Are fuel-burning space heaters and appliances properly installed and used?
Has the family been cautioned not to use flammable liquids like gasoline to start or freshen a fire (or for cleaning purposes) ?
Is the fireplace equipped with a metal fire screen? Since portable gas and oil heaters and fireplaces use up oxygen as they burn, do you provide proper ventilation when they are in use?
Are all space heaters placed away from traffic, and children and old persons cautioned to keep their clothing away? Are proper clearances provided from curtains, bedding, and furniture?

Do you stop members of your household from smoking in bed?
Do you check up after others to see that no butts are lodged in upholstered furniture where they can smolder unseen at night?
Do you dispose of smoking materials carefully (not in wastebaskets) and keep large, safe ashtrays wherever people smoke?
Are matches and lighters kept away from small children?

Are all electrical cords in the open -not run under rugs, over hooks, or through door openings?
Are they checked routinely for wear?
Is the right size fuse in each socket in the fuse box and do you replace a fuse with one the same size?

Children get burned climbing on the stove to reach an item overhead.
Do you store cookies, cereal, or other "bait" away from the stove?
Do you keep basement, closets, garage, yard cleared of combustibles like papers, cartons, old furniture, oilsoaked rags?
Are gasoline and other flammable liquids stored in closed containers (never glass jugs, discarded bleach bottles or other makeshift containers) and away from heat, sparks, and children?
Are old paint-laden brushes disposed of?
Is paint kept in tightly closed metal containers?

Are furnace, stove, and smokepipes far enough away from combustible walls and ceilings and in good repair? Is your heating equipment checked yearly by a serviceman? Is the chimney cleaned and checked regularly? For safety against chimney and other sparks, is the roof covering fire retardant? Are there enough electrical outlets in every room, and special circuits for heavy-duty appliances such as space heaters and air conditioners? Do you have a qualified electrician install or extend your wiring? Do all your appliances carry the seal of a nationally known safety testing laboratory such as Underwriters' Laboratories (UL) or Factory Mutual (FM)?

1. Correct any household hazards you find.
2. Practice family escape planning.
3. Teach your family fire-safe behavior.

Most fatal home fires start when you are asleep and least prepared. Family members die when discovery is delayed and exits become blocked with smoke and heat. If you plan ahead you can save your family from disaster. NFPA recommends the purchase of a smoke detector that has been labeled by a nationally recognized testing organization. One or more should be installed outside the sleeping areas of your home. Although a labeled detector may cost $50 up, it can wake you in time for you to escape from a potentially fatal fire.

1. Determine two means of escape from each bedroom. One will be the normal exit from the house. For the other, a window that opens easily may be the only alternative. Consider installing an escape ladder or cutting a door between bedrooms.

2. Draw up a floor plan of your home. Show windows, doors, stairs, and rooftops that can be used for escape. Indicate each family member's escape routes. Keep these routes free from obstruction always.

3. Agree on a warning device to waken and warn the family when fire is discovered. First choice for this is your smoke detector. Otherwise get some whistles or other signal device. Set a meeting place outdoors for a head count of family members.

4. Practice escape procedures. Sleep with the bedroom door closed. It will increase your escape time. If you suspect fire, test the door. If it is hot, don't open it-the hall is already too hot to enter. If you think it's safe, brace your shoulder against the door and open it cautiously. Be ready to slam the door if smoke or heat rush in. Practice escaping to the outdoors and meeting at an assigned spot. Call the fire department from a neighbor's phone.

Children learn by example and instruction. You are responsible for teaching them how to be fire-safe. Your guidance will encourage them to use good judgment at play and in emergencies.

Small Children

1. Always watch your children. They often play with the stove or matches and get burned when they are alone.

2. Teach them not to climb across or reach onto the stove. Conceal matches and lighters.

3. Have a babysitter when you are away. Children do not react rationally to emergencies. An adult must be there to help them in case of f ire.

4. Instruct the babysitter to react to fire by getting her charges out fast and preventing them from trying to return. Children and the elderly often try to go back into a burning building.

5. The sitter should know the escape routes f rom your home and the procedure for calling the fire department.

1. Discuss the science of combustion with your children (f ire: fuel, air, heat) and safe housekeeping procedures. Teach responsibility.

2. Set a good example in the safe use and storage of matches and flammable liquids.

3. Teach children to recognize the danger of clothes near heat sources, especially stove burners. Supervise them when they are cooking. Children often get burned when cooking alone.

4. Teach children to recognize household fire hazards such as cracked wires and spilled gasoline.

5. Boys often get burned playing with or tending an outdoor grill or open fire. Family discussion and showing them the hazards may avert accidents.

6. Supervise children while they learn tasks like tending the fireplace or filling the lawnmower.