About 3,500 Americans die each year in fires and about 20,000 are injured. You can stop the fire before it starts. Use this fact sheet to learn how to prevent a fire in your home and know what to do if you have a fire.
Stop children from starting a fire, before it starts:
- Keep matches and lighters in a locked drawer or cabinet out of the reach of children. This should be a location where a child is least likely to explore.
- Teach your children to tell you when they find matches and lighters.
- Check under beds and in closets for burnt matches or other clues your child is playing with fire.
Be prepared for a fire:
- One of the best ways to protect yourself and your family is to have a working smoke alarm that can sound fast for both a fire that has flames, and a smoky fire that has fumes without flames. It is called a "Dual Sensor Smoke Alarm." A smoke alarm greatly reduces your chances of dying in a fire.
- Let children know what a smoke alarm sounds like and what to do when they hear it.
- Always dress children in pajamas that meet federal flammability standards, which means if the pajamas are exposed to a small open flame, the flame will go out. Avoid dressing children for sleep in loose-fitting, 100 percent cotton clothes, such as oversized T-shirts.
- Teach children not to hide from firefighters, but to get out of the house quickly and call for help from somewhere else.
- Show children how to crawl low on the floor, below the smoke, to get out of the house.
- Show them how to stop, drop to the ground, and roll if their clothes catch fire.
- Make and practice a home fire escape plan and set a meeting place outside. Make sure everyone in your family knows at least two (2) escape routes from their bedrooms.
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