Workplace fire safety can be so broad, depending on the industry, it is impossible to itemize every precaution necessary to prevent fire injury and damage. The Occupational Safety Health Agency (OSHA) and industry standards are the experts. However, there are a few general guidelines that everyone can follow.

• Every business should have an evacuation plan and maintain safe working conditions. This being said, small operations may not. That doesn’t mean you can’t follow precautions similar to those you’d follow at home, especially when it comes to electrical equipment, storage of flammable materials and simple housekeeping that removes potential fuels from heat sources.
• If you’re working in a high rise, check fire safety guidelines on our High Rise page.
• Each workplace should have two means of escape, preferably on opposite ends of the building or unit. Exits should be clearly marked and kept free of obstructions. Stairways should remain clear.
• Fire doors should remain closed but never locked or blocked when employees are in the building.
• Fire extinguishers rated for the type(s) of potential fire dangers should be in place and all employees should know how to use them.
• Dispose of rubbish; empty wastebaskets daily.
• If you see any unsafe wiring, let the boss or supervisor know. If you plug in space heaters or high-draw equipment and blow a fuse or see lights dim, unplug the culprit and try to locate a better circuit to plug into. Observe the same common sense you do at home when it comes to extension cord use. If a piece of electrical equipment starts to smell acerbic or belches smoke, turn it off and unplug it. Once the smoke and/or smell has dissipated, have the equipment serviced or replaced.
• Most workplaces no longer allow employees to smoke in the building. Make sure there is a receptacle for matches and cigarette butts where smokers congregate.
• Smoke alarms and/or sprinkler systems are as important, if not more so, in the workplace as they are in your home.

Fire safety is important, even when you’re traveling. Unfortunately we can’t go through our lives protected by hermetically sealed packaging. Nor should we go through life looking for dangers behind every door or around every corner. The best we can do is to be aware and keep our eyes open. That little piece of advice applies to our business or pleasure trips that take us to hotels or motels.

We can’t really provide all the possible safety tips for hotels and motels which range from structures like Vegas casinos with sprinklers and alarms but so massive you almost need to leave a trail of bread crumbs to find your way from your room to the exits; to small, one-story cabins. The bigger the hotel, the more important it is for you to identify safe exits.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Start right by verifying the hotel has smoke alarms and fire sprinklers when making your reservations. Pack a flashlight. If you’re traveling by car, bring your car’s flashlight into the room with you. (Don’t we all have one in our glove compartments or as part of our car’s emergency kit?)
• When you check in and go to your room, identify fire doors and stairways on your way. If you’re staying in a large complex, pay attention to where you’re going. This will help you find your way back to your room as well as dispel any confusion if you have to evacuate. Also, locate the fire alarms on your floor.
• Once in your room, look for the hotel’s evacuation plan and commit it to memory. If you’re on a ground floor, identify a secondary exit.
• If you’ve managed to start a fire in your room, get out, sound the alarm and notify the front desk.
• In the event of an evacuation, never use the elevator, always use the stairwell. Take your room key with you in case you have to return due to smoke and flames.
• If the alarm sounds, check the door for heat. If the door feels hot, go to your secondary escape route. If there is no other way out of the room, stay in it. Seal the door cracks, turn off any fans or air conditioning, notify the fire department of your location and signal from your window.
• If you feel no heat, carefully open the door a crack to determine there is no heavy smoke or fire in the hallway. If the hallway is smoky, crawl along the floor to the nearest exit.

While fires in single family homes can be devastating, high rise fires are more injurious and cause more property damage than any other structure fire. If you live or work in a high rise, you need to be aware of the danger and the precautions necessary to minimize property damage and save your life.

• First and foremost, do not panic in a high rise fire. Do not assume someone else has called 911. Call and be prepared to provide information that the dispatcher may ask for.
• Install smoke alarms in your apartment. The danger can come from within your space as well as outside.
• Never lock fire exits, hall or stairway doors. Conversely, never prop a fire door or stairway door open. The function of these doors is to provide an exit and to slow the spread of fire and smoke.
• Learn the building’s evacuation plan. Count the number of doorways between yours and the fire exit. If the hallways are smoky or darkened because of power outages, this may be your best guide to safety.
• If the building manager has not posted evacuation plans in high traffic areas, suggest he do so.
• Be able to identify the sound of your building’s fire alarm. Urban areas are filled with sounds so be sure you can distinguish a building emergency from a street siren.
• Before you leave your apartment or office, feel the door. If it is warm to the touch, do not open it. Stuff the cracks around the door with towels to keep the smoke out. Call the fire department to let them know where you are located. The dispatcher can notify fire fighters on the scene. Wait at the window and signal with a flashlight or by waving a sheet. Open the window but do not break it. If smoke seeps into your area, you may need to close it quickly. An open window acts like a vacuum and will draw more smoke into the room.
• If the door is not warm to the touch, brace your body against the door and open it slowly staying low to the floor. This is a precaution in the event there is smoke or fire in the hallway. If there is no danger in the hallway, evacuate according to the building’s plan. If you haven’t heard the fire alarm, pull the alarm at the pull station as you evacuate. If you encounter smoke or flames, return to your apartment or office.
• Once you are out of the building, stay out. Notify the fire department if you know of anyone trapped in the building. Only return when the fire department tells you it is safe.

Fireworks, outdoor barbecues and campfires are all part of summer fun and summer fire hazards.

As the song goes, “Summer time and the livin’ is easy.” Don’t we wish. In fact, summer is a time of frantic activity: vacation trips, fireworks celebrations, BBQs and the occasional electrical storm. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, more than 8,000 of us are injured by fireworks and grill fires each year and more than half of those injuries occur during the first week in July. That’s no reason to spend the glory days of the year in your hammock.

Campfire Safety

• Most parks have designated fire rings, use them. Clear the immediate area of dry grass and leaves. With the growing danger of forest fires, agencies publish suggestions and guidelines for fire safety. Make yourself familiar with this information especially if you are traveling outside your home territory. Rules in the hot, dry Sierra and Rocky mountain ranges will be different from the damper climate mountains in the East. During particularly dangerous conditions, western parks will often curtail fires.
• Don’t let your campfire get out of control, keep it small. If you need protection from evening chill, grab a sweater or jacket.
• Keep water and a shovel close at hand to douse and bury a fire that has gotten out of control or to handle any mishap from flying sparks. Do not toss paper or trash onto the fire.
• At the end of the evening, douse the fire with water, stir the embers and douse again. Keep this up until the fire is thoroughly out. When you think it’s out, stir the ashes again to make sure there are no more glowing shards.
• Never leave a campfire unattended. We all see Survivor contestants maintaining their cook fire through the night. That’s TV. You’ve got matches to restart the fire.

Fireworks Safety

• The best way to enjoy Fourth of July fireworks is to spread out a blanket, set up the cooler and watch the professionals do all the work. You can “ooh” and “aah” from a safe distance and get a truly spectacular show.
• If your own fireworks display is a family tradition, then make sure the fireworks are legal in your community. As tempting as it may be, don’t import fireworks from over the border (a common practice in states bordering Mexico). Legitimate fireworks will include information on how to use, contents and whatever warnings are appropriate. If that information is not on the fireworks, don’t purchase them. If you already have, don’t use them.
• Never light fireworks indoors or near combustible vegetation like dried grass or dead leaves. Have a bucket of water on hand or your fire extinguisher (once you’ve read the instructions and know how to use it).
• Do not wear loose clothing while lighting or using fireworks.
• Step several feet away from a lit firework. If it does not go off, the last thing you should do is peer over it or pick it up to figure out what went wrong. Assume it’s a lethal dud; douse it with water and dispose of it safely.
• Keep an eye on your children during the whole fireworks evening, a very careful eye even if all they have are sparklers. You know your own children. If one of them is prone to risky behavior, provide an alternative to their own inventive idea of celebrating the Fourth like a trip to public fireworks displays.

BBQs and Grills

• If your grill of choice is propane, before starting check the connections between the tank and the fuel line and make sure the venturi tubes (where the air and gas mix) is not blocked. The best test for a leaking fuel line is to apply a coating of soap to the line. If there is a leak, the escaping gas will release bubbles. If the grill passes the soap test but you still smell propane, turn off the tank and the grill. If the smell goes away, have the grill serviced before use. If the smell continues, call your local fire department and keep heat sources away from the grill until it has been inspected and declared safe.
• All propane cylinders made after April 2002 must have overfill protection devices. Store propane containers outdoors. If you keep your grill in the garage over the winter, remove the fuel cylinder and let it winter outdoors. Do not overfill the propane cylinder.
• For charcoal grills, make sure you have the proper starter fluid and follow directions for its use. If you’ve run out, do not substitute any other flammable liquid.
• Once the charcoal is lit, put the starter fluid away. Never add more to a lit grill.
• After the feast, deal with the hot coals the same way you’d deal with a campfire. Douse with water, stir and douse again until the coals no longer glow. When the coals are cold to the touch, dispose of them in a sealed metal container, not paper or plastic bags.
• For any type of grill: be sure it is placed on a sturdy surface away from flammable materials like deck rails, home siding or under the eaves of any overhanging branches.
• Grills should be operated away from activity, especially playing children or pets. Try to enforce the same three-foot child-free zone that is applied to kitchen cooking centers.
• Use appropriate long-handled grilling tools so the cook has plenty of clearance away from flares from dripping fat. Avoid wearing loose clothing.
• Remove grease and fat buildup in trays below the grill. Consider that grease as flammable as the starter fluid.

While the odds of being hit by lightning are only a little better than winning a mega lottery, the greatest danger during a summer lightning storm is fire. Awareness is your best defense. The victims of lightning strikes are usually trees, brush and grass but sometimes homes are hit. Electrical wiring is often ignited because the electrical current in lightning is drawn to the wires. If you live in a high lightning strike area, contact your local fire department or emergency service providers for information on how best to protect your home.

It may seem odd to include flood and spring storms as a home fire danger zone category. In reality, turbulent weather often results in a dismantling of our emergency services, our utilities as well as our homes. While we’re trying to deal with the results of a violent spring storm, we are at risk for even more trouble. Whether you’re ankle or knee deep in water or just sweeping mud off your patio, follow these precautions after a strong spring storm:</p>
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<div>If you are using a generator due to power outages, keep the generator outdoors and make sure the extension cord is rated for the wattage load. If power outages are a regular occurrence, consider having an electrician wire a generator into your electrical system. Check out websites for generator manufacturers for more details. If power outages are infrequent and your generator is a portable, camping style model, make sure it is in good working order before you use it. It goes without saying that fuel for the generator needs to be stored in an appropriate, safe container away from combustible materials.</div>
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<div>Again, if you use kerosene space heaters due to a loss of utilities, follow all the safety recommendations found on this site under Winter/Home Heating. If you only use these heaters in emergencies, check them out before you fire them up.</div>
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Take an inventory of any above ground gas lines, damaged or leaking gas or propane containers and leaking vehicle gas tanks. Include in that inventory storage areas where fuel or combustible liquids like paint thinner are stored. If there are any spills, clean them up immediately.</div>
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<div>If power lines are down on your property, report them and stay away. Pools of water and even appliances can be electrically charged resulting in a dangerous fire.</div>
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<div>Appliances exposed to water can short out and become a fire hazard.</div>
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<div>If your home has sustained flood or water damage, turn off the power to your home at the main breaker or fuse box. Do not restore electrical power until the home’s carpeting and furnishings have been thoroughly dried.</div>
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</ul>

Winter sneaks up on us and so does the danger of home fires from heating systems.

First we close the windows at night; extra blankets are brought out; sweaters and heavy coats removed from moth balled protection; cords of wood are stacked. As the days shorten and the weather cools, we start spending more time tucked into what should be a safe home. With this combination of heating sources and more activity in the home comes an increase in fire danger. Nearly half of all home heating fires occur between December and February, according to the National Fire Protection Association. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize that’s when we actually use our home heating.

A second, less obvious cause for a potential increase in winter fires is the rising cost of home heating fuels and utilities. People turn to portable space heaters to keep warm, lowering thermostats or turning off central heat to the home. That’s where we’ll start.

Space Heaters

• Double check that your electric space heater carries a UL safety listing. Other safety features include a thermostat control and an automatic switch off if the heater falls over. Unplug the heater when not in use.
• Place any portable space heater at least three feet from combustible materials like draperies, upholstered furniture or bedding. Be wary with small children and pets near the heater. Read and follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions on use and maintenance. Turn portable heaters off when you leave the home.
• Never fill a kerosene heater with gasoline or camp stove fuel. Both can easily flare-up. Use only clear K-1 kerosene. Fill the heater outdoors and store the kerosene container a safe distance from combustibles. Use kerosene heaters only in well ventilated rooms, never in a small, closed space.

Wood Stoves

• Wood stoves are not fireplaces and the guidelines for their use differs in significant ways. If you’re purchasing and installing a wood burning stove, look for plate steel or cast iron construction. Check for cracks; inspect the hinges and door seals for smooth joints and seams.
• Stoves follow the same three-foot from combustible materials rule as any other heater. In addition, wood stoves must have the proper floor support and sit on a non-combustible surface or on a code-specified or listed floor protector. Installation of the vent is best done by a professional in order to meet the proper clearances and insulation.
• Have the chimney inspected annually. Creosote can build up in the vent pipe and catch fire. Check with local requirements on the size of screen required at the opening. This mesh screen prevents sparks or lit embers from landing on the roof.
• Burn only seasoned wood. Do not use green wood, artificial logs or trash. Artificial logs are made of sawdust and wax. The intense heat build up in wood burning stoves can melt the log causing it to flare or leak burning liquid.
• Clean the ashes between use. This isn’t really a fire safety issue; it simply allows for better air circulation in the stove. The ashes should be deposited in a tightly sealed metal container that is stored outdoors. Once the container is filled up, be careful how the ashes are disposed of. Some rural dumps have a separate spot for disposal because of the danger of still hot embers.
• Wood stove doors should be kept closed when in use. The stove’s blower pulls the heat and blows it out of a vent at the top. Operating the stove with the door open is not only dangerous (logs can roll out, sparks can fly) but inefficient. If you want to look at a crackling fire, get a fireplace.

Fireplace

• Follow the same annual cleaning, ash disposal, fuel guidelines as wood burning stoves. You can use artificial logs, but only one at a time.
• Use a sturdy fireplace screen to prevent logs from rolling out or sparks hitting combustible materials.
• Do not leave a fireplace unattended and make sure the fire is extinguished before you retire for the night.

Home fires during the holidays account for 1,650 injuries and over $900 million in damage each year.

This is the season for eating and drinking and gift giving and tree decorating and more eating. Thanksgiving and Christmas have the odds stacked against them in terms of fire danger and the statistics back-up those odds. If this sounds like deja vous, so be it: Just a little common sense and a few precautions can re-stack those odds in your favor. Follow all the tips for kitchen safety, candle safety, heating appliances and fireplaces as well as tips on avoiding electrical fires and you’ll be on your way to a safe and happy holiday.

Thanksgiving Cooking Safety

Being a nation of innovative pioneers, it was appropriate that Americans came up with some alarming ways to fry up the Thanksgiving turkey. Thankfully, special turkey-sized fryers are now available and should replace all those homemade contraptions. To prevent fires and other hazards, use the following precautions:

• Use these fryers outdoors in an open area away from walls, fences, tree and shrubbery and anything else that can catch on fire.
• Follow all the manufacturer’s instructions for use and safety.
• If you have to set up a portable TV in your driveway to catch the games, do so but don’t leave the turkey fryer unattended.
• Also, keep the fryer away from any source of moisture that can cause steam or splattering oil.
• If you’ve opted for roasting your turkey in the oven, resign yourself to staying home for the day. Do not leave the home while the oven is on.

Christmas Tree Safety

• Select a tree that has not dried out. Some indications of a healthy, safe tree are green needles that are hard to pull back from the branch, do not break and a trunk that feels sticky to the touch. One good test is to bounce the tree trunk on the ground. If there is a little bed of fallen needles around the tree, put it back and look for a fresher tree.
• Trees develop a sap that covers the bottom of the trunk after they are cut. To keep your tree green and healthy, cut off about two inches from the bottom of the trunk. This allows for better water absorption. Put the tree in a sturdy tree stand with a large water capacity. Keep that holder full throughout the time the tree is in the home.
• Do not put the tree near a heat source as this will dry it out quickly.
• Plan on keeping your tree up no longer than two weeks.
• When the season is over, the best way to dispose of the tree is to take it to a recycling center or have it hauled away by a pick-up service.
• Consider products like Tree Shield, described on our Fire Safety Products page. Tree Shield offers flame resistant protection for a tree up to 7-feet tall, is safe and easy to apply.

Christmas Lights Safety

• Inspect your holiday lights for frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets or excessive kinking or wear before you put them up.
• Do not link more than three strings of lights unless directions indicate it is safe.
• Check the cords periodically to make sure they are not warm.
• Turn the lights off when you leave the house or go to bed.
• Keep an eye on small children and pets around the tree, especially when the lights are on.

More Safety Tips

• Do not use candles on a Christmas tree or as part of decorations that use live pine boughs. In fact, try to use only non-flammable or flame-retardant decorations and place them away from heat sources or vents.
• Do not dispose of wrapping paper in a fireplace or wood burning stove.
• If rowdy holiday parties are part of your tradition, do a thorough check of the living area after the guests have left.

While carbon monoxide is not directly related to fire safety, it’s worth providing some details on the danger since this site deals with most of the direct causes of carbon monoxide poisoning: fuel burning appliances like generators and portable heaters, gas ranges and water heaters, wood-burning furnaces or fireplaces, automotive engines and charcoal grills. Carbon monoxide is created when these fuels burn incompletely. In addition, we’ve tried to make you aware of the value of a smoke alarm. One more alarm, for the build up of carbon monoxide, is also a life saver.

For those who live in homes with natural gas or propane appliances, you are familiar with the odor of those gases, some normal, others added so they can be detected when gas is released but not ignited. The danger is that odorless carbon monoxide cannot be detected until occupants of the home become ill or the alarm sounds.

The best way to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning is to follow these guidelines:

• Do not run your car engine in a garage. It does not matter if that garage is attached to the home or the garage door is left open. If you have to work on your car and need the engine running, move the car outside.
• Do not use charcoal grills, camp stoves or other heating/cooking appliances intended for use outdoors in the home or an enclosed area. Do not use your oven to heat the home.
• If you use a generator during power outages, run the generator outdoors.
• For homes with fireplaces or wood burning stoves, make sure there is good ventilation in the home and the stove’s door closes completely.
• Have a professional check all fuel burning appliances, furnaces, venting and chimney systems once a year. That inspection should take place in the fall, before we start closing our windows and doors against the cold or use our heating systems.

Symptoms

The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to the flu: headache, dizziness, nausea, fatigue and disorientation. We’ve all heard the news stories of families who sent their children to bed with what was thought to be the flu only to realize too late the problem was much more severe. We’ve also heard stories of entire families stricken with no one realizing what was actually happening because of disorientation.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

The only fail-safe way to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, especially in cold climates where homes are shut up tight, is with a CO alarm. The UL listed alarm should be installed near the sleeping areas where normal air flow is not restrained. Make sure the alarm meets the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) standard 2034 as well as the requirements of the IAS 6-96 standard.

Everyone is at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning. Those at special risk are unborn and newborn infants and children, and elderly people with heart or lung problems. A carbon monoxide alarm is designed to go off when the gas reaches levels where a healthy adult would begin to experience symptoms. Therefore, the alarm could go off before the home’s occupants actually experience illness. If that’s the case, turn off all appliances and sources of combustion, open doors and windows to bring fresh air into the house and call a qualified professional to determine the source of carbon monoxide build up.

If the alarm goes off and any member of the household has flu-like symptoms, evacuate everyone immediately. Call emergency services and explain the situation and the number of ill people and their symptoms. Do not go back into the home until it has been cleared by the fire department. Have a professional repair the source of carbon monoxide.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, the fire death rate in manufactured homes is 32 to 50 percent higher than the rate for other dwellings. They don’t explain why, but the high rate could be directly related to where manufactured homes are located rather than any intrinsic danger in the home itself.

Manufactured homes are prevalent in rural communities, far from urban areas, where stick-built housing can be prohibitively expensive. In these communities, fire protection is often provided by volunteer agencies and the distance from firehouse to burning home can be far greater than in urban communities. While the construction techniques are on a par with stick-built homes, the statistical risks cannot be ignored. On the plus side, there are some advantages manufactured homes have over older housing. For instance, there are more exits than in some older homes and every bedroom has an escape window labeled with operating instructions. Here are some tips to reduce the risks:

• Develop an escape plan.
• Make sure all family members and baby sitters are familiar with the bedroom escape windows and have been instructed on how to use them.
• Consider carrying a cell phone. One segment of your escape plan includes calling for emergency services from a neighbor’s home. If you have no immediate neighbors, that charged cell phone is a good idea for all types of rural emergencies.
• Install a minimum of two smoke alarms.
• If you’re still in the process of specing your manufactured home, have a sprinkler system included.
• Follow the guidelines for electrical and heating fire safety religiously. The electrical and heating-related fires account for one-third of fires in manufactured homes.
• If you supplement the heating system with portable heaters, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on placement, refueling, etc. Refuel kerosene heaters by removing the canister and carrying it to the fuel source rather than bringing the kerosene container into the home.
• If you store fuels like gasoline, kerosene or propane, make sure they are kept in recommended containers, well identified and away from combustibles. Never store these flammable liquids in your home.
• Have your central heating system serviced once a year by a professional. Have your fireplace flue inspected every fall.
• If your home is not on a slab, install skirting material to keep leaves and other debris from blowing under the home.

The best advice we can give is to just stop smoking. But this isn’t a health and fitness site, so the next best piece of advice is to not smoke in the house.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, almost 1,000 people are killed in home fires caused by either cigarettes or other smoking materials. It’s important to remember that the little glowing nub at the end of a cigarette carries the same potential as a glowing ember in your BBQ and a match flipped away without being extinguished and can be as lethal as a flame thrower.

Here are some tips from the U.S. Fire Administration:

• Use deep, sturdy ashtrays. When you empty those ashtrays, flush the butts and ashes down the toilet or dump them in a metal container. A cigarette that has not been fully extinguished can be lethal if that ashtray is emptied in a wastebasket filled with combustible materials.
• Use the same precautions when you smoke outdoors. Dried leaves and grass are even more combustible than paper or upholstery.
• Make sure cigarettes and matches are not left smoldering. Keep those matches and lighters out of the reach of small children. It’s a strange quirk of life that children are often better at getting through child-proof products than their parents, so don’t rely on a child-safe lighter actually being child-safe.
• Never smoke in a home where oxygen is used.