City of Soledad

Protect yourself and your family with these simple fire safety tips:

Test Your Smoke Detector at least once a week. Replace old batteries with fresh, high-quality alkaline batteries to keep your smoke detector going year-long. If you don't have a smoke detector in your home, get one today! Install at least one smoke detector on every level of your home, including the basement and family room and, most important, outside all bedrooms. Install your smoke detectors according to the manufacturer's instructions. A smoke detector may very well be the only thing that will wake you up in time to escape a fire in your home.

Make An Escape Plan Of Your Home . Draw the floor plan on a piece of paper and make sure all members of the household understand it. Indicate the exits with an arrow going out the doors and windows. Make sure you show the meeting place outside a safe distance from the home, and that everyone in your household knows to meet there if there is a fire in your home. Make sure you have two exits for each room.

Practice Your Escape Plan . Sit down with other members of your household and study the escape plan. After everyone is familiar with the plan, hold a fire drill. Have everyone lay down on their beds and push the test button of the smoke detector. Remember to feel the door for heat before opening. Everyone crawl low and exit the home and meet at the meeting place outside. Children are at double the risk of dying in a home fire because they often become scared or confused during fires. Make sure children understand that a smoke detector signals fire and that they should recognize its alarm. While this exercise may seem silly to older persons, children love it and actual practice will pay off if you ever have an emergency.