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Fire

Fire spreads quickly. If fire breaks out in your home, there is no time to gather valuables or make a phone call. In just two minutes, a fire can become life threatening. In five minutes, a residence can be engulfed in flames.

Heat and smoke from fire can be more dangerous than the flames. Fire produces poisonous gases that make you disoriented and drowsy.

How to Prepare For a Fire:

Install smoke alarms. Place smoke alarms on every level, outside bedrooms, at the top of open stairways or at the bottom of enclosed stairs.
Test smoke alarms once a month and replace batteries twice a year. Make it a habit when you reset your clocks for Daylight Saving Time.
Replace smoke alarms once every 10 years.
Plan and review escape routes from your home with your family. Practice escaping from each room.
Make sure windows are not nailed or painted shut, and that security gratings or burglar bars on windows have a fire safety opening feature so they can be easily opened from the inside.
Consider escape ladders if your residence has more than one level and ensure that burglar bars and other anti-theft mechanisms that block outside window entry are easily opened from the inside.
Teach family members to stay low to the floor (where the air is safer) when escaping from a fire.
Install A-B-C-type fire extinguishers in your home and teach family members how to use them.
Make sure your home is insured. If you rent, buy renter's insurance.
Place heaters at least three feet away from flammable materials. Use extreme caution when using alternative heating sources, such as space heaters.

Surviving a Fire:

If a smoke detector goes off or if you notice a fire, remain calm. Get out as quickly as possible and stay out.

Do not try to fight a major fire.

If your clothes catch on fire, STOP where you are, DROP to the ground, and ROLL over and over to smother the flames.

If you work in a high-rise office building, know your building’s High-Rise Evacuation Plan, and know two different exits from the building. If there is a fire, do not use the elevator. If there is smoke in the hallway, return to your apartment or office and call 9-1-1 for instructions.

Before attempting to open a door, feel it with the back of your hand. If it is hot, find another way out.

If you see smoke under the door, find another way out.

Stay as close to the floor as possible. Smoke and heat rise and the air is clearer and cooler near the floor.

Close all doors behind you.

Do not stop to get anything.

Do not use elevators.

Call 9-1-1 from a safe place such, as a neighbor's house.

If you are unable to get out for any reason, stay near a window and close to the floor. Close the door and stuff the bottom with a towel to keep out smoke.

If possible, signal for help by waving a cloth or sheet outside the window.

For more fire safety information, visit the Philadelphia Fire Department website at www.phila.gov/fire.

Barbeque Grill Safety

Barbecue grills are regulated by the Philadelphia Fire Code. The purpose of the regulations is to ensure the safe use of grills. Click to review the Philadelphia Fire Department's Barbeque Grill Regulations and Safety Tips.