Fire Safety comes first at Christmas and all year!

Family Fire Safety in the home.

This article is slightly late since Christmas is now over, but it never hurts to go over fire safety and a plan for your family in the event of a fire.

Safety comes first at Christmas

Here are some tips to protect your family from fire this Christmas.

Install smoke detectors in your house, condo or apartment. It can save your life. Install at least one on each level of your home, on the ceiling or high on the wall and outside each sleeping area.

Test smoke detectors at least once a month and dust the grill work on the device. Replace the batteries twice a year. A good way to remember is to change them when you change your clocks in the spring and fall. Replace any alarm that is more than 10 years old.

Familiarize children with the sound of the alarm. Discuss what to do if the alarm goes off. Each family member should be able to hear it from their bedroom. Test the alarm at night to ensure everyone wakes up.

Families that sleep with their bedroom doors closed should have a qualified electrician install interconnecting alarms, so if one sounds, they all sound.

Carbon monoxide is a deadly odourless, colorless gas. Install at least two carbon monoxide detectors and place them in hallways near bedrooms and in the basement.

Create a fire escape plan. Draw a diagram of your house or apartment, marking all windows and doors. Plot two routes out of each room.

Designate a meeting place outside where everyone will gather, such as a spot on the front lawn, near the mailbox or at the end of the driveway.

Practise your escape so that every family member will know what to do. Some experts suggest that you practise at least twice a year.

Always assume that the sound of a smoke alarm indicates a real fire. You should be prepared to follow your escape plan.

Leave your home immediately and join family members in the designated meeting place. Leave belongings behind and call the fire department from a mobile phone or neighbour's house after you're safely out. Once you're out, don't return for any reason.

Smoke and heat rise, so it's important to crawl, not walk, from a burning building.

If a fire breaks out while you're in bed, don't sit up. Instead, roll out of bed and crawl on the floor, staying below the heat and smoke. Feel the door with the back of your hand. If the door or knob is hot, don't open it.

Put matches, lighters and candles in a high, locked cabinet so they are out of sight and reach of children.

If you smoke, use deep ashtrays and drown cigarettes with water before throwing them out.

and remember to "Clean Your Chimney For Santa"

This article is courtesy of: Paul Schuster aka the "Fire Guy"
73 Gray Cres. Richmond Hill Ont. L4C 5V4 (905) 884-4423

For more information please contact A. Mark Argentino

A. Mark Argentino Associate Broker, P.Eng.,
Specializing in Residential & Investment Real Estate
RE/MAX Realty Specialists Inc.
2691 Credit Valley Road, Suite 101, Mississauga, Ontario L5M 7A1

BUS 905-828-3434
FAX 905-828-2829
E-MAIL mark@mississauga4sale.com
Website: Mississauga4Sale.com