If you are asked to sit quietly for two minutes, the passage of time may seem very slow.

However, according to the Red Cross, when a fire breaks out in your home, two minutes is not long, as this is almost all the time you may have to flee.

The Red Cross stated: “In the event of a fire, the early warning from smoke alarms and the regularly implemented fire escape plan can save lives,” said the Red Cross, which provides important tips on fire safety.

Install smoke alarms on every floor of your home, in bedrooms and outside sleeping areas, and check them monthly to make sure they are working properly. "Test your smoke detectors to make sure they are working properly," said Jeff Ainsworth, chief of the Brookhaven Fire Department.

It is best to arrange a date that you will remember, such as the 1st or 15th of each month. And choose an annual date to replace the battery, regardless of whether it is still working. Some people do this every New Year's Day because it is easy to remember to put "new" things on a certain day of the New Year.

Regardless of the date you choose, keep it consistent so you can get into the habit of testing monthly, replacing the battery once a year, and checking as many escape plans as possible.

Discuss the fire escape plan with all family members and practice the plan twice a year. Make sure that all family members know the two ways to escape from every room in the house, and know the family gathering place outside the house.

It is also important to teach children the sound of smoke alarms and what to do when they hear the alarm. Practice escaping from your home at least twice a year. Press the smoke alarm test button or shout "Fire" to remind everyone that they must get out. Also make sure that everyone knows how to dial 9-1-1.

Having a fire prevention plan can help everyone know where to meet. Tell family members, especially children, to go directly to a safe place and stay there until the fire officer arrives.

Develop a family emergency communication plan and make sure that all family members know who to contact if they cannot find each other.

The US Fire Agency pointed out that in 2019, children and the elderly accounted for nearly half (49%) of all fire deaths and 27% of fire injuries. Fire, this is dangerous. The fire emergency evacuation plan details how you and your family can be evacuated in a safe and appropriate manner.

If there is a fire in your home, please go out, stay away and ask for help. Never go back in for anything or anyone. Teach family members to stop, put down and roll when clothes catch fire.

Be wary of space heaters and how to connect them to sockets. Chief Ainsworth said that when the temperature drops and people take out their space heaters, the firefighting business will accelerate. A recent house fire in Brookhaven may have been caused by an overheated extension cord.

"People sometimes want to use these small heaters to heat their homes, but the worse thing they can do is to run [the heater] with an extension cord," he said. "They can overheat, so if you are going to use them, make sure to plug them directly into the socket. These cords are temporary, not permanent. And make sure they are at least three feet away from anything else, such as sofas, curtains, or clothing."

Ainsworth added that for aesthetic reasons, covering an extension cord to minimize it from the field of view, otherwise no one would trip over it would only make things worse, because it would increase the risk of fire. fuel.

Only purchase heaters evaluated by nationally recognized laboratories such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and check to ensure that they have a constant temperature control mechanism. If the heater falls, the mechanism will automatically shut down.

Vent the kerosene heater and don't fill it up too much.

Never fill, refill or use portable generators indoors.

Do not use the stove as a heat source. Ainsworth said that one of the three recent fires in Brookhaven may have been caused by the use of a stove to heat the house. "Some people try to use the stove to keep warm, which is not a good habit," he said. "I know some people always do that. You can't stop them, but it's not a good idea. Never leave [the stove] unattended."

Check and clean the wood stove, chimney and fireplace for damage or obstructions. The fireplace screen should be heavy enough to stop rolling logs, and large enough to cover the entire opening of the fireplace to catch flying sparks. Don't leave the house or go to bed until you are sure that the fire is completely out.

Stay in the kitchen while frying, roasting or roasting. The tragedy only needs momentary negligence. Need to leave the room? To be safe, turn off the stove.

Wear tight sleeves or roll up sleeves when cooking, and remember that every family needs a fire extinguisher.

Take it outside? If so, make sure your grill is 10 feet or more away from siding, deck railing, eaves, and overhanging branches.

Other hazards that need attention are faulty electronic equipment, wires and cables; overloaded or defective plugs and sockets; cooking and heating equipment; flammable materials and flammable liquids placed near heat sources; cigarettes, lighters, and open flames; and unmanned Keep the candles.

The National Fire Protection Association's recent report on home fires shows that from 2007 to 2011, the US fire department responded to approximately 366,600 home structural fires. These fires are estimated to cause an average of 2,570 civilian deaths, 13,210 civilian injuries, and US$7.2 billion in direct property damage each year.

Seven people are killed in American home fires every day.

Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of communications, said: “Three-fifths of home fire deaths occur in homes without smoke alarms, which underscores the importance of taking personal responsibility when protecting yourself and your family from the effects of fires.” “Installation And maintaining these alarms can save most of the lives lost in home fires."

The government website Ready.gov provides tips on fire behavior:

• Fire fast! In less than 30 seconds, a small flame can turn into a big fire. It only takes a few minutes for thick black smoke to fill the house or be engulfed by flames.

• The fire is hot! Heat is more threatening than flames. The room temperature in a fire can reach 100 degrees at the floor height and 600 degrees at the height of the line of sight. Inhaling this superheated air can burn your lungs and melt your clothes on your skin.

• Fire is dark! The fire is bright at the beginning, but soon it will produce black smoke and total darkness.

• Fire is deadly! Smoke and toxic gases kill more people than flames. Fire can produce toxic gases, making you disoriented and drowsy. Suffocation is the main cause of fire deaths, and the ratio of more than burns is 3 to 1.

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