormitory suite has a smoke alarm in each living area as well as the sleeping room. For the best protection, all smoke alarms in the dormitory suite should be interconnected so that when one sounds, they all sound.
• If you live in an apartment or house, make sure smoke alarms are installed in each sleeping room, outside every sleeping area, and on each level of the apartment unit or house. For the best protection, all smoke alarms in the apartment unit or house should be interconnected so that when one sounds, they all sound.
• Test all smoke alarms at least monthly.
• Never remove batteries or disable the alarm.
• Learn your building’s evacuation plan and practice all drills as if they were the real thing.
• If you live off campus, have a fire escape plan with two ways out of every room.
• When the smoke alarm or fire alarm sounds, get out of the building quickly and stay out.
• Stay in the kitchen when cooking.
• Cook only when you are alert, not sleepy or drowsy from medicine or alcohol.
• Check with your local fire department for any restrictions before using a barbeque grill, fire pit, or chimenea.
• Check your school’s rules before using electrical appliances in your room.

Smoking Sense

If you smoke, smoke outside and only where it is permitted, Use sturdy, deep, non-tip ashtrays. Don’t smoke in bed or when you’ve been drinking or are drowsy.

Candle Care

Burn candles only if the school permits their use. A candle is an open flame and should be placed away from anything that can burn. Never leave a candle unattended. Blow it out when you leave the room or go to sleep.

Facts

• Fires in dormitories are more common during the evening hours, between 5–11 pm, and on weekends.
• Roughly six out of seven fires in dormitories are started by cooking.

Having a babysitter can give you peace of mind. It allows you to leave your child with someone you trust. Be sure your babysitter knows about fire safety. Be sure your babysitter knows what to do if there is a fire.

Show the babysitter your home escape plan and make sure the babysitter understands: 

• two ways out of every room.
• where the outdoor meeting place is located.
• the fire department or emergency phone number.
• how to unlock all doors and windows.

If you allow your babysitter to cook, make sure the babysitter:

• keeps your child at least 3 feet away from the stove.
• keeps your child at least 3 feet away from the microwave oven.
• never leaves the room while cooking.
• keeps anything that can catch fire away from the stovetop.
• keeps pets off surfaces and countertops.

If the smoke alarm sounds make sure your babysitter knows to:

• get out of the home quickly with your child to safety.
• use the second way out if smoke is in the way.
• get low and go under the smoke to the exit if an escape must be made through smoke.

Store matches and lighters out of your child’s reach. Candles should not be used by your babysitter.

Make sure your babysitter keeps a 3-foot “kid-free zone” around space heaters.

Remember

Always leave the phone number where you can be reached. Cell phones make this easy. Be sure the babysitter knows the address of the home.

Babysitter Training

Many places offer babysitter classes. These are online and in the classroom. Some schools and hospitals give training. Classes teach how to care for children. They also teach first aid. They teach CPR. What to do in an emergency is also taught.

Children “playing” with or starting fires is dangerous and costly. Each year these fires cause hundreds of injuries, millions of dollars in damage, and are most likely to kill young children under the age of 5.

Some children play with fire out of curiosity, boredom, or peer pressure, not realizing its danger. But other children misuse fire because they are struggling with problems or emotions. Without proper intervention and instruction, children who misuse fire will very likely do it again. However, if punishment is the only intervention strategy used, it could actually contribute to the problem. What can you do?

Follow these tips to keep your family safe:

• Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children, up high, preferably in a locked cabinet.
• Closely supervise children, making sure that they are kept away from other fire sources, including lit candles, cigarettes, bonfires, and stoves.
• It is natural for young children to be curious and ask questions about fire, play with fire trucks, or pretend to cook. Use these opportunities to teach them about fire safety.
• Explain that fire moves very fast and can hurt as soon as it touches them. Tell them that this is why matches and lighters are tools for adults only.
• Teach young children to never touch matches or lighters. They must go tell a grown-up when matches or lighters are found.
• Establish clear rules and consequences about unsupervised and unauthorized uses of fire.
• Be a good example! Always use fire sources — matches, lighters, candles, fireplaces, and campfires — in a safe manner. Never treat them as toys, or children may imitate you.
• Talk with children about what their friends or other children are doing with fire. What are they seeing online in video games, on TV, in movies, and on social media? Teach them specific ways to resist the peer pressure to misuse fire.
• Give praise for showing respect and age-appropriate responsible behavior toward fire.

Important!

Understand that children and fire are a deadly combination. If you suspect a child is unusually interested in fire or is setting fires, take immediate action. Follow these safety tips. Contact your local fire department, school, burn center, or counseling agency to get help from specially trained experts.

All children are at risk of using fire unsafely. Many fires happen simply because matches and lighters are left within a child’s reach.

Lithium-ion batteries supply power to many kinds of devices including smart phones, laptops, e-scooters and e-bikes, e-cigarettes, smoke alarms, toys, and even cars.
If not used correctly, or if damaged, these batteries can catch on fire or explode.

THE PROBLEM

• These batteries store a large amount of energy in a small amount of space.
• Sometimes batteries are not used correctly; batteries not designed for specific use can be dangerous.
• Like any product, a small number of these batteries are defective. They can overheat, catch fire, or explode.

SAFETY TIPS

• Purchase and use devices that a qualified testing laboratory lists.
• Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Only use the battery that is designed for the device.
• Put batteries in the device the right way.
• Only use the charging cord that came with the device.
• DO NOT charge a device under your pillow, on your bed, or on a couch.
• DO NOT keep charging the device or battery after fully charging. DO NOT charge them at temperatures below 32°F (0°C) or above 105°F (40°C).
• Store batteries away from anything that can catch fire.

SIGNS OF A PROBLEM

Stop using the battery if you notice these problems:

• odor
• change in color
• too much heat
• change in shape
• leaking
• odd noises

If it is safe to do so, move the device away from anything that can catch fire. Call 9-1-1.

BATTERY DISPOSAL

• Do not put lithium-ion batteries in the trash.
• Recycling is always the best option.
• Take them to a battery recycling location. Upper Arlington accepts batteries for recycling at the Public Service Center (4100 Roberts Road) Monday – Friday 7 am–4pm
• Do not put discarded batteries in piles.