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Your room-by-room fire hazard checklist should include:
Living Room
- Open the flue or damper before starting a fire in your fireplace, every time.
- Keep all flammables at least three feet away from the fireplace.
- Place a sturdy fireplace screen in front of the fireplace.
- Have your chimney cleaned and inspected by a professional at least once a year.
- Keep candles and lamps at least one foot away from your curtains.
- Use safety caps to cover all unused outlets.
- Use large, deep ashtrays. Never leave a burning cigarette unattended.
Bedroom
- Never use candles in your bedroom.
- Keep all lamps free of flammable materials.
- Don’t run electrical cords under rugs.
- Replace and repair loose or frayed electrical cords.
- Don’t allow permanent use of extension cords.
- Don’t staple or nail electrical cords.
- Never smoke in bed.
- Never leave heavy objects on the bed when an electric blanket is in use.
- Install a carbon monoxide alarm near bedrooms.
Bathroom
- Don’t overload outlets with cords from too many appliances. Plug them in one at a time.
- If an outlet or switch feels unusually warm, stop using it and call an electrician.
- Never set hot appliances on flammable materials.
- Unplug all appliances when done using them.
- Make sure cords from appliances are not getting pinched in drawers.
- Keep towels and other flammables at least three feet away from space heaters.
Hallway
- Install ceiling-mounted smoke alarms that are at least four inches away from the walls on every level of your home.
- Ensure smoke alarms are UL listed.
- Wall-mounted smoke alarms should be installed four to 12 inches away from the ceiling.
- Don’t install smoke alarms near windows, doors or ducts.
- Test your smoke alarms once a month.
- Vacuum your smoke alarms every six months.
- Change your smoke alarm batteries at least once a year. Make sure batteries are always in smoke alarms.
Kitchen
- If you have a fire extinguisher, be sure you are properly trained to use it.
- Make sure the fire extinguisher is for multi-purpose use.
- Keep the fire extinguisher in a place where it is easy to access.
- Never leave anything on the stove or under the broiler unattended.
- Keep the cooking area clear of items that can burn.
- Maintain a three-foot kid-free and pet-free zone around the stove.
- Avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing while you are cooking.
Basement
- Have your heating system serviced once a year before cold weather begins.
- When buying a new unit, have a qualified technician install it or check that it was installed properly.
- Choose a heating device with an automatic shutoff feature.
- Make sure your clothes dryer is installed and serviced by a professional.
- Have a gas-powered dryer inspected by a professional at least once a year to check flexible gas lines for damage and proper connection, and to ensure all piping is free of leaks.
- Keep areas around heating sources clear of debris and insulated from the heating source.
- Be sure to clean the lint tray in your dryer before each use and check around the drum for any accumulated lint.
- Do not store clothing or other combustibles any closer than one foot from the dryer.
- Do not let your dryer continue running when you leave your home.
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