Prevent fires at home and know what to do if one starts.
Most home fires start with everyday habits, and most fatal fires happen while people sleep. These tips from the Enid Fire Department help you stay ahead of both.
Smoke alarms give you time to get out
Most fatal home fires strike while people are sleeping, and poisonous gases can spread before anyone wakes up. Put a smoke alarm in each sleeping area, outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home, including the basement.
Renters: landlords are required by law to keep working smoke alarms in all rental homes. If yours doesn't have one, call 580-234-0541 and ask for the Fire Marshal.
Want a second look? Call the Fire Marshal at 580-616-7154 to schedule a free home safety check.
Make and practice an escape plan
In a real fire you may face darkness, smoke and heat. Plan and practice now so everyone knows what to do.
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Step 1
Map two ways out. Draw your home and plan two exits from every room, especially bedrooms. If one route is a second-story window, make sure there's a safe way down. Plan ahead for small children and people with disabilities.
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Step 2
Pick a meeting place out front. Everyone meets in one spot, ideally at the front where firefighters will arrive. Choose one person to call 911 from a neighbor's home.
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Step 3
Practice twice a year. Start the drill from your bedroom with the door closed. Then practice in the dark, pretending one route is blocked, and make sure everyone can open every lock and window.
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Step 4
Test doors before you open them. Use the back of your hand to feel the door, knob and frame. If any of it is hot, use your second way out. If it's cool, open it slowly, be ready to slam it shut, and close doors behind you.
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Step 5
Crawl low under smoke. The cleanest air is 12 to 24 inches off the floor. Get on your hands and knees and crawl quickly to the exit.
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Step 6
Get out and stay out. Don't stop for possessions or pets, and never go back inside. If someone is trapped, firefighters have the best chance of rescuing them.
If you're trapped
Close doors between you and the fire, stuff cracks and cover vents. Signal from a window with a flashlight or light-colored cloth, and call 911 to say exactly where you are.
In apartments and offices
Use the stairs. Never use an elevator during a fire; it may stop between floors or open on the fire floor.
Prevent cooking fires
Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries, and most cooking fires come from what people do, not appliance failures.
If a grease fire starts
- Turn off the burner, if you can do so safely.
- Put a lid on the pan using an oven mitt, or toss baking soda on the flames.
- Use an approved fire extinguisher.
- Leave the house and call 911 if you can't put the fire out quickly and safely.
- Never use water on a grease fire. It can splatter hot oil and spread the fire.
Prevent it
- Never leave stovetop cooking unattended, and check food often.
- Use a burner that fits the pan, and don't turn up the heat to cook faster.
- Keep hair, sleeves, towels and pot holders away from the stove.
- Keep a 3-foot kid-free zone around the stove.
- Wash the fan filter monthly and clean the hood at least once a year.
Choose the right fire extinguisher
Most fires start small. The right extinguisher, used correctly, can keep them that way. Extinguishers are rated by the kind of fire they handle.
Class A
Ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, cloth and most plastics. Minimum rating for light hazards: 2A.
Class B
Flammable liquids and gases such as gasoline, oils, paint, lacquers and grease. Minimum rating: 10.
Class C
Energized electrical equipment, where the agent must not conduct electricity. Minimum rating: 10.
Class D
Combustible metals such as magnesium or titanium. These are highly specialized extinguishers.
Which extinguishing agent should I choose?
Multipurpose dry chemical handles Class A, B and C fires but leaves a corrosive, sticky residue. Standard dry chemical (B and C) suits vehicles and grease fires. Carbon dioxide (B and C) leaves no residue but must be used up close, and water-based agents work on Class A fires only. Halogenated agents are clean and good for computers, but cost and environmental rules limit them.
Do I still need to call the Fire Department if I put the fire out?
Yes. Call us and get out of the area anyway. A fire that looks out can keep burning inside a wall and spread to the attic quickly. Extinguishers required by the Fire Code must be serviced every year.
Use heat tape safely
Electric heat tape keeps pipes from freezing, but faulty heat tape causes fires every year. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission urges you to replace uncertified heat tape more than 3 years old with tape certified by UL, CSA or FMRC.
Install it right
- Plug the 3-prong plug into a grounded, GFCI-protected outlet.
- Apply it directly on the pipe, never on top of insulation.
- Don't wrap it over itself unless the instructions allow it.
- Keep the end cap sealed and off the ground.
- Use only non-flammable insulation like fiberglass, never foam or vinyl.
Inspect it every year
- Look for discoloring (especially at the plug), charring, cuts, breaks or bare wires.
- Replace heat tape that shows any wear.
- Don't use pipe heat tape on gutters, driveways or fuel lines.
- Check the instructions for where the thermostat belongs.
Decorate safely for the holidays
Trees
Choose a fresh tree whose needles bend without breaking. Cut 2 inches off the trunk, keep it watered and away from heat sources and exits. Artificial trees should carry the UL label, and never put electric lights on a metal tree.
Lights
Use UL-approved lights, replace any with cracked sockets or frayed wires, and connect no more than three sets per extension cord. Use outdoor lights only outdoors, and turn all lights off when you leave or go to bed.
Fireplaces and candles
Never use candles on or near a tree. Clear decorations from the fireplace, open the flue, and don't burn wrapping paper or evergreen boughs.
Decorations and children
Mistletoe, holly berries, old tinsel and fire salts can be poisonous. Keep breakable ornaments up high. If a child swallows something, call Poison Control at 800-222-1222.
Fire safety for babysitters
The most important part of babysitting is keeping children safe, and fire safety is a big part of that job.
Prevent a fire
- Close children's bedroom doors at bedtime, and listen carefully.
- Put matches and lighters out of reach.
- Keep space heaters 3 feet from anything that burns, and keep children away.
- Cook only with the parents' permission; turn pot handles in and keep metal out of the microwave.
Plan before parents leave
- Find two ways out of every room.
- Ask the parents where the family meeting place is.
- Write down the full address, the children's names and ages, and where to reach the parents and neighbors.
If there's a fire
- Get everyone out right away and go to the meeting place. Count heads.
- Call 911 from a neighbor's house and give the full address, then call the parents.
- Don't let anyone go back inside.
- If you can't safely reach the children, go straight to a neighbor's, call 911 and tell them where the children are.
Emergency first aid
- Cool a burn under cool water for 10 minutes; get help if it blisters.
- If clothing catches fire: stop, drop, cover your face and roll.
- Crawl low under smoke and have the children follow.
Stay fire safe in hotels
When you check in
- Ask whether the property has smoke alarms and fire sprinklers when you book.
- Before you unpack, find two exits on your floor and count the doors to each.
- Find the fire alarms and extinguishers, and learn how to shut off the room's air conditioning.
- Check the room phone for how to report emergencies.
If there's a fire
- If it's in your room, get out, close the door, sound the alarm and tell the front desk.
- If it's elsewhere, leave only if it's safe or you're told to, and take your key in case you must return.
- Use the stairs, never the elevator.
- If you stay in the room, seal the door and vents with wet towels and call the front desk or 911 with your location.
What to do after a fire
A Fire Department investigator may follow up to find the cause so it doesn't happen again. Please answer their questions.
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Step 1
Notify the owner and your insurer. If you don't own the building, tell the owner or agent. Call your insurance company or agent about coverage for furniture, possessions or merchandise.
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Step 2
Secure the property. Protect the building from looting, vandalism and weather once firefighters leave. Remove valuables if it isn't secure, and ask the officer in charge for help retrieving valuables from unsafe areas.
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Step 3
Restore utilities safely. Call the utility company to restore gas and electricity to the meter. You'll need your own electrician for wiring inside the building, and possibly a plumber before water or gas can be turned back on.
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Step 4
Protect against freezing. Have a furnace technician restore heat. If heat can't be restored and freezing weather is coming, drain the water system, including toilets and sink traps.
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Step 5
Get help with housing and clothing. The American Red Cross can help with temporary housing or clothing. The officer in charge of the fire will make the call for you if you ask.
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Step 6
Check on repairs before you move back in. If damage goes beyond furnishings or smoke, call Community Development at 580-234-0400, ext. 345. Make sure fire alarm and protection systems are restored and extinguishers are recharged before anyone moves back in.
Learn CPR
Bystander CPR can double or triple a person's chance of surviving cardiac arrest, and it can also help after drowning, electrocution, suffocation or overdose. Good CPR is better than bad CPR, but any CPR is far better than none.
CPR and first aid classes are low-cost and usually take one session. Find a class through the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.