-Safety Tips for Seniors-
Protect Yourself
Prevention is the best way to keep your home safe from fire.

Be Kitchen Wise
Never leave cooking unattended. Use oven mitts and wear clothes with tight-fitting or rolled-up sleeves when you cook. Use a timer to remind you to turn off burners and the oven. Keep stove surfaces free of clutter and built-up grease. Don't cook if you've been drinking alcohol or taking medication that makes you drowsy.

Be Smoker Wary
Provide smokers with large, deep, non-tip ashtrays. Empty ashtrays often, wetting the contents before dumping them into wastebaskets. Never smoke in bed or while drinking alcohol or while you are on medication that could make you drowsy or disoriented.

Give Space Heaters Space
Keep portable heaters and space heaters at least three feet (one meter) from everything... including you. Just brushing against one could set your clothing on fire.

Install Smoke Detectors
Be sure to have smoke detectors outside or in all sleeping areas, and on every level of your home, including the basement. If you have a hearing impairment, use tested and approved smoke detectors that trigger a strobe light.

Test your smoke detectors monthly and change their batteries once a year. You can use a stick, broom handle ladder or sturdy step stool to reach the detector. Do not stand on a chair.

Plan Your Escape
Know Two Ways Out
Plan two escape routes from every room in your home. During a fire, smoke or flames may block an exit, forcing you to use an alternate escape route.

Know How to UnIock Doors and Windows
Windows should open easily and fully to allow escape. All security-barred windows and doors needed for escape should be equipped with quick-release devices that every household member can operate. Practice emergency exit drills to identify and eliminate obstructions.

Know All Building Exits
lf you live in an apartment building, count the number of doorways between your apartment and the two nearest exits. During a fire, you may have to escape in the dark.

No matter where you live, be familiar with all exits, including windows. If you have trouble with stairs, it may be best to sleep on the first floor.

If You Are Trapped...
Remain calm. Close all doors between you and the smoke. If there is a phone in the room, call the fire department and tell the dispatcher where you are trapped. Call the fire department even if you can see fire trucks through your window. Stuff rags, towels, or clothing in the cracks around doors to keep smoke out. Wait at a window; signal the fire fighters by waving a light-colored cloth or flashlight and wait to be rescued.

If Fire Strikes...
Knowing how to protect yourself during a fire emergency could save your life.

Test Doors Before You Open Them
Kneeling or crouching at the door, reach up as high as you can and touch the hinge, the knob, and the space between the door and its frame with the back of your hand. If the door is cool, open it cautiously and continue along your escape route. If it is warm, keep the door closed and seek an alternative escape route or stay in your room.

Crawl Low Under Smoke
If you encounter smoke while using your primary exit, use an alternative route. If you must exit through smoke, crouch or crawl. Heat and smoke rise; cleaner air will be 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 centimeters) above the floor.

Get Out and Stay Out
Leave the building as quickly as you can. Call the fire department from a neighbor's phone. Do not go back into the building for any reason.

Stop, Drop, and Roll
If your clothing catches fire, stop where you are, drop gently to the floor or ground; cover your face with your hands to protect your face from flames; and roll over and over to smother the flames. If you cannot drop to the floor, smother the flames with a blanket or towel.


Smother a Grease Fire
If a pan of food catches fire, using a pot holder, carefully slide a lid over it and turn off the burner. Keep lid in place until cool.

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