There are many different things that can be done on an individual basis to make your home and environment a safer place for everyone.  The best emergency incident is the one that never happened.  The following information is made available for people to take a proactive approach to life safety. 

 1.    HOUSE NUMBERS   Post House Numbers on your house and if your house isn't visible from the street, post the numbers at the street as well.

 2.    SMOKE DETECTORS   Test Smoke Detectors monthly and change the batteries at least twice a year, each time you change your clock, change your batteries.

 3.    HOME FIRE ESCAPE PLAN   Create and Practice a home fire escape plan.  Especially if you have children, develop a plan, practice it with them and have a special meeting place in the front of the house.

 4.    CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS    Install Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detectors in your home. 

 5.    FIRE HYDRANTS   Adopt a Fire Hydrant.  If a fire hydrant is on or near your property, make sure we can find it.  In the winter, shovel around the hydrant so we can find it and use it quicker if we need to.

 6.    ELECTRICAL   Look for electrical hazards.  Don't overload outlets and don't use extension cords for high draw appliances like refrigerators or air conditioners.  Never run electrical cords under carpets.

 7.    STORAGE AROUND EQUIPMENT   Space Heaters, furnaces, boilers and hot water heaters need space.  Keep objects at least three feet away from these appliances.  These appliances need air to work and putting articles too close creates a fire hazard.

 8.    HEATING EQUIPMENT   Have your heating equipment serviced annually.  Servicing heating equipment annually can prevent malfunctioning of the equipment, prolong the life of the equipment and make the equipment run more efficiently, saving energy on heating costs.

 9.    FIREPLACES AND WOODSTOVES   If you have a fireplace or woodstove, have the chimney or flue pipe cleaned and inspected annually by a professional.  Built up creosote can cause chimney fires and cracks in chimneys or linings can make a chimney fire extend to the house and start a house fire.

10.    CANDLES   Use candles responsibly.  Never leave a candle unattended and don't place candles near combustibles such as paper or drapes.  Always extinguish candles before you leave.

11.    SMOKING   If you smoke, do it responsibly.  Never smoke in bed or while sleepy sitting on overstuffed furniture.  Make sure to extinguish all smoking materials when you are done. 

12.    MATCHES AND LIGHTERS   Keep matches and lighters in a safe place.  Curious kids may want to play with matches and lighters.  Keep them out of reach and out of sight.