This web site contains educational information for people who live or vacation in fire-prone areas of the United States. It was designed to acquaint YOU with the challenges of living with wildland fire. As you get familiar with various sections of the site, you will learn more about wildland fire protection, whether you are a homeowner or a firefighter. You can read Wildfire News & Notes, a publication for wildland firefighters. Or you can access one of the site's many interactive games or tutorials. If you have specific questions, ask a wildland fire expert, or use the Firewise message board. The Firewise Home Page provides learning opportunities in its Firewise Communities Workshop area and tells you how to make your own neighborhood Firewise by participating in the Firewise Communities/USA recognition program.
All information is supplied and approved by the National Wildfire Coordinating
Group, a consortium of wildland fire agencies that includes the USDA-Forest
Service, the Department of Interior, the National Association of State Foresters,
the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Protection Association.
Protect your home from the threat of Wildfires click here for tips.
Bedroom Fire Safety
Planning Emergency Escape from Homes
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms for Homes
Wood Stoves, Fireplaces, and Space Heaters for Homes
Facts about fire and related subjects
Carbon Monoxide Facts
Fire-Safe Landscaping For Your Home
Planning Emergency Escape from Homes
Home Fires
Every year nearly 4,000 Americans die in home fires and more than 25,000 are injured. Children and the elderly are especially at risk in home fires because they are less able to escape when fire strikes. You can improve the chances that your family will survive a home fire by making sure that they can escape quickly if necessary.
Smoke Alarms are Life Savers
The primary fire safety strategy for any home is to warn the occupants early. The best way to get the earliest warning of danger is by installing enough smoke alarms. Homes should have a smoke alarm near the bedrooms, but not so close to the kitchen that you have problems with alarms from cooking. It's a good idea to have a smoke alarm in each bedroom, especially if you sleep with the door closed.
Planning Your Escape
The other part of the fire safety plan is for everyone to get out quickly. When you are awakened in the middle of the night to a fire, your thinking may be confused, so it is important that you practice your escape plan ahead of time. That way, your whole family will know what to do. Manufactured homes have more ways to escape than most other homes. There are always two doors, and every bedroom has an emergency escape window. Make sure that everyone knows how to open the emergency windows so no time is wasted when fire strikes. These windows are labeled with operating instructions. Everyone in the family, as well as frequent visitors and babysitters, should practice the escape plan, including opening the escape windows.
Can You Beat the Clock?
Most people do not realize how quickly fires can grow. A home fire can become a killer in as little as 3 minutes. Can your family get out this fast? Consider that it may take one minute for the smoke alarm to sound and for you to recognize the danger. If you have young children or you are elderly and move more slowly, you may need another minute to get ready. This leaves only 1 minute for you all to get to an exit, open it, and get out. By practicing your escape, you can make every second count.
Steps to a Safe Escape
Have at least two working smoke alarms, test them monthly.
Plan two ways out of every room.
Practice your escape plan twice yearly.
Practice crawling low under smoke.
Have a pre-arranged meeting place outside your home.
Call the fire department from a neighbor's home.
Once outside, stay out.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms for Homes
Home Dangers
Every year nearly 4,000 Americans die in home fires and more than 25,000 are injured. Children and the elderly are especially at risk in home fires because they are less able to escape when fire strikes. There are a few hundred CO fatalities annually, and many more persons suffer flu-like symptoms from CO exposure. You can improve the chances that your family will survive a home fire or CO leak by installing smoke and CO alarms and knowing what to do if they sound.
Alert your family to danger
The primary fire safety strategy for any home is to warn the occupants early and get everyone out as quickly as possible. The best way to get the earliest warning of danger is by installing enough smoke alarms. Homes should have a smoke alarm near the bedrooms, but not so close to the kitchen that you have problems with alarms from cooking. It's a good idea to have a smoke alarm in each bedroom, especially if you sleep with the door closed.
CO usually comes from faulty heating appliances but may also come from fireplaces or cars running in attached garages. CO cannot be seen, tasted or smelled, so the only way to detect a CO problem is to have a CO alarm. CO alarms should be located near the bedrooms.
If your smoke or CO alarm sounds, get everyone outside.
What kinds are there?
There are two kinds of smoke alarms -- ionization and photoelectric. The ionization smoke detectors activate quicker for fast, flaming fires and the photoelectric type is quicker for slow, smoldering fires. Either one will provide you enough time to get out, but having a mix of the two types is a good idea. Models with both sensors are better than single sensor units, but of course they cost more.
Smoke alarms are powered either by household current (ac), a battery, or ac with a battery that keeps it operating during power outages. The battery type is easy to install in existing homes but the battery must be changed annually. Building codes for new homes require ac powered alarms with battery backup. For greater safety, older ac only smoke alarms should be replaced with ac/battery alarm, and new codes requires any smoke alarm older than 10 years to be replaced.
Many local building codes now require CO alarms when a home uses gas or oil, or has a fireplace. CO alarms are also powered by either household current (ac), a battery, or ac with a battery. Most CO comes from equipment that will not be working during a power outage so plug-in units are good. But if you might heat your home with a fireplace, wood stove, or kerosene heater when the power is out, you may want to use a battery-powered alarm. The sensor element in some CO alarms must be replaced regularly. Consider the cost of the replacement element in making your selection.
Wood Stoves, Fireplaces, and Space Heaters for Homes
More than one-fifth of residential fires are related to the use of supplemental room heaters, such as wood- and coal-burning stoves, kerosene heaters, gas space heaters, and electrical heaters. You can reduce the chances that your family will experience a home fire by following simple guidelines on the installation and use of these appliances.
Install Safely
Most of the fires related to supplemental heating appliances are caused by improper installation, maintenance, or use of the appliances. Every appliance should have a complete set of installation instructions and should be installed according to the manufacturer's instructions. Wood stoves should sit on a non-combustible surface or on a code-specified or listed floor protector. Fireplaces should have noncombustible materials around the opening and hearth. Space heaters should be placed on a firm surface out of the way so that they won't be tipped over and spill fuel or have hot surfaces come in contact with combustible flooring. Many space heater fires are caused by the heater being tipped over by children or pets. Combustibles such as curtains, chairs, firewood, and even walls should be at least three feet away from the appliance.
Vents and chimneys for heating appliances must be installed with proper clearances to combustible materials. Typically, 18 inches of air space is required between single-wall connector pipes and combustibles and 2 inches between insulated chimneys and combustibles. A common fire problem exists where chimney pipes pass through exterior walls and are too close to combustibles within the wall. Unvented gas-fired space heaters should not be used in small enclosed areas, especially bedrooms, because of the potential for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Use Safely
Careful operation is crucial to occupant safety. Use only fuels appropriate for the appliance. Use coal only if specifically approved by the stove manufacturer. Gasoline or other flammable liquids should never be used to start a wood fire since it might explode or flare up. Never use gasoline in kerosene heaters. Even small amounts of gasoline mixed with kerosene can increase the risk of fire. The directions on artificial logs made from wax and sawdust say they should be used one at a time in fireplaces and never used in wood stoves. This is because the heat can melt the log causing it to flare up or leak burning liquid from the appliance. Pressure-treated wood should not be burned in stoves or fireplaces because it contains toxic chemicals that can make you sick. Always use a fireplace screen to keep sparks from igniting materials in the room. Keep a window ajar or the door open in a room where an unvented heater is in use. Avoid the use of extension cords with electric heaters. Never use heaters to dry clothing or other combustibles. Do not leave fireplaces or most space heaters unattended. Young children should be kept away from any appliance that has hot surfaces that can cause burns.
Maintain Carefully
Chimneys and vents should be inspected and cleaned annually. Have chimneys inspected and cleaned when necessary by a professional chimney sweep. Creosote is an unavoidable product of wood-burning stoves and fireplaces. Creosote builds up in connectors and chimney flues and can cause a chimney fire. Don't burn newspapers or other trash in a fireplace because they burn too hot and can ignite a chimney fire. Kerosene heaters should be cleaned and wicks replaced annually. Electric heaters with frayed or damaged cords should never be used.
Bedroom Fire Safety Helps You Sleep Soundly at Night:
Each year, fire claims the lives of 4,000 Americans and injures more than 25,000. Bedrooms are a common area of fire origin. Nearly 1,000 lives are lost to fires that start in bedrooms. Many of these fires are caused by misuse or poor maintenance of electrical devices, such as overloading extension cords or using portable space heaters too close to combustibles. Many other bedroom fires are caused by children who play with matches and lighters, careless smoking among adults, and arson.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) and the Sleep Products Safety Council (SPSC) would like you to know that there are simple steps you can take to prevent the loss of life and property resulting from bedroom fires.
Kids and Fire: A Bad Match
Children are one of the highest risk groups for deaths in residential fires. At home, children usually play with fire - lighters, matches and other ignitable's - in bedrooms, in closets, and under beds. These are "secret" places where there are a lot of things that catch fire easily.
Appliances Need Special Attention
Bedrooms are the most common room in the home where electrical fires start. Electrical fires are a special concern during winter months which call for more indoor activities and increases in lighting, heating, and appliance use.
Tuck Yourself In For A Safe Sleep
Finally, having working smoke alarms dramatically increases your chances of surviving a fire. Place at least one smoke alarm on each level of your home and in halls outside bedrooms. And remember to practice a home escape plan frequently with your family.
Each year in America, carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning claims more than 200 lives and sends another 10,000 people to hospital emergency rooms for treatment.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) would like you to know that there are simple steps you can take to protect yourself from deadly carbon monoxide fumes.
UNDERSTANDING THE RISK
What is carbon monoxide?
Where does carbon monoxide come from?
Who is at risk?
WHAT ACTIONS DO I TAKE IF MY CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM GOES OFF?
What you need to do if your carbon monoxide alarm goes off depends on whether anyone is feeling ill or not.
If no one is feeling ill:
If illness is a factor:
PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY FROM CO POISONING
Fire-safe Landscaping Can Save Your Home
Wildland fires destroy hundreds of homes and acres of land every year across the country. Fire-safe landscaping is an effective tool that creates an area of defensible space between your home and flammable vegetation that protects against devastating fires.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) encourages you to keep fire safety at the forefront by learning how to landscape and maintain your property to minimize possible fire damage and slow fires if they start. Remember, fire safety is your personal responsibility. Fire Stops With You!
Defensible Space Works
During the 1993 raging Malibu fires, a number of homes were saved as a result of the owners' careful pruning and landscaping techniques that protected their homes. In a fire situation, the dead trees and shrubs surrounding your home act as fuel for fire. Removing flammable vegetation reduces the threat of fire. Follow these basic rules to create defensible space that works.
Tips for a Fire-safe Landscape
Choose Fire Resistant Materials
Maintain Your Home and Surrounding Property