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Fire Safety Facts

Each year, many people are seriously injured or perish in fires around the world. Many of those injuries and deaths are preventable by taking some simple steps. Consider the following:

• Fire is fast! It can only take a few minutes for a small flame to get out of control and turn into a major fire. It takes only minutes for thick black smoke to fill a house.
• Fire is hot! A fire's heat alone can kill. Room temperatures in a fire can rise to 700 degrees Celsius or more in only a few minutes. Inhaling this hot air will scorch your lungs.
• Fire is dark! Fire starts bright, but quickly produces smoke and darkness. If you wake up to a fire, you may be blinded, disoriented, and unable to find your way around the home you've lived in for years.
• Fire is deadly! Smoke and toxic gases kill more people than flames do. Fire uses up the oxygen you need and produces smoke and poisonous gases that kill.

In the event of a fire, remember:

• Time is the biggest enemy and every second counts, escape first.
• Develop a home fire escape plan and practice it frequently.
• In your fire escape plan, designate a meeting place outside.
• Make sure everyone in your family knows two ways to escape from every room.
• Practice feeling your way out with your eyes closed.
• Never stand up in a fire, always crawl low under the smoke and try to keep your mouth covered.
• Never return to a burning building for any reason; it may cost you your life.
• Having a working smoke detector dramatically increases your chances of surviving a fire.