Fire Safety

The following information was taken from the Albuquerque Fire Department's website.  I found it to be very useful and important information for our families.  -Lisa

In the event of a fire, a smoke alarm can save your life and those of your loved ones. They are a very important means of preventing house and apartment fire fatalities by providing an early warning signal -- so you and your family can escape. Smoke alarms are one of the best safety devices you can buy and install to protect yourself, your family, and your home.

• Place properly installed and maintained smoke alarms both inside and outside of sleeping areas and on every level of your home. Interconnected smoke alarms are best because if one sounds, they all sound. Get smoke alarms that can sound fast. Test smoke alarms monthly and change alkaline batteries at least once every year, or as instructed. You can use a date you already know, like your birthday or when you change your clocks as a reminder.
• Consider buying a long-life (lithium) battery-powered smoke alarm, which may last up to ten years with no battery change.
• Install smoke alarms away from air vents.
• Install smoke alarms on the ceiling or wall, at least 4 inches from corners or according to manufacturer’s instructions.

If a smoke alarm sounds during normal cooking or when bathing, press the hush button if the smoke alarm has one. Open the door or window or fan the area with a towel to get the air moving. Do not disable the smoke alarm or take out the batteries. If this happens often, the smoke alarm will need to be relocated.

Residential Fire Sprinklers

• If possible, install residential fire sprinklers in your home.
• Avoid painting or covering the fire sprinkler, because that will affect thesensitivity to heat.
• Do not hang decorations, plants, or other objects from the sprinkler or pipes.
• For more information on Residential Fire Sprinklers, please obtain the Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign’s “Residential Fire Sprinkler Fact Sheet.”

Escape Planning

Prepare and practice an escape route with all residents in the home, including children.
Know two ways to exit from every room in your home. Make sure safety bars on windows can be opened from inside your home.

• Crawl low, under smoke.
• Feel closed doors. If hot, use another exit. Identify a place to meet household members outside.
• Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you escape.
• Never go back inside a burning home.

Fire Safety Walk through

• Keep clothes, blankets, curtains, towels and other items that can be easily set on fire at least three feet from space heaters, and away from stove burners.
• Place space heaters where they will not tip over easily.
• Have chimneys cleaned and inspected annually by a professional.
• Clear away trash, flammables and decorative materials.
• Always use a metal mesh screen with fireplaces and leave glass doors open while burning a fire.
• Never leave cooking unattended.
• Be sure your stove and small appliances are off before going to bed.
• Check for worn wires and do not run cords under rugs or furniture.
• Never overload electrical sockets.
• Keep lighters and matches out of the reach of children.
• Never leave cigarettes unattended and never smoke in bed.
• Make sure cigarettes and ashes are out. The cigarette needs to be completely stubbed out in the ashtray or run under water.

Basic fire escape planning

Your ability to get out depends on advance warning from smoke alarms and advance planning.

• Pull together everyone in your household and make a plan. Walk through your home and inspect all possible exits and escape routes.  Households with children should consider drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room, including windows and doors. Also, mark the location of each smoke alarm. For easy planning, download NFPA's escape planning grid (PDF, 634 KB). This is a great way to get children involved in fire safety in a non-threatening way.

• Download these NFPA safety tips on escape planning (PDF, 444 KB).

  Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code® requires interconnected smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
• Everyone in the household must understand the escape plan. When you walk through your plan, check to make sure the escape routes are clear and doors and windows can be opened easily.
• Choose an outside meeting place (i.e. neighbor's house, a light post, mailbox, or stop sign) a safe distance in front of your home where everyone can meet after they've escaped. Make sure to mark the location of the meeting place on your escape plan.
• Go outside to see if your street number is clearly visible from the road. If not, paint it on the curb or install house numbers to ensure that responding emergency personnel can find your home.
• Have everyone memorize the emergency phone number of the fire department. That way any member of the household can call from a neighbor's home or a cellular phone once safely outside.
• If there are infants, older adults, or family members with mobility limitations, make sure that someone is assigned to assist them in the fire drill and in the event of an emergency. Assign a backup person too, in case the designee is not home during the emergency.
• If windows or doors in your home have security bars, make sure that the bars have emergency release devices inside so that they can be opened immediately in an emergency. Emergency release devices won't compromise your security - but they will increase your chances of safely escaping a home fire.
• Tell guests or visitors to your home about your family's fire escape plan. When staying overnight at other people's homes, ask about their escape plan. If they don't have a plan in place, offer to help them make one. This is especially important when children are permitted to attend "sleepovers" at friends' homes. See NFPA's "Sleepover fire safety for kids" fact sheet.
• Be fully prepared for a real fire: when a smoke alarm sounds, get out immediately. Residents of high-rise and apartment buildings may be safer "defending in place."
• Once you're out, stay out! Under no circumstances should you ever go back into a burning building. If someone is missing, inform the fire department dispatcher when you call. Firefighters have the skills and equipment to perform rescues.

Putting your plan to the test

• Practice your home fire escape plan twice a year, making the drill as realistic as possible.
• Make arrangements in your plan for anyone in your home who has a disability.
• Allow children to master fire escape planning and practice before holding a fire drill at night when they are sleeping. The objective is to practice, not to frighten, so telling children there will be a drill before they go to bed can be as effective as a surprise drill.
• It's important to determine during the drill whether children and others can readily waken to the sound of the smoke alarm. If they fail to awaken, make sure that someone is assigned to wake them up as part of the drill and in a real emergency situation.
• If your home has two floors, every family member (including children) must be able to escape from the second floor rooms. Escape ladders can be placed in or near windows to provide an additional escape route. Review the manufacturer's instructions carefully so you'll be able to use a safety ladder in an emergency. Practice setting up the ladder from a first floor window to make sure you can do it correctly and quickly. Children should only practice with a grown-up, and only from a first-story window. Store the ladder near the window, in an easily accessible location. You don't want to have to search for it during a fire.
• Always choose the escape route that is safest – the one with the least amount of smoke and heat – but be prepared to escape under toxic smoke if necessary. When you do your fire drill, everyone in the family should practice getting low and going under the smoke to your exit.
• Closing doors on your way out slows the spread of fire, giving you more time to safely escape.
• In some cases, smoke or fire may prevent you from exiting your home or apartment building. To prepare for an emergency like this, practice "sealing yourself in for safety" as part of your home fire escape plan. Close all doors between you and the fire. Use duct tape or towels to seal the door cracks and cover air vents to keep smoke from coming in. If possible, open your windows at the top and bottom so fresh air can get in. Call the fire department to report your exact location. Wave a flashlight or light-colored cloth at the window to let the fire department know where you are located.

This information was copied from the National Fire Protection Association, here.