Everyday Fire Safety Tips

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  • Buy child-resistant lighters.
  • Keep all matches and lighters out of sight in a high, locked cabinet.
  • Teach children they must ask for parent permission before touching matches or lighters.
  • Children, as young as 8 years old, can be arrested for burning objects or causing a fire.
  • Children under 8 who use matches with parent supervision are 50 percent more likely to use matches later without the parent’s knowledge than children not allowed to use matches at all.
  • Never leave your young children unattended, not even for a couple of minutes. The youngest child in Sacramento history that used a bbq lighter and caused a house fire was 18 months old.
  • Show your children how to be fire safe: have working smoke detectors outside all sleeping areas and on every level of your home.
  • Allow your children to watch you test your detectors once a month by pushing the test button to make sure they are working. Replace smoke detectors after 10 years.
  • Plan and practice an escape plan with everyone in the household. Make sure there are two ways out of every room.
  • If you see fire or smoke, get out right away, crawling low under the smoke.
  • Have a meeting place outside, away from your home, where everyone can meet after escaping from the fire. Call 9-1-1 from a neighbor’s home.
  • Teach everyone to stop, drop and roll if his or her clothes catch fire.