Fire Prevention Week Safety Reminders

Smoke Alarms, Make Them Work For You

City of Palo Alto
PaloAltoConnect
5 min readOct 10, 2024

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Fire Prevention Week, taking place this week October 6–12, is a reminder to make sure you and your family have the information and tools you need to prevent home fires.

Sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) — this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign is “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!™.” According to the Palo Alto Fire Department, that’s the perfect place to start with your fire prevention plan!

Palo Alto Fire Department (PAFD) Open House

Palo Alto Fire is excited to celebrate Fire Prevention Week with a special open house for the community on October 12 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Located at Fire Station 5 at 600 Arastradero Road, the event will feature a station tour, fire engine and ambulance demos, art table and plus fire prevention information, tips, and swag. We hope to see you there!

Check Your Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms Regularly

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are often forgotten as we go about our daily lives. If you haven’t tested your alarms this year, it’s not too late. It’s easy to do, just push the test button. If your alarms are battery-powered, and the batteries haven’t been changed in over a year, you should still replace them even if the test works to make sure they remain fully powered. Make a point of checking your alarms when you change your clocks twice a year. With the exception of hard-wired devices, smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years.

It’s also important to learn the different sounds that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms make so your family can take the right immediate action. Check the manufacturer’s instructions that came in the box or search the brand and model online to learn the sounds. Usually, a continuous set of three loud beeps from your smoke alarm means there’s smoke or a fire, which means you should leave and call 9–1–1.

Create and Practice a Fire Escape Plan

Teaching your family how to escape a fire and practicing can buy you precious time during a fire. Create an escape plan and do practice drills twice a year.

Tips to Consider:

  • Find two ways to get out of each room in the event the main way is blocked by fire or smoke.
  • Make sure that all windows are not stuck, screens can be taken out quickly.
  • Practice feeling your way out of the house in the dark or with your eyes closed.
  • Teach children not to hide from firefighters.
  • Make digital copies of valuable documents and records so you don’t feel tempted to return to the house. Also, consider putting other valuables in a fireproof safe.

Learn When and How to Use a Fire Extinguisher

Only use a fire extinguisher on small fires contained to one room, and make sure you are using the right kind, as there are five primary types of fire extinguishers for different kinds of fires. Remember the word P.A.S.S. when using the extinguisher. Pull the pin. Aim low at the base of the fire. Squeeze the lever slowly. Sweep the nozzle from side to side.

Home Cooking Safety

According to NFPA, cooking caused two in five reported home fires and home fire injuries and one in five home fire deaths between 2017–2021. Cooking was the leading cause of reported home fires and home fire injuries and the second leading cause of home fire deaths. Stay safe while you cook with these tips:

Never leave the kitchen while cooking, as unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires. As the holidays near, and it’s tempting to leave the kitchen to entertain guests, remember that a fire can start even if you’re only gone for one minute.

Make a strict kid-free zone at least three feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried so you can prevent spills that burn, or distraction while cooking. Place any pets in a different room for the same reason.

Turn the burner off, especially if you’re frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food, where high heat can splatter oil and cause fire when you leave the kitchen. If you are simmering or baking, set a timer so you don’t forget you are cooking.

Keep anything that can catch fire away from your stovetop, such as wooden utensils, curtains, kitchen towels or oven mitts, and turn handles for your pots and pans away from you to avoid jostling them.

If you see any smoke or the grease starts to boil, turn the burner off immediately to prevent a fire from starting.

If a small grease cooking fire occurs and you decide to fight the fire, smother the flames on a stovetop fire by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the burner. Leave it covered until it is completely cooled. For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed until it completely cools down.

If you have any doubt about fighting a small fire, make your personal safety your top priority and get out of the home. Close the door behind you to help contain the fire and call 9–1–1 from outside.

Other Home Fire Prevention Tips

  • Smoke outside and stub-out butts in an ashtray or a can filled with sand.
  • Replace worn appliance cords and don’t run cords under rugs or furniture.
  • Keep combustible objects at least three feet away from portable heating devices.
  • Use a fireplace screen to catch sparks, clean chimneys annually and check monthly for damage or obstructions.
  • Be mindful of holiday decorations as they can be fire hazards. For holiday fire safety tips check out a previous blog here.

More Online Resources

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City of Palo Alto
PaloAltoConnect

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