Protecting Your Home

Fire can destroy anyone's home. Fires are real, not just events in the news or movies. Most people have no idea how destructive a fire can be. Here are some facts that everyone should know:
  • Fire creates thick, black smoke that makes it difficult to see.
  • Smoke is more deadly than flames. The poisonous gases in the smoke can kill you.
  • Fire has intense heat. A fire can create extreme temperatures in a matter of seconds. These temperatures can cause severe burns rendering you unconscious.
  • Fire spreads rapidly. A home can be totally consumed by fire in less than five minutes.

Eliminate Fire Hazards

  • Kitchen Safety


    Never leave cooking unattended, keep cooking areas clean and uncluttered, and don't cook when you're drowsy.

  • Space Heaters


    Keep all space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn.

  • Smoking Materials


    Use large, non-tip ashtrays, and soak butts and ashes before dumping them into a wastebasket. Never smoke when sleepy, and never smoke in bed.

  • Matches and Lighters


    Store matches and lighters locked up high - away from children.

  • Electricity


    Keep electrical cords out of traffic areas and don't risk breaking the wires by pinching them behind furniture or stretching them tightly around corners.

  • Candles


    Keep candles away from anything that can burn and put them out when you leave the room or go to sleep. Use a stable, non-combustible candle holder.

Know What to do in a Fire

  • Plan Your Escape


    • Draw a floor plan of your home. Show two ways out of each room.
    • Agree on an outside meeting place in front of your home where everyone will gather after they've escaped.
    • Practice! Hold home fire drills. Make them realistic by pretending some exits are blocked by smoke and fire.
    • Provide alternatives for anyone with a disability.

  • Be Prepared

    • Can everyone in your home unlock and open windwos?
    • If your windows have security bars, are they equipped with inside quick-release devices.
    • Can children reach and open all door and window locks.

  • Escape Tips

    • Close doors behind you as you escape to slow the spread of fire and smoke.
    • If you have to escape through smoke, crawl, keeping your head one to two feet above the floor, where the air is the cleanest.
    • Test doorknobs and spaces around the door with the back of your hand. If the door is warm, try another escape route. If it's cool, open it slowly. Slam it shut if smoke pours through.
    • Get out and stay out. Once you escape a fire, don't go back inside for any reason.

Home Fire Extinguishers

  • Read the Label


    There are three basic types of fires. All fire extinguishers are labeled with standard symbols, letters, or both for the classes of fires they can put out.
    • Class A: Ordinary combustibles such as wood, cloth, and paper. Extinguishers labeled for only Class A fires contain water and are unsuitable for use on grease or electrical fires.
    • Class B: Flammable liquids such as gasoline, oil, and oil-based paint.
    • Class C: Energized electrical equipment - including wiring, fuse boxes, circuit breakers, machinery, and appliances.
    Multipurpose fire extinguishers, labeled ABC, may be used on all three classes of fire.

    A red slash through any of the symbols tells you the extinguisher cannot be used on that class of fire. A missing symbol tells you only that the extinguisher has not been tested for that class of fire. If you are using the wrong type of extinguisher, you can endanger yourself and even make the fire worse.

  • Extinguisher Size


    Portable extinguishers are rated for the size of fire they can handle. This rating is also on the label - for example, 2A:10B:C. The larger the numbers, the larger the fire that the extinguisher can put out, but higher-rated models are often heavier. Make sure you can hold and operate an extinguisher before you buy it. (Note: Many portable extinguishers discharge completely in as few as 8-10 seconds, which may not be enough to put out the fire.)

  • Installation and Maintenance


    Install extinguishers in plain view, above the reach of children, near an escape route, and away from stoves and heating appliances.

    Take care of your extinguishers. Read your operator's manual, learn how to inspect your extinguisher, and follow the manufacturer's instructions for maintenance.

    Rechargeable extinguishers must be serviced after every use. (Service companies are listed in the Yellow Pages under "Fire Extinguishers.") Disposable fire extinguishers can be used only once and must be replaced after use.

  • Fighting Small Fires: PASS


    Only fight a fire if you feel confident to continue. Keep your back to an unobstructed exit and begin by standing 6-8 feet away from the fire. Follow the four-step PASS procedure - Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep.
    • PULL the pin: This unlocks the operating lever and allows you to discharge the extinguisher. Some extinguishers may have other lever-release mechanisms.
    • AIM low: Point the extinguisher nozzle (or hose) at the base of the fire.
    • SQUEEZE the lever above the handle: This discharges the extinguishing agent. Releasing the lever will stop the discharge. (Some extinguishers have a button instead of a lever.)
    • SWEEP from side to side: Moving carefully toward the fire, keep the extinguisher aimed at the base of the fire and sweep back and forth until the flames appear to be out. Watch the fire area. If the fire reignites, repeat the process.

Home Smoke Alarms

  • Smoke Alarms Save Lives

    The majority of fatal home fires happen at night, and the smell of smoke won't always wake you up. In fact, smoke and poisonous gases can put you into a deeper sleep. Home smoke alarms can wake you in time to escape - cutting your chances of dying nearly in half. Smoke alarms are inexpensive; they do save lives, and in most states, are required by law in private homes.

  • We Can Help

    Residents who live in Forsyth County outside of Winston-Salem may obtain Free Smoke Detectors and installation by contacting the Forsyth County Fire Department Monday - Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at (336) 703-2550. The Forsyth County Fire and Rescue Association sponsors the Smoke Detector Program which is designed to provide residents with smoke detectors and assist in the installation. Your local Fire Department will contact you and make an appointment for installation.

  • Choose an Alarm

    Be sure that the smoke alarm you buy carries the label of an independent testing lab. Some home smoke alarms run on batteries, others on household current, and various models use differing fire-sensor technologies. But all approved (labeled) smoke alarms will protect you.

  • How Many and Where

    Install a smoke alarm on every floor of your home, including the basement, and outside each sleeping area - inside as well if you sleep with the doors closed. Alarms should also be in or near dens, living rooms, family rooms, and other living areas. Be sure everyone sleeping in your home can hear your smoke alarms, even with appliances on such as air conditioning. If someone in your home is hearing-impaired, you can install louder alarms or alarms that flash a bright light as well as sound an alarm. The National Fire Alarm Code prohibits the installation of smoke alarms in locations such as attics and other unheated spaces where ambient conditions are outside the limits specified by the manufacturer. Smoke detectors should not be located where cooking fumes, steam, or automobile exhaust might set off false alarms.

  • Where to Install

    Smoke rises, so alarms are required to be mounted high on a wall or on the ceiling. Position wall-mounted alarms with the top of the alarm 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling. Position ceiling-mounted alarms at least 4 inches away from the nearest wall. In a room with a pitched ceiling, mount the alarm at or near the ceiling's highest point. In stairways with no doors at the top or bottom, install alarms anywhere along the path that smoke would travel up the stairs. But always position smoke alarms at the bottom of closed stairways. Dead air trapped near the door at the top of a stairway could prevent smoke from reaching an alarm located at the top. Don't install a smoke alarm too near a window, door, or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with its operation.

  • Maintenance

    Never borrow a smoke-alarm battery. Test all your alarms monthly by pushing the "test button" and install new batteries at least once a year - when you set the clocks back in the fall, for example - or when your alarm is "chirping" to indicate that the battery is low. Unless manufacturer's instructions say otherwise, vacuum your smoke alarms regularly without removing the cover. Never paint a smoke alarm. Smoke alarms don't last forever. Replace any smoke alarm that is more than 10 years old.