Reduce the risk of fires
by jmaloni
Thu, Sep 30th 2010 05:00 pm
Fact: Fires are the leading
cause of injury-related death among children 1-4 years old.
Fact: Most of those child
fatalities are a result of smoke inhalation during house fires.
Fact: Of all injuries,
fire-related burns require the longest lengths of stay in hospitals and are the
most expensive injuries to treat.
Fact: The most frequent
cause of house fires is heating, followed by cooking and electrical fires.
In honor of October being
National Fire Prevention Month, Allstate Insurance Company is providing
consumers with critical reminders for reducing the risk of a fire and
fire-related injuries as well as tips to keep in mind should a fire occur in
your home.
The following reminders are
from Allstate's Fire Safety brochure:
- Create a fire evacuation
plan for your family. Practice a fire drill at least once a year.
- Test smoke detectors and
their batteries at least once a month. Replace smoke detectors every 10 years.
- Inspect your fire
extinguisher periodically to see if it needs to be recharged or replaced.
- Never leave an
unsupervised space heater on. Keep all space heaters away from flammable
materials, such as furniture, draperies and rugs.
- Have your fireplace
inspected and your chimney cleaned every year.
- Clean the lint from your
dryer hose periodically. Fires have been known to start from lint overheating.
- Don't dress your lamps
with fabric, especially halogen lamps.
-Information obtained from the NYS Department of Health