The most common disaster in the United States as well as in south central Indiana is the single family house fire. A residential fire can be devastating, with consequences ranging from the loss of possessions and keepsakes to the unthinkable - injury or death of a family member. Fires kill more Americans each year than all natural disasters combined. But fire doesn't have to be deadly if you have early warning from a smoke detector and everyone in your family knows how to escape calmly.

Fire Prevention

• Use only one plug in each electrical outlet. Keep electrical appliances, sockets and cords away from water.
• If you must use an extension cord, use one that is rated for the appliance it is powering. Check the ratings on the cord and on the equipment or lights. Never run extension cords under carpets or flooring.
• Encourage people to smoke outdoors only. If someone smokes indoors, provide large, deep ashtrays. Make sure all smoking materials are extinguished before leaving the room.
• Check upholstered furniture for ashes that could smolder and cause a fire later.
• Never smoke in bed because bed linens are highly combustible.
• Keep matches and lighters away from young children.
• Keep combustible/flammable items and materials such as curtains, chairs, firewood and aerosols at least three feet away from stoves, wood stoves, portable space heaters, furnaces, hot water heaters, dryers and so forth.
• Keep flammable liquids such as gasoline or kerosene in appropriately marked safety containers outdoors, preferably in a locked shed. If they must be stored indoors, keep them away from any source of flame, such as a hot water heater or furnace.
• Have heating systems, chimneys and flues checked by a professional once a year to make sure they are in proper working order.
• Use flashlights for emergency lighting if you lose power. Do not use candles.
• Do not leave burning candles unattended.

Fire Preparedness

• Install and maintain smoke alarms inside and outside each sleeping area, outside the kitchen and on each level of your home, in accordance with local codes. Test monthly and replace batteries as needed. Smoke alarms cut your chances of dying in a home fire nearly in half. Smoke alarms become less sensitive over time. Replace your smoke alarms every ten years.
• Have at least one working fire extinguisher in your home. Get training from the fire department in how to use one. Make sure it is properly charged, and repair or replace damaged or corroded units.
• Install carbon dioxide (CO) alarms following the manufacturer's instructions.
• Draw a floor plan of your home; mark two fire escape routes for each room.
• Consider escape ladders for sleeping areas on the second or third floors.
• Consider an automatic fire sprinkler system for your home.
• Burglar bars and locks that block outside window entry must be easy to open from the inside.
• Select a place outside for everyone to meet after escaping that is a safe distance from heat, smoke and flames.
• Teach family members to get out first and then call for help from outside using a cell phone, pay phone or a neighbor's phone.
• Teach children that it is a firefighter's job to rescue people and pets, not theirs. Children need to get out quickly and stay out.
• Conduct a home fire drill at least twice a year with all members of your family.
• Practice your plan to make your response time more automatic, so that it requires less thinking and saves precious time.

When Disaster Strikes

• If you see smoke or fire in your first escape route, use your second route. If you have to exit through smoke, crawl low under the smoke to the nearest exit.
• If you are escaping through a closed door, feel the door before opening it. If the door is warm, use your second route.
• Close doors behind you as you escape to slow the spread of fire.
• If smoke, heat or flames block your exit routes, stay in the room with the door closed. Open a window for ventilation.
• Signal for help using a bright-colored cloth at the window. If there is a telephone in the room, call the fire department and tell them where you are.
• Wait at the designated spot for fire officials. Be prepared to answer questions about the location of the fire, missing family members and pets, possible fire hazards and other conditions.