As emergency services personnel we are all well aware of the importance of home safety. Since 95% of the people that look at my site are in the Emergency Services I won't dwell on the "what to do's" and the "not to do's". Instead I'll leave links with tips, statistics and other pertinent information.

Here is a tid bit I read somewhere on the net.

Communities across the country are reporting families are saved from certain tragedy thanks to the early warning of residential smoke detectors. This continuing evidence of the effectiveness of smoke detectors points to an opportunity for dramatically reducing the 6,600+ residential fire deaths that occur each year in the United States. In fact, if all of our nations homes were protected by smoke detectors, the residential loss of life could be reduced by more than 40%.This would significantly impact our national fire problem, because more than 90% of the nations building fire deaths occur in residential buildings. The fire's in offices, schools, hospitals and places of assembly receive a good deal of attention, but the major problem is the home fires that, although they claim fewer lives at a time, they do so with greater frequency.

Smoke detectors help the home occupants by giving early warning so they can escape. In addition, the earlier the fire is discovered, the less property the fire can destroy before it is extinquished. The smoke detector can also help the fire department: The alarm can warn of fire while it is still small, making extinquishing easier. When the dwelling occupants escape from a burning home because of an early warning, the fire fighter does not have to attempt an unnecessary or risky rescue.

Fire Fighting is the most hazardous occupation in the United States, and search and rescue is one of the most dangerous services performed by the fire fighter. While the early warning is often accredited with saving lives of the homes occupants, don't forget that the smoke detectors warning may have also protected a fire fighter. When smoke detectors are not in the home, the Fire Fighter is then forced to try to make up the difference.

SMOKE ALARMS Smoke alarm technology has been around since the 1960's. But the single-station, battery-powered smoke alarm we know today became available to the consumers in the 1970's.NFPA estimates that 94% of U.S. homes have at least one smoke alarm, and most states have laws requiring them in residential dwellings. FACTS AND FIGURES: 15 of every 16 homes (94%) in the U.S. have at least one smoke alarm. One half of home fire deaths occur in the 6% of homes with no smoke alarms. Homes with smoke alarms (whether or not they are operational) typically have a death rate that is 40-50% less than the rate for homes without alarms. In three of every ten reported fires in homes equipped with smoke alarms, the devices did not work. Households with non-working smoke alarms now out number those with no smoke alarms. Why do smoke alarms fail? Most often because of missing, dead or disconnected batteries. SAFETY TIPS: While smoke alarms alert people to fires, families still need to develop and practice home fire escape plans so they can get out quickly. Install at least one smoke alarm on every floor of your home (including basement) and outside each sleeping area. If you sleep with the door closed, NFPA recommends installing smoke alarms inside the room. In new homes, smoke alarms are required in all sleeping rooms, according to the National Fire Alarm Code. Because smoke rises, alarms should be mounted high on walls or ceilings, Wall-mounted alarms should be positioned 4-12 inches from the ceiling. Ceiling mounted alarms should be positioned 4 inches away from the nearest wall. On vaulted ceilings, be sure to mount the alarm at the highest point of the ceiling. Smoke alarms should not be installed near a window, door or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with their operation. NFPA recommends that people with hearing impairments install smoke alarms with louder alarm signals and/or strobe lights to alert them to a fire. Be sure that the smoke alarm you buy carries the label of an independent testing lab. For a list of manufacturers that distribute smoke alarms for the hearing impaired, Please call NFPA's Center for High-Risk Outreach at (617) 984-7826. Alarms that are hard wired to the home's electrical system should be installed by a qualified electrician. SMOKE ALARM MAINTENANCE: Test smoke alarms at least once a month by using alarms "test-button" or an approved smoke substitute, and clean the units in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. Install new batteries in all smoke alarms at least once a year, twice is even better, for example, on the days you change your clocks forwards and backwards for daylight saving times, or when the alarm chirps (warning that the batteries are dying). Replace all smoke alarm batteries immediately upon moving into a new home. Keep batteries in smoke alarms, do not borrow them for other purposes. Nuisance activations can be addressed by moving an alarm farther away from kitchen smoke or bathroom steam and by more frequent cleaning. If the problem persists, replace the alarm. Replace smoke alarms every 10 years. HOME FIRE ESCAPE PLANS Everyone, including preschoolers, can be taught the basics of home fire escape. Developing and practicing a home fire escape plan is the key to survival should a fire occur in the home. Please do not think that having an escape plan is silly or unneeded.. It makes the fire departments job much easier if all occupants of a home are evacuated, and does not put fire fighters at a dangerous risk by having to initiate an interior search and rescue for trapped occupants. FACTS AND FIGURES: According to a NFPA Home Fire Escape Survey, only a small number of families (16%) have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan to ensure they could escape quickly and safely. In 2000, there were 3,420 home fire deaths in the U.S. SAFETY TIPS: A home fire escape plan should include: working smoke alarms on every level of the home and outside all sleeping areas; two ways out of each room; unobstructed and easy to use exits; a meeting place outside; a posted emergency phone number (911) for the fire department; and practicing the plan at least twice a year with every member of the household. If there are infants or family members with mobility limitations, someone in the household should plan to assist them. Make sure that doors needed for escape can be opened easily and that windows are not nailed or painted shut. React to the sound of a smoke alarm immediately and make getting out your top priority. Please remember that the hot gases and smoke from combustion are lethal within a short period of time, escape is key for survival. Never go back inside the home for any reason. FIRE EXTINGUISHERS A portable fire extinguisher can save lives and property by putting out a small fire or containing it until the fire department arrives; but portable fire extinguishers have limitations. Because fire grows and spreads so rapidly, the number one priority for residents is to get out safely. SAFETY TIPS: Use a portable fire extinguisher when the fire is confined to a small area, such as waste baskets; and is not growing; everyone has exited the building; the fire department has been called or is being called; and the room is not filled with smoke. To operate a fire extinguisher, remember the word PASS. Pull the pin. Hold the extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from you, and release the locking mechanism. Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire. Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly. Sweep the nozzle from side-to-side. when using a fire extinguisher, please keep your back to an exit, if the fire should grow or get out of control, escape will be easier. For the home, select a muli-purpose extinguisher (one that can be used on all types of fires) that is large enough to put out a small fire, but not so heavy as to be difficult to handle. Read the instructions that come with the fire extinguisher and become familiar with it's parts and operation before a fire breaks out. Local fire departments often offer hands on fire extinguisher training. When using a fire extinguisher, if the room fills with smoke, leave immediately. Know when to go. Fire extinguishers are one element of a fire response plan, but the primary element is safe escape. Every household should have a Home fire escape plan and working Smoke alarms. COOKING SAFETY Cooking fire are the #1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries. The majority of cooking equipment fires start with the ignition of common household items(i.e., wall coverings, paper or plastic bags, curtains etc...) FACTS AND FIGURES: In 1998 there were 94,000 home fires associated with cooking equipment, resulting in 396 deaths and 4,656 injuries. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires. Three in every ten reported home fires start in the kitchen, more than any other place in the home. SAFETY TIPS: Never leave cooking food on the stove top unattended, and keep a close eye on food cooking inside the oven. Keep cooking area clean and clear of combustibles, (i.e..potholders, towels, rags, drapes, and food packaging. Keep children and pets away from cooking area by creating a three-foot (one meter) "kid-free zone" around the stove. Turn pot handles inward so they can't be bumped and children can't grab them. Wear short, close fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and catch fire. Never use a wet oven mitt, as it presents a scald danger if the moisture in the mitt is heated. Always keep a potholder, oven mitt and lid handy. If a small fire starts in a pan, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. turn off the burner. Don't remove the lid until it is completely cool. Never pour water on a grease fire and never discharge a fire extinguisher onto a pan fire, as it can spray, or shoot burning grease around the kitchen, actually spreading the fire. If there is an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed to prevent flames from burning you and your clothing. If there is a microwave fire, keep the door closed and unplug the microwave. Call the fire department and make sure to have the oven serviced before you use it again. Food cooked in a microwave can be dangerously hot. Remove the lids or other coverings from the microwaved food carefully to prevent steam burns. The information provided above by NFPA. National Fire Prevention Association