Fire prevention and safety are crucial for protecting lives, property, and the environment. By understanding potential risks and taking proactive measures, we can reduce the likelihood of fires and minimize their impact. However, if a fire occurs in your home, GET OUT, STAY OUT, and CALL 911 FOR HELP. Never go back inside for anything or anyone.

 

Below, you'll find a list of valuable tips and resources to help you stay informed and prepared, ensuring the safety of your family, home, workplace, and community.

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Home Fires

• Install and Maintain Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Alarms. For more see our Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Alarms page.

• Practice Fire Prevention by:

  • Keeping flammable materials (like cleaning products, gasoline, etc.) away from heat sources like stoves, fireplaces, and space heaters. 

  • Never leaving space heaters unattended, and keep them at least 3 feet away from flammable materials. 

  • Regularly inspecting and maintaining electrical cords and appliances to prevent electrical fires. 

  • Never leaving burning candles unattended, and keeping them away from flammable materials such as curtains.

  • Equip your homes with fire extinguishers and know how to use them. 

  • When cooking, keep anything that can catch fire, such as food packaging, oven mitts and towels, away from your stovetop. For more cooking safety tips see the resources below.

• Have an Escape Plan.

  • Develop a fire escape plan with multiple escape routes.

  • Develop a family emergency communication plan

  • Designate a meeting point outside the home where everyone can gather after evacuating.

  • Practice fire drills regularly to ensure everyone knows what to do in an emergency. 

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If a fire starts, the American Red Cross offers these steps:

• Know how to safely operate a fire extinguisher.

• Remember to GET OUT, STAY OUT and CALL 9-1-1 or your local emergency phone number.

• Yell "Fire!" several times and go outside right away. If you live in a building with elevators, use the stairs. Leave all your things where they are and save yourself.

• If closed doors or handles are warm or smoke blocks your primary escape route, use your second way out. Never open doors that are warm to the touch.

• If you must escape through smoke, get low and go under the smoke to your exit. Close doors behind you.

• If smoke, heat or flames block your exit routes, stay in the room with doors closed. Place a wet towel under the door and call the fire department or 9-1-1. Open a window and wave a brightly colored cloth or flashlight to signal for help.

• Once you are outside, go to your meeting place and then send one person to call the fire department. If you cannot get to your meeting place, follow your family emergency communication plan.

• If your clothes catch on fire:​

  • Stop what you’re doing.

  • Drop to the ground and cover your face if you can.

  • Roll over and over or back and forth until the flames go out. Running will only make the fire burn faster.

  • Once the flames are out, cool the burned skin with water for three to five minutes. Call for medical attention.

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Additional Resources

• Red Cross Home Fire Safety

• 7 Ways to Prepare for a Home Fire (Red Cross)

• Pet Fire Safety (Red Cross)

• National Fire Protection Association​

• National Safety Council

• NFPA - Cooking Safety

• NFPA - Grilling Safety

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Wildfires​

Wildfires are often unplanned fires that burn in natural areas like forests, grasslands or prairies, but can be controlled burns that get out of hand. These dangerous fires spread quickly and can devastate not only wildlife and natural areas, but also communities. Fire departments across the country are increasingly being called upon to respond to wildfires, including brush, grass, forest fires or other outdoor fires. Wildfires can affect everyone. Be ready to evacuate quickly. Know where you will go, how you will get there, and where you will stay. Have different escape routes from your home and community.

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Take note of the weather prior to starting any outside fires and pay attention to all red flag warnings and burn bans that may be in place in your area. When in doubt, don't burn. Also know you city's regulations on burning (Section 105.5 in the Code of Bouton).

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The Red Cross offers these tips:

• Gather food, water, and medicine in advance because stores and pharmacies might be closed. Organize your supplies into a Go-Kit and a Stay-at-Home Kit.

  • Go-Kit: 3 days of supplies that you can easily carry with you.

  • Stay-at-Home Kit: 2 weeks of supplies if you need to stay at home.

  • Have a 1-month supply of medication in a child-proof container.

• Have a backup battery or a way to charge your cell phone. 

• Keep track of the weather, fires near you, and listen to instructions from local authorities. Be ready to leave if local authorities advise, or if you feel you are in danger.

• Wait for officials to say it is safe before going back home.

• Avoid hot ash, charred trees, smoldering debris, and live embers. The ground may contain heat pockets that can burn you or spark another fire. 

• Avoid damaged or fallen power lines, poles, and downed wires. They can electrocute you.

Additionally, Ready.gov offers these tips:

• Have several ways to receive alerts. Download the FEMA app and receive real-time alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations nationwide. Sign up for alerts in your area and be aware of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA), which requires no-sign up.

• Make sure your insurance policies and personal documents, like ID, are up to date. Make copies and keep them in a secure password-protected digital space.​​

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Additional Resources

• Smokey Bear

• Ready.gov

• Red Cross

• 10 Tips to Prevent Wildfires

• How to Prepare for a Wildfire & Keep Children Safe

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