Fire Prevention Week - Oct. 4-10

Have you ever been through a fire? Do you have a first aid kit and first aid skills? This article will discuss different types of home fires and how to prevent or extinguish them.

Many of the fires in homes are caused by:

Wildfires outside of the homes,

Unattended cooking,

Chimneys coated with too much creosote,

Portable space heaters placed too close to flammable objects, and

Electrical failures or malfunctions.

To prevent such fires, 

Preppers (people preparing for potential fire [disaster] ) should use this checklist to make sure their homes are not vulnerable to fires. The safety of their entire family is at stake.

Clear brush from around their homes,

Be present while cooking food,

Clean their chimneys,

Be careful of the placement of their space heaters,

Inspect their electrical systems and correct any problems, and

Avoid, if possible, the use of candles during power outages.

To respond to fires, 

preppers should:

Have functional smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors throughout their homes.

Have ABC fire extinguishers throughout their homes.

Make sure all family members know how to use the fire extinguishers.

Create and practice home emergency escape and assemble plans.

Have a bug out bag and planned routes to escape from wildfires.

Acquire basic first aid skills, and know how to use  first aid kits.