Home Fires
Learn more about home fires, what to do and how to stay safe.
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Action Steps & Tips
Introduction
In this action, we’ll look at important things to know about home fires, how to plan for them and lower your risks, and what to do during a home fire so that you and your loved ones can be prepared!
How to do this action:
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Read this action with your family or housemates to learn about home fires as part of the Make A Plan action!
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Add any items as needed to your Plan, Kit and Household Prep actions.
1Step 1: Learn About Home Fires
Home Fires:
Home fires are all too common events that can be unexpectedly caused by a few major activities. The number one cause of home fires and fire injuries is cooking with the majority of cooking fires starting with a range or stove. Heating fires are the second most common type of home fire, while smoking is the leading cause of home fire deaths. Additionally, the majority of fires are still occuring in homes that do not have smoke detectors or have non-functioning detectors. These facts show that there are concrete and effective steps that can be taken to lessen your risk of a home fire.
2Step 2: Add to your Emergency Preparedness Kit and Plan
Add these items to your Kit for home fire preparedness:
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Fire extinguisher - keep a working fire extinguisher easily accessible in your kitchen and read the extinguisher’s instructions to familiarize yourself with how to use it.
Add these steps to your Plan for home fire preparedness:
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Make sure that all members of your household, including children, know what smoke alarms sound like and what to do when they hear one.
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Ensure that everyone in your household knows two ways to escape from every room of your home.
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Practice escaping from your home with everyone in your household at least twice a year. It is also useful to practice your escape route in the dark. You can press the “Test” button on a smoke alarm or yell “Fire“ to alert everyone that they must get out.
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Check all windows that could be potential escape routes to make sure that they can be easily opened and that you would be able to take out window screens quickly.
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STOP, DROP and ROLL: teach everyone in your household that if their clothes should catch on fire, they should STOP, DROP, and ROLL - and practice!
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Stay safe when using non-electric fuel sources - generators, camp stoves or charcoal grills should only be used outdoors at least 20 feet away from your home and any windows.
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Never use a gas stove or oven to heat your home.
3Step 3: Add to your household prep plans
In preparation for the potentiality of a home fire, there are several things you can do to make your home more prepared!
Add these steps to your household prep plan:
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Make sure you have installed smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside every sleeping area, as well as a carbon monoxide alarm in a central location outside of each sleeping area.
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Check your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms monthly to ensure that they are functioning properly. Be sure to have some extra batteries at home in case you need to replace them in any of your detectors.
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Keep any items that could potentially catch on fire at least three feet away from anything that gets hot, including baseboards and space heaters. Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to sleep.
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Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children.
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Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system in your residence.
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If anyone in your household smokes, be sure that they: smoke outside, use fire-safe cigarettes, and never smoke in bed, when tired or on medication, or if anyone in your home uses oxygen. Smokers should also use deep, sturdy ashtrays and douse cigarette and cigar butts with water before throwing them away.
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Make sure that your house number is easily readable from the street, even at night.
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Make sure that all of your home heating sources are clean and in working order.
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Have an electrician check the electrical wiring in your home. Fix or replace any damaged or frayed extension cords, exposed wires, or loose plugs. Make sure your home has no exposed wiring and that there is no wiring under rugs, attached by nails, or in high traffic areas. Be sure that all electrical outlets have cover plates.
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Avoid overloading outlets or extension cords.
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If you use any flammable household chemicals, keep rags used to apply these chemicals in metal containers with tight-fitting lids.
4Step 4: Learn what to do during a home fire
If a home fire happens at your home, don’t panic! You’ve already taken many steps to be prepared. Take a deep breath. You’ve got this. 3 Things to Remember:
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Safety First: Getting yourself and your loved ones to a safe spot during a disaster is most important. Everything else is secondary, only if you have time and it’s safe.
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Check in: Once you’re safe, check in with family, neighbors, and your out-of-town emergency contact. Phone lines are often overloaded during a disaster, so use text and social media when possible.
Evacuate! If you suspect or detect that there is a fire in your home, or if your smoke or carbon monoxide alarm starts going off:
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Remember your planned evacuation routes from the room you are in and assess the safest path for you to get out of the room and your home.
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Crawl low to the ground toward your exit, staying under any smoke.
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Before opening any doors, feel the doorknob and door. If you notice that they are hot or if you see any smoke seeping in around the door, leave the door closed and choose your alternative exit option. If you do open a door, be prepared to close it quickly if you see smoke or fire.
Once you have gotten out of the building:
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Call 911 to reach the fire department as soon as possible. Tell the emergency operator where you are located as well as if there are any people in your household who are trapped inside the building.
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Account for everyone in your household. Check to make sure that everyone is out of the building.
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If someone is missing, identify where in the house they would likely be. Look to windows to see if anyone missing may be signaling their location at the window.
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Check in with each person who has escaped from the building to see if anyone has any injuries or burns.
If you can’t get out:
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Make sure that all doors and vents are closed and cover spaces around doors with cloth to keep smoke out.
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Call 911 to reach your fire department. Tell them exactly where you are. You can signal for help by using a light colored cloth or flashlight at the window in the room you are in.
If your clothes catch on fire:
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STOP, DROP and ROLL: Stop immediately, drop to the ground, and cover your face with your hands. Roll over, back and forth until the fire is out. If you aren’t able to stop, drop, and roll, try to smother the flames with a blanket or towel.
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If you get burned, apply cool water to the burn immediately, continuing for 3 - 5 minutes. Then cover the area with a clean, dry cloth.
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Seek medical help as soon as possible
5Step 5: Learn what to do right after a home fire
When you’ve been able to evacuate and have made sure everyone in your household is safe, remember that it’s normal to feel anxiety or grief, so take care of yourself and your loved ones. The most important thing is that you and your loved ones are safe, and you’ve done what you could to lower your risks and protect your home.
Basic Necessities:
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Shelter: If your home isn’t safe or habitable and you can’t stay with neighbors or friends, find a local shelter near you. You can:
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text SHELTER and your zip code to 4FEMA (43362), e.g. SHELTER 01234.
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Search on the FEMA app or Red Cross app for open shelters.
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In the FEMA app, click “Disaster Resources” → “Shelters” → “Map View”
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In the Red Cross app, click the Maps icon on the bottom right.
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Food & Water: If you do not have access to food and water, or if you’re not certain your supplies are safe to consume, find a local food bank by contacting a shelter or through feedingamerica.org.
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First aid: If anyone is seriously sick or injured, call 911. If you are not sure if the injury warrants a trip to the hospital, err on the side of caution and go to the hospital or local urgent care. Here is a list of some of the signs that you should go to the emergency room. If the injury is minor, administer first aid if you are trained and contact your healthcare provider for instructions.
Once you know everyone is safe:
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Check with the fire department to make sure that it is safe to enter your home.
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Ask the fire department to make sure that your utilities are either safe to use or disconnected before they leave. DO NOT attempt to reconnect any utilities yourself.
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Watch out for any structural damage caused by the fire.
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Assess the damage to your home and conduct an inventory of any property and items within your home that have been damaged or destroyed. Document all damage with photos and written descriptions. Do not throw away any damaged goods until after an inventory is made.
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If you have home insurance, contact your insurance company, inform them about the fire, and ask them for detailed instructions on what you will need to do to file a claim with them.
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Save all receipts for any money that you spend related to fire loss. Your insurance company may need these later and you may need them in case you need to verify losses claimed on your income tax.
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Notify your mortgage company about the fire.
Refer to the Recovery action for tips and resources on recovery after a home fire.