Can We Locate You In An Emergency?

When calling for help, don't hang up until the dispatcher tells you to do so.

Make sure your address is visible from the street and well-lit during evening hours.

Smoke Detectors

Working smoke detectors can alert you to a fire in your home in time for you to escape, even if you are sleeping. Install smoke detectors on every level of your home, including the basement, attic, hallways, and inside.

Test detectors every month, following the manufacturer’s directions, and replace batteries when you adjust your clocks, or whenever a detector "chirps" to signal low battery power. Never "borrow" a smoke detector battery for another use - a disabled detector will not work and cannot save your life. Replace detectors that are more than seven (7) to ten (10) years old.

For increased protection, consider installing a fire alarm monitoring system and automatic fire sprinklers.                                                    

Smoking

Careless smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths in North America. Smoking in bed or when you are drowsy could be fatal. Provide smokers with large, deep, non-tip ashtrays, and soak cigarette butts with water before discarding them. Before going to bed or leaving home after someone has been smoking, check under and around seat cushions and upholstered furniture for smoldering cigarettes.

In a child's hands, matches and lighters can be deadly. Use only child-resistant lighters and store all matches and lighters up high, where kids can't see or reach them, preferably in a locked cabinet or drawer. Teach children that matches and lighters are tools, not toys, and should be used by adults or with adult supervision. Instruct young children not to touch them and to tell a grownup if they find matches or lighters. If found, older children should bring matches and lighters to an adult immediately.

Cooking

Never leave cooking unattended. Keep cooking areas clear of combustibles (paper, towels, etc.), and wear clothes with short, rolled-up, or tight-fitting sleeves when you cook. Turn pot handles inward on the stove where you can't accidentally bump them and children can't grab them. Enforce a "kid-free zone" that is three feet around your kitchen stove. If grease catches fire in a pan, don't panic, slide a lid over the pan to smother the flames and turn off the heat source. Leave the lid on until the pan is completely cool.

Have An Escape Plan

If a fire breaks out in your home, you have to get out fast. Prepare for a fire emergency by sitting down with your family and designing an escape plan. Be sure that everyone knows at least two unobstructed ways out, doors and windows, from every room. If you live in an apartment building, use the stairs. Do not include elevators in your escape plan. Decide on a meeting place outside where everyone will gather after they escape. Have your entire household practice your escape plan at least twice a year.

During a fire, smoke and poisonous gases rise with heat. the air is cleaner near the floor. If you encounter smoke or flames while you are escaping from a fire, use an alternative escape route. If you must escape through smoke, crawl on your hands and knees, keeping your head twelve to fourteen inches above the floor. Once you get out stay out. Never go back into a burning building!

Stop, Drop, and Roll

If your clothes catch fire, don't run. STOP where you are, DROP to the ground, cover your face with your hands, and ROLL over and over to smother the flames

Calling 9-1-1

In an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately from any wired or wireless phone.

An emergency is any situation that requires immediate assistance from the police, fire department or ambulance. Examples include:

- A fire
- A crime, especially if in progress
- A car crash, especially if someone is injured
- A medical emergency, such as someone who is unconscious, gasping for air or not breathing, experiencing an allergic reaction, having chest pain, having uncontrollable bleeding, or any other symptoms that require immediate medical attention

Important: If you’re not sure whether the situation is a true emergency, officials recommend calling 911 and letting the call-taker determine whether you need emergency help.

When you call 911, be prepared to answer the call-taker’s questions, which may include:

• The location of the emergency, including the street address
• The phone number you are calling from
• The nature of the emergency
• Details about the emergency, such as a physical description of a person who may have committed a crime, a description of any fire that may be burning, or a description of injuries or symptoms being experienced by a person having a medical emergency

Remember, the call-taker’s questions are important to get the right kind of help to you quickly.

Be prepared to follow any instructions the call-taker gives you. Many 911 centers can tell you exactly what to do to help in an emergency until help arrives, such as providing step-by-step instructions to aid someone who is choking or needs first aid or CPR.

Finally, do not hang up until the call-taker instructs you to.

If you dial 911 by mistake, or if a child in your home dials 911 when no emergency exists, do not hang up—that could make 911 officials think that an emergency exists, and possibly send responders to your location. Instead, simply explain to the call-taker what happened.