Checked your smoke detector batteries lately?
They’re mostly common sense, but the recommendations recently issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics for how to reduce your risk of a fire at home bear repeating:
- Never leave a small child unattended, even for a minute.
- Install smoke alarms near the furnace, and near areas where people sleep. Check the batteries monthly.
- Keep fire extinguishers around the home. Make sure they're always charged.
- Devise different escape routes, and practice fire drills.
- Never smoke in bed.
- Make sure children don't have access to lighters or matches.
- Carefully dispose of ashes, matches and cigarette butts.
- Make sure all open flames are protected with a barrier.
- Inspect electrical appliances and cords for signs of wear or connection problems.
- Don't wear loose clothing when you are near a fireplace, space heater or stove.
Click here for more information on fire safety from MedLine Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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