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Fire Safety Tips Every Family Should Follow; and WIN a $50 Bed Bath& Beyond Gift Card Giveaway!

This contest is now closed. Winners were announced in this post

Do you know the best thing to do to protect your family from fire? This great video will help you make sure you are safe.

Contest!

WIN a $50 BedBath&Beyond Gift Card!

We know our readers have WONDERFUL ideas and want to hear from you!

What is your best tip for Fire Safety? What have you found that you can share with our readers to help keep them safe?

Two Winners!

Two people will each win one of two Bed Bath& Beyond $50 Gift Cards!

Interested? Just leave your tip below or on our Facebook Page.

Winner will be selected at random and announced on January 23 so give us your best fire safety tip!

Posted by Anne Marie on Jan 11, 2012 print article e-mail to a friend

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• Jeanne

  There are lots of things you can do most importantly: Check your smoke detectors regularly and keep clutter away from open heat sources. I lost a friend recently to a house fire who did not have working smoke detectors.  From what I understand, items close to the water heater started the fire and the amount of stuff packed into the house fed the fire and made it impossible for her to vacate.  A fire in an apartment next to mine in graduate school was started because a pile of papers had gotten to close to a light bulb in a closet. They survived, but their dog died. Your stuff is not more important than the lives of you and your loved ones! 

• Andrea

  Especially during the holiday season, either use a fake tree or unplug the lights before everyone goes to sleep as to not prompt a tree fire. Also never place clothes on top of lamps, and never leave a toaster oven unattended ( I learned that one the hard way ).

• Wadhapal

  Always make a “just in case” plan and have your family do a run through once a year, because you never know….

• Juliebavi

  My tip: Never leave a heat source unattended.

• Windycitymomma

  Unplug the appliances you are not using, particularly when you are leaving for vacation.  I try to remember to unplug the coffee maker and toaster when we are done in the kitchen.  A small action can prevent a painful lesson. 

• Marybeth

  Never leave the house while you are charging battery packs! (Remote control battery packs made for toy cars, planes, boats, etc.) They can start fires.

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DGL5K6PPRTONIDLF4WJDCGA55I Summer

  Education!  Teach all family members an escape plan! Teach them to get out and leave nothing behind! Then revisit (for small children 2-9 Once a Month) (for older children 10-16 every 6 months) Adults….revisit yearly….after all….Education can never be under-exercised!

  Shelleybinion@yahoo.com

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DGL5K6PPRTONIDLF4WJDCGA55I Summer

  Education!  Teach all family members an escape plan! Teach them to get out and leave nothing behind! Then revisit (for small children 2-9 Once a Month) (for older children 10-16 every 6 months) Adults….revisit yearly….after all….Education can never be under-exercised!

• Shelleybinion

  Education! Teach all family members an escape plan! Teach them to get out and leave nothing behind! Then revisit (for small children 2-9 Once a Month) (for older children 10-16 every 6 months) Adults….revisit yearly….after all….Education can never be under-exercised!

• Amanda Andrus

  I don’t know what show I saw it on but they did a practice run of the fire escape plan when the kids were asleep. It showed the parents which kids woke up and which ones just slept through the smoke detector. I think this is a great idea to help your kids understand what it would sound like and be like if a fire happened while they were asleep.

• Pingback: CraftCrave | Blog | Freebies for Printable Scrapbooking or Cardmaking (large): Thursday, 12 Jan 2012

• Jennifer Laforest

  Test smoke detectors and fire extinguishers annually.

• http://www.jenspends.com/ Jennifer Roberts

  Follow safety guidelines for children’s sleepwear. Cotton PJ’s that aren’t flame retardant should fit snugly so that they are less likely to catch flames. If the fabric is flame retardant, be aware that some fabric softeners can reduce or eliminate the flame retardance of the fabric (there should be a warning on the label).

• Scottismith

  I have heard of too many people getting trapped on the second floor. I have since placed a two story escape ladder for us to get the kids out safely should we need to!

• Christy

  We test our smoke detectors every six months– the video suggests monthly! Wow. I also unplug my toaster when done, as I’ve had a friend say it started a fire in her house. There was a dorm fire at school one time because a poptart caught fire in a toaster.
  We also have a meeting place in the front and back yard so that no one goes back in looking for anyone.
  So sorry to the commenter, Jeanne, for the loss of your friend!

• Tara Huff

  Check your smoke alarms regularly and replace the batteries.

• Kim

  Test your smoke detectors frequently and replace batteries when needed. Don’t leave home with appliances running (dishwasher, clothes washer, dryer, etc.). Don’t burn candles, if you love the scent get a candle warmer, just remember to turn it off when leaving home and place it up high away from curious little ones,that hot wax could cause a nasty burn. if you have a fireplace, be sure to have it cleaned.

• budgles

  Put your technology to work for you!  We have alarms set on our smart phones to remind us to test our smoke (and CO) detector each month.  We also have a reminder to change the batteries once yearly as well.
  ~e.m.

• Kerry

  I would agree that the most important thing to do is to have a plan and go over with all the kids. Also, test smoke and carbon detectors regularly and keep flammables away from heat sources and bed lamps.

• lisa

  One of the best decisions I made was to purchase recordable smoke detectors for my home.  My kids are young, 4 & 6, and after I read a study that claimed that out kids tune out standard smoke alarms(treating them as white noise), I tested it for myself.  Sure enough, I set off that alarm and it did not even phase my two children who were sleeping about 12 feet away.  Sure they rustled around in their beds a bit as the sound persisted- but neither even opened their eyes.  Try it for yourself- it is alarming.  I was able to record the smoke detector so that it yells out their names and instructions on getting up and getting out of the house or out of a window.  Because it is my voice- it wakes them up.    I recently bought one for our newly finished basement that reminds them to use the egress window to exit.

• nadine

  don’t forget to blow out those candles! and remember to check fire alarms.

• Blossom

  I know this is common sense, but be very careful what you put in the microwave. I once put a package of meat in the microwave to thaw, in the original plastic packaging. I forgot to remove all of the wrapping from the package, and a tiny bit of paper that was on there caught fire. Luckily I was in the kitchen, and noticed the flames before they flared up too badly, and ruined the microwave, or worse, started a dangerous fire. I was able to pour some water on the package and put the fire out. Of course, I felt stupid afterwards for not being more careful in the first place!

• Jenn Madigan

  We have a 3, 2 and 1 year old.  For us while we want to start at an early age with our kids it’s very much up to my husband and I to make sure things are safe.  We know that if something happens, get to the kids, he gets the girls and I get our son and we meet out front. 

• Diana Nelson

  I can think of two areas which are often overlooked. The first is to make sure that you always unplug devices such as hairdryers, curlers, curling irons and flat irons. These have been known to start fires when left unattended and plugged in. The second, is to have dryer vents professionally cleaned every year or so. This is particularly important if your dryer is vented through the roof of your house.

• Devon

  Never put ashes from a fireplace or fire pit in anything but a metal container with lid; douse with water, and keep the container away from anything that can burn–recommended wait is four days before disposal/transferring the ashes.

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